XSeries-forum

Hi

Just acquired my first BMW and found this site.
I have a twin wheel caravan and have towed it with a 2002 Frontera Olympus 2.2 Dti for the last 10 years which has been faultless and an absolute pleasure.
So, I've now got my X5 and it's a minefield of confusion.

Please bear with me.

First of all, I apologise if this post is in the wrong section but I thought a 2006 X5 was just that...I didn't realize there was E37 ?  E53 ?  E70 ?  F15 ? and god knows how many more etc. etc.
How do I know which car I have???????

I'm looking to get a detachable towbar fit.
The guy who's fitting it will only do the fitting of the bar. He says the electrics are an absolute nightmare...ie The X5 (2006) is not geared up for a 13 pin caravan socket, he says the fridge will not work when towing, certain wires are missing ? ....and by adding a 13 pin socket it wreaks havoc with the rest of the car electrics causing all sorts of problems with the cars computer???.
I am an electrician but after hearing these horror stories thought it may be better if I take the car to an auto elect. who has experience in these things but TBH, would rather do it myself and save a few quid.
So can anyone tell me if what I have heard is true?
Can I just splice a 13 pin socket into the car?
Is there a dedicated plug anywhere to accommodate a 13 pin caravan socket without splicing the wiring? Will the cars delicate electrical systems be affected ???
Will the fridge work when towing?
Are there only 10 wires with 3 missing?

Please help a beginner !!

Thank You all !!!

I also have a 2006 3.0d Sport (E53), which I bought to tow a Caravan.
I took it straight away to a Towbar Specialist and they had no problem fitting twin electrics (£300).
I also recommend you take a trip to your local remapping guy (Talk about what you want out of it) and you should come away with better MPG plus extra Torque.
Most of all.........enjoy it!

Thanks for quick reply.  my caravan has twin plugs but thought if I put a 13 pin plug on the car It would tidy things up.

Was the £300 for the wiring or fitting as well? and is it detachable??

Does your fridge and everything work when towing with no adverse effect on the cars electronics?

May seem like a silly question but what does the remapping do?. does it give more MPG? and if so, why isn't it set like this in the first place?

Thanks very much !!

Assuming you have an E53, but photo will allow us to confirm this. E70 was released in November 2006, so all likelihood yours is an E53.
When was it first registered?

If you want to fit a tow bar, get the Westfalia kit, this is what BMW fit  as OEM equipment. The kit is available with a plug n play 13pin kit that fits into a plug in the boot. This kit is actually 10 pin and does not power fridge in caravan. for some reason the BMW standard wiring does not facilitate power for ancillaries.

See this link http://xdrivers.co.uk/forum/https://xdr ... ic.php?t=7 for full fitting guidance, takes about 4 hours if you're handy with spanners.

If you order from PF Jones http://www.pfjones.co.uk there is an option to add an additional kit to enable power to fridge etc, but this does need to be spliced into a power source, so not completely straightforward, something I personally would get an auto electrician to do, but if you're good with wiring diagrams I'm sure it is doable.

Oh !  and thanks for the "enjoy it wish"....I've been really apprehensive since I got the car last Saturday....so many gadgets and things on it, never had an automatic before, so many things to go wrong.....but I take great comfort in your words of enjoy it. It really is a nice car....so thank you !

My first auto too, you'll be surprised how quickly you get used to it.

You'll really notice the extra power when towing too.

extra power...is that the car as a whole or after remapping?

........And (Insight).....Just read the step by step installation guide you referred to and the electrics (10 pin) is easy...just plug n play.

I'm interested in the other kit you mention though to power up the fridge.

Wiring diagrams aren't a problem to me so I would be able to manage this 3 wire add on....do you have a link to it or any info?

Thanks Bud !!

....oh....and it was registered in june 2006 so will it be E53 ???

Most likely, yes.  E70 has the iDrive.  E53 doesn't.  I can't imagine a 2.2 Frontera would have given 218bhp and 500Nm of torque?

Definitely buy the Westphalia kit and dedicated electrics.  You won't have a problem and it almost sounds like your local guy has tried to do it the hard way.....in other words how a Dealer does it.  The 'official' route says take half the car apart.  Not necessary, overkill, and is achieved far quicker and cheaper using a kit from someone like PF Jones.

All the wires will connect and if the cars were supplied with OEM tow bars then the 13-pin wiring connector was standard, but wasn't completely wired.  A BMW dealer could, would and often did provide the missing connections at no cost if as a customer it was politely pointed out that there was no mention of missing connections in the brochures!  Mine were fixed for free.

Extra power you have from the 3.0D, which in stock form is 218ps and 370lb/ft torque, which I'm sure is a fair increase on what you had in the Frontera.

Remapping has both advantages and disadvantages, s I'd recommend a little reading up before you decide on it.

I bought a second hand Westfalia tower, and it came with the additional kit.

Have the manual, very brief in garage, so will dig out and copy for you to read when i get a chance.

I have currently left the wires from the additional kit unattached as I have no need for them at present.

Thanks chaps....Look forward to the info Insight.
......you could email it to me if that's ok.

X5 Sport.....The frontera was great at towing our caravan it really was.

Granted The X5 will have greater power but it really did do the job well.

Jeremy - mouth almighty- Clarkson gave them a bad name but the ones produced 2002 - 2004 were bang on.

The caravan kerbweight was 1745Kg loaded and sometimes I used to forget it was on it towed so well. Steady as a rock.

If I needed to get by a wagon,....drop a gear & pull out and it sailed by.

Towed us to Lake District and Cornwall countless times.

Back to the X5...wonder if BMW would entertain mine....???

Tuning or tow bar?

If you want BMW to fit a tow bar, the last quote (2010) I got was £2,200!  It was silly then, so is likely to be sillier now!

The PF Jones website now carries the official downloadable copies of the fitting guides for the various tow bars and electrics if that helps?

Hell fire £2.2K.......pffft......I've got someone to fit the towbar mechanically....the electrics just plug in and are a doddle....It's the additional wiring I need info. on.....the wiring what runs the 12v fridge which is apparently missing from the existing pre-wired X5 setup and has to be chopped in.