2011 X1 towbar wiring problem.

[rustyroger]

Hi, newbie Roger from Margate, Kent.
I'm in the process of fitting a towbar to my wifes S drive X1. All has gone well, bumper off - no problem, bumper bar - easy, tow bar on - simples! Now I want to connect the wiring. I understand Westfalia make a dedicated harness that plugs straight into the original wiring. I can't see anywhere I might plug anything into. Where might it be, if there is such a thing?
The towbar is a secondhand Brink item. It came with a 7 pin socket and wiring to a rectangular plastic plug. Certainly I can't see anywhere it might fit.
I've looked online but can't see anything that says where exactly I should be looking.
All help and advice much appreciated.

Roger.

[X5Sport]

Have a look at the PF Jones website (they sell all the major brands and wiring kits) as you can download instructions from there and those might point you in the right direction.

The plug usually goes into a separate module that comes with the kit. Not having the module may be the problem you have?

[Alan Gunn]

As said above.
You need the module to plug it into.
It cuts the reverse sensors and that kind of thing when you plug a trailer in.
Also stops errors for bulbs cleaver little box.

[rustyroger]

Wow! Thanks for the quick replies.
I'm guessing the module fits under the removable tub on the right hand side? I can see two plugs going into a white module. Looks like one of them is plugged to the parking sensors? Does the towing harness module replace this?

Roger.

[X5Sport]

We’ve not had many X1 folks on here. Each version is specific so you’ll need the instructions for that wiring kit/car combination.

[Leslie]

Id imagine its an absolute nightmare to fit the oe wiring and it goes all the way to the front fusebox under the carpet and then needs coding , that's the way it was with other cars , it should be mandatory for car makers to provide an easy point for plug and play in the rear of the car . I have a 7 pin relay in the rear of my x5 e70 which is the easiest way to do it and you have to splice into the individual circuits for each light.

[rustyroger]

I bought the dedicated ecs wiring loom from P F Jones and it was a very simple job, four wires to splice, two of which had a ready made wiring point. I only needed to cut into the brake light wiring and the rh indicator circuit (Puzzled me too, but it works). The ready made points were for left and right indicators. I needed to connect a wire to the battery + terminal, and another to earth.
All easy to get to, I needed to remove the false floor and some trim from the right hand side of the boot.
This was for a 12n seven pin connector, my trailer and caravan only have this.

Roger.

[X5Sport]

Sounds like a success then. When factory fitted, BMW don’t connect all the pins on the 13-pin version (now standard in their cars). They leave the 12V for fridges etc unmade. More than a few have been caught out by it. BMW’s reasoning was no one other than the Brits use all the connections! As it’s not covered in any literature, Dealers have to finish the job off properly and bill BMW under warranty.

Happened on my X6 and 2-series. Haven’t checked the i4 as I will only use a bike carrier. Towing a caravan would drop the range to only 100 miles or so (down from around 300).

[gerryaz]

Sounds like you've made some good progress with the towbar on the X1!
Connecting the wiring can be a bit tricky.
Usually, the plug for the dedicated harness is tucked away somewhere near the rear bumper, often behind panels or under the carpet. Sometimes, you might need to remove a trim piece to find it.

If it's a Westfalia harness, they typically make it plug-and-play, so once you locate the connector, it should be straightforward.
Check near where the towbar mounts or follow the existing wiring from the rear lights.

[rustyroger]

I actually got the job done in April, see above post. But thanks anyway. Welcome to the forum btw.

Roger.