Tow Bar?

[Sit]

Before anyone mentions it I did use search but it returned lots of for sale ads and nothing that really answered my questions??

The X5 I am looking at doesn't have the tow pack however I assume there is a 'hole' underneath to accept a swan neck head?

Can this swan neck part be purchased third party or is it BMW only and what sort of cost should I budget?

I guess electrics won't be there and being a complicated modern car probably wont be easy or cheap?

I want to fit a Thule tow bar mounted bike rack so need to factor this in.

Si

[Horizon]

No

[Sit]

) to which question?!?

Si

[Horizon]

If the car hasn't been fitted with a factory fitted towbar , or an after market towbar, there wont be a bar or electrics fitted to just purchase a detachable tow hitch to just slot in.
You would have to have a complete towbar kit to be fitted, as well as a dedicated electrics wired into the car as well.

[X5Sport]

Have a look at PF Jones website for options, costs and fitting instructions.  You definitely should purchase the dedicated electrics pack with it too.  Factory fit is a Westphalia detachable.

Do not ask BMW to fit it.  They will want upwards of £2k and it can be done for significantly less than that (£300-£500).  You will need to cut the rear bumper.

It is a diyable job.  You might need an extra pair of hands though because it’s a tad heavy!

[snrbrtsn]

I've fitted several towbar's to various BMW's it's certainly diyable if your handy with tools & electrics

The Westfalia kit with dedicated wiring kit from PF jones is user friendly and relatively straight forward
The hardest part is bumper removal though made easier with prelci as the removal process is less involving

Several options with the wiring, the kit as supplied has scotch lock connectors, whilst good for first fit, i spliced mine into the wiring loom, no coding is required, the parking sensors are disabled, having looked at many racks, the Thule system seems the most rigid and sturdy!

Fitting tip, its worth replacing the plastic bumper reflectors as they will break on removal, removal is required to access bumper mounting bolt

[Sit]

Thanks all, had a look at PF Jones and kit looks good to me. Will I make my life any easier by getting a vehicle specificmwiring kit or not??

By the sounds of what snrbrtsn is saying perhaps the specific kit will need coding?

As always thanks for your help, has anyone done a 'how-to' on removing the rear bumper??

Si

[X5Sport]

Yes you will.  It is far easier using vehicle specific as you know it will work and you won’t need to start looking for wiring diagrams to find the right cable to tap into.  These cars have clever data bus control systems and you could end up causing yourself more ‘challenges’ if not careful if not using vehicle specific kits. 

Specific kit should not need coding.

And when you come to sell it you can tell a purchaser that the system is correctly wired in.