Tow weight chassis plate

[Swelsh]

Hi Folks

Does anyone know the location of the tow weight chassis plate that is bolted to the car?

I am trying to establish the towing weight of my 2008 X5 3.0D.

Now I know this has been done to death on a number of forums, but there doesn't seem to be a definitive answer.
My car is a UK specified X5 that I have imported to Australia.  The owners manual gives 2,700kg and also 3,500kg as the max towing weights but doesn't stipulate when the 3,500kg would apply. 
The dealers here in Oz are brutal and insist the car can only tow 2,500kg because that is what Oz cars are rated too.

I contacted the dealer in the Uk who I bought the car from and they have stated what the owners manual said but also to check the chassis plate.

Any help would be appreciated,

Scott

[graemeX5]

Hi

I think the plate is the black sticker information on the drivers door shut B pillar as that shows tyre pressures etc

Here's a link to towing capacities for the X5 which should help
http://www.towingcapacity.co.uk/car-mak ... mw/bmw-x5/

Graeme

[Spandex]

Isn’t your max towing weight a legal definition, rather than a technical one? What I mean is, if the registration documentation says you can only tow 2500kgs, then that’s all you’re allowed to tow legally, and what’s written in a manual, or chassis plate, or what you’re technically capable of towing, is completely irrelevant.

[Swelsh]

[quote="graemeX5"]
Hi

I think the plate is the black sticker information on the drivers door shut B pillar as that shows tyre pressures etc

Here's a link to towing capacities for the X5 which should help
http://www.towingcapacity.co.uk/car-mak ... mw/bmw-x5/

Graeme
[/quote]

Thanks Graeme

I managed to find the black sticker on the driver's side pillar.  Oddly it shows a max car weight of 2965kg and total combined weight of 5785kg, which I figure gives me a max towing weight of 2820kg.  Odd one!

I'd be interested to know, other than an increased cooling fan, what other modifications enabled the car to tow 3500kg.

[X5Sport]

Secondary radiator and fan behind the nearside front bumper - new grille replaced plastic trim cover.

[Swelsh]

Interesting, so no structural upgrades to the unibody?
Seems more of a cooling upgrade?

Thanks again,

scott

[Graeme]

Hello Swelsh,

This is a minefield of forever changing regulations here in the UK!  The most recent ones were in January 2018.  All I can offer is a description of the situation here and hope you can covert it all to the rules in Australia!

First, if you passed your car test here before 1 January 1997 you’re usually allowed to drive a vehicle and trailer combination up to 8,250kg Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM - previously Gross Train Weight). That means you can drive an X5 with a horsebox or caravan.

If you passed the driving test for a UK licence after 1997 you can drive a car or van up to 3,500kg MAM towing a trailer of up to 750kg MAM or tow a trailer over 750kg MAM as long as the combined MAM of the trailer and towing vehicle is no more than 3,500kg. That means most horseboxes and caravans are too heavy to tow - so you have to take an additional test to raise your towing limit!

Secondly, the towing weight for the car depends on cooling adaptations. The V5 Registration document gives all the data for your car as BMW provide it to the DVLA when the car is first registered. You may have a copy of it when you purchased the car in the UK. Contact the DVLA in Swansea giving them the VIN number if you haven't to see if they can help.  For my car, a 2007 3.0D SE 7 seater, the max towing weight is 2700kg because it didn't have a factory fitted additional cooling system. 

Interestingly the Mass in Service (previously kerb weight) is 2180kg and the Max Permissable Mass is 2995kg. So you can see if the car is fully loaded and the driver only has a post 1997 licence, that means a trailer weighing no more than 505kg is all that can be towed. If the licence is pre 1997, like mine, I could tow a trailer weighing 5255kg. My caravan is plated at 1550kg max total permitted weight and it's a fairly heavy one. I can't image what a 5 ton trailer would be like - a huge boat or lorry????

Would I fancy towing a trailer weighing 5225kg with a fully loaded car? No way!!!!!

I hope all this helps and that you can translate all these regulations and limits to the situation where you live.

Best wishes,

Graeme

[Swelsh]

Thanks Graeme

I didn't realise things had changed so much in the UK, i only left 3 years ago!

The majority of the vans out here are all-terrain vans and weight from 2700kg to 3500kg so makes is it difficult to tow with a standard X5. Thankfully some of the lighter weight european vans are starting to make inroads.

Cheers

Scott

[Graeme]

Hi Scott,

Don't know where my brain was last night amidst all that talk about 5255kg trailer when the max towing weight specified is 2700kg!!  Still wouldn't want a fully loaded car and all that weight on the hook behind!!!!

Good luck with the quest...

Graeme