Removable tow bar / Warranty question

[knackeredoldman]

Hi,

I want to fit a removable towbar to my X5 but I also want to take out the BMW Insured warranty.

Does anyone know if this means I'll have to get the mod done by BMW to remain covered or is this kind of thing irrelevant (contractually as well as actually).

Thanks.

[X5Sport]

If you ask BMW to fit then be prepared for a significant bill!  Last time I checked it was 12.5 hours of labour (fixed time job) at £200/hr plus the towbar plus VAT.  The retrofit sheet shows half the car being taken apart!

If you fit a Westphalia one then that is OEM and with a proper job on the wiring using one of the kits from someone like PF Jones you should be fine.  Don't tell them you did it.  O:-)

[snrbrtsn]

12.5 hours ....... ouch
I'll be fitting mine tomorrow c/w wiring,westfalia deteachable & dedicated wiring, if it takes half /quarter of that I'll be most frustrated!
I'm guessing the time is taken up altering the cooling system and installing A N other fan, but 12.5 hours.........
I'll report my timing!

I have AUC warranty, i shall be saying nothing.

[X5Sport]

BMW literally remove the entire interior of the car to run the wiring in.  The rest of us just lift trim covers and carefully feed it through!  Then there is the really difficult bit of cutting the rear bumper.......that has to be another two hours of course  >:(

When I was ordering the E53 back in 2004 I was advised to get it with the order - about £500 - as a Dealer fit after delivery was over £2k.  The only 'tricky' bit would have been getting the rear bumper off and back on again.  Cable routing is very straightforward.

[knackeredoldman]

Yeah - I wasn't sure of the exact figures but that's what I thought. Crazy isn't it.

Thanks for the tip on the kit to order.

[snrbrtsn]

FYI,
PF Jones supplied mine, order and arrived the following day, the second time I have used as impressed with their pricing, delivery and customer support, when I last fitted the wiring kit, the Westfalia instructions were incorrect so a bit of time troubleshooting with one of their fitters had me functional. (Last car was a 5 series GT.)

Westfalia detachable towbar £222
Dedicated Wiring Loom £125 for 7 pin
                                  £144 for 13 pin

I've opted for 7 pin as only use for Thule cycle carrier
The majority of Wiring is in the boot area and instructions are concise and clear once read a couple of times, the only difference is >2010 the canbus module was moved, This requires chasing the wiring to the front, a bit ambigious, as the manual states Left hand side
I've it in my head that the instructions were written for LHD cars and the canbus is in the RHS, so I'll be checking before running Wiring, otherwise a straight forward install with termination at or near fusebox relatively straight forward
Bumper removal is daunting, though you tube videos has given me the whereabouts of all fixings, fortunately I watched as I had to get a 6mm plastic rivet gun for the arch extensions.
I'm confident within 20mins the bumper shall be off and I'll be boiling the kettle or enjoying the first cuppa!

Local fitters pricing varied from £580+ VAT for drop off  to £700 fitted on the drive, which I'm thinking is ludicrous.

In regards to Warranty, the car was supplied with said towbar............ I have no history of fitment sir!  ::)

[X5Sport]

The fan thing may not be an issue depending upon what you are towing, and where.  The 'normal' 600W fan gets upgraded to an 830W version for the 2.4T limit and then a second radiator in the near side wing is added on top for the 3.5T upgraded towing capacity.

No one on here has ever reported an issue with temps with the 'normal' electric fan though.

[knackeredoldman]

according to just-tow...
http://www.just-tow.co.uk/bmw-x5-e70-westfalia-detachable-towbar-2007-2013.html

Approx Fitting Time:   60 Mins

[snrbrtsn]

Sweet, I'll get the car washed tomorrow also 

[knackeredoldman]

)  )

60 minutes work
60 minutes swearing
60 minutes looking for the bolt that dropped on the floor
60 minutes re-watching youtube instructions

..maybe?

[X5Sport]

[snrbrtsn]

>:( Notice broken reflectors  >:( order pending delivery



[quote="snrbrtsn"]

[/quote]

Otherwise relatively straight forward, left enough time for a wash....... though pretty spot on with the timing, circa 4 hours, lots of swearing and lessons learnt!

[knackeredoldman]

Nice one!

Fancy doing mine for me tomorrow

(without breaking the reflectors)

[snrbrtsn]

Sure.... drop it off in the morning.

There's several tips if you don't make tomorrow and opt to do yourself!
Primarily clean car prior to pulling apart, a lot of grit and little hand holds!

Mainly the bumper differences between the prelci /  lci and SE / M Sport, the you tube videos are very misleading!

The m sport doesn't require the same amount pulling apart,
The wheel arches don't  need removed
The tail lamps don't need to be removed
The bumper trimming is considerable, however the underside is marked so dimensions can be taken from there!
Post install, the marks are spot on and allows access for the wiring plugs, initially I was going to make my cut half the size & wouldn't have got the wiring plug swung down!
There are locating white clips that keep on the arches, easily broken (fortunately I had spares from previous times)
The plastic rivets are delicate and easy to put in incorrectly. Worth checking after install, easier to put it with wheels off and good chance to clean the barrels and inspect brakes!
The outermost screws for the bumper underside are difficult to locate (mine are still on the bench, for rethink)


This shall save much time and frustration.
Post 2009, "with parking sensors"  all the wiring is in the fuse box area.

My car has developed 4x4 fault, once battery was reconnected, I sh..t myself!
Apparently it's the Steering Wheel Angle Sensor due to battery being disconnected, after much research this evening, I may just sleep tonight!

All in all, not a bad Job, certainly easier second time around

[knackeredoldman]

I may just sleep tonight!

Haha - I know that feeling which is why I think I'll leave it to someone else

My mechanical list is long enough just taking care of the family bikes.

Thanks for the tips though.