530XiT towing weight limit in europe?

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03-22-2010, 02:00 PM

#11

AlwynMike

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My Ride: Estoril Blue 440i GC

Model Year: 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by or_550i

I too am currently looking for a Westfalia towbar. They are indeed non-existent in the US. Maybe some of our German friends would order a few and put them in the DeutschePost.

Lights are simple. Just a little adapter. If I ever get a towbar I will make kit for other US folks that need the wiring for lights.

What I have been doing is searching ebay.de and asking/looking if sellers ship to the US.

Lights.
There are 3 methods.
1. Piggyback the connectors in the rear lights direct to the trailer socket. Doing this will throw up all sorts of iDrive error messages when you plug in the trailer, and possibly burn out your bulb failure detector module. Don't do it!
2. Next cheapest option (around 25 GB Pounds) is a "7 way bypass relay" that will interface the car's lights with the trailer lights without any errors or burning! This incorporates a buzzer to indicate the flashers are operational (a legal requirement here). Fitting is simple enough for an Auto Electrician, but a little fiddly and untidy due to the use of piggy-back connectors (called ScotchLock's over here). You need a separate power supply to it, but this is easy with the 5er's battery in the boot (trunk).
3. The (very) expensive option - around 160 GB pounds, is the "Specific" wiring, where you purchase a little box that fits neatly into a slot in the spare wheel tray, next to the PDC box. The interface plugs directly into the wiring loom (and onto the trailer socket). You plug in a fuse on the car's existing fuse board, and piggy back two wires onto the CAN BUS. You now have full iDrive bulb failure notification on your trailer (not just indicators). The rear PDC is disabled when you have a trailer on the back. Hearsay is that on diesel's, the engine's torque curve is altered to provide even more torque lower down the rev range too.

Mike

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03-22-2010, 02:50 PM

#12

mbsl98

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My Ride: '07 530Xit, Ty Silver/Black leather, 6MT, Sport, Cold, Nav, PDC, sport seats, square 18

Model Year: 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Newdetour

I own a 530xiT Manual Transmission and I installed a Westphalia hitch. I have towed a 17 foot whaler that all together weighs about 2000 lbs up and down the east coast with no issues except a surprisingly big drop in gas milage. Like from 28mpg to 18 mpg. The Westphalia hitch is 50mm which is plenty close to 2 inches, but that was one of the reasons stated for not shipping to the US. It is actually easy to install and really stong.
It is almost impossible to import the hitch. I had to get someone to bring it in baggage. Or perhaps you could find someone in Europe to personally ship it. I could not find a company that would ship it to me.
The lights present another issue.

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Thanks all. I will start looking for friends in Europe versus hunting for a shipping supplier. I also wil use my 530Xit Manual to tow a Boston Whaler 17' Outrage I, about 2200 pound rig all up. My Volvo 850 Turbo wagon handled it pretty well, and the Volvo XC70's did really well, so I expect the BMW to be a step up and do very well.