Has anyone out there fitted an aftermarket towbar to their E60 or E61. I want to be able to fit bike carrier onto the back of the car and I think a towbar would be the best option.

I am in the UK so any ideas from UK people would be most appreciated!!

Cheers

Ulysse

 

Yep I got a Witter detachable one fitted. Not as neat as the "invisible" BMW one as you can see the slight protusion under the rear bumper but it takes less than 5 seconds to fit and remove the "swan neck" . Also can remount a non swan neck tow bar for heavyweight bike carriers etc. Not sure if it would fit if had an M-Kit etc!

 

Thanks for the information, I was considering the Witter option. Just out of interest how much did it come to?

 

About ?400 fitted from a place in Buckinghamshire called RP Towing. This allows me to fix up a trailer and also change the towball to use heavyweight 4 cycle carrier. Looks like you might have M-bodywork, you may want to check with them that the Witter will clear the rear valence! From memory I think it was the Quantum detachable..nice bit of kit, the detach/attach takes about 5 seconds!

 

Have a read of this thread which may help.

http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=23140&hl=

Also, as mentioned in the original post, I will almost definately be purchasing the detachable "swan neck" towball option in the very near future. Main reason for this is that the PDC sensors more often than not are detecting the towball. When I originally tested it, they seemed OK, but I think the drop plate is pushing the ball out just enough to be detected. I've got around this for now by simply taking the ball off the bar when I don't need it. (Two bolts which take less than a minute to undo).

The only downside is that the detachable towball kit is another ?99 on top of the ?140 I spent originally. (It's no cheaper if you buy the option at the same time though, that's why I opted to "suck it and see" and then go for the option if the fixed towball did cause problems with the PDC).

 

does anyone know if there is a tow hitch in the US for the E60? specially with the Mtech..when I installed my Mtech it came with 2 rear difussers.. the 2ndo one (which i asked them to paint too ) has a little door in the middle that gets open for the tow hitch but can not find any pictures nor stores that sell them...anyone ?

spmetimes i need to carry my bike and 2 kids bikes and I hate attaching the bike holder over the trunk..

 

Thanks for the note, I went to see someone who supplies Witter towbars but they will need to cut the rear bumber/spoiler to allow the towbar to fit. The Witter detachable towbar isn't exactly detachable and you still end up with the structure of the towbar exposed. Cost = ?411 inc VAT fitted for the standard towbar, ?522 inc VAT fitted for the sort of detatchable version. BMW cost for detatchable towbar including cover = ?1300.

So do I want a BMW part or not is the question, or should I opt for the cheaper towbar and maybe get a DMS remap?

 

I checked the Witter site and found the attached instructions which confirms that the M Sport models do indeed need a bumper cut. (As opposed to the standard SE model which needs a section removed from the undertray and does not involve cutting the bumper).

BM19B.pdf

I put a towbar on my old E39 which involved a bumper cut, but it was so far underneath you couldn't really notice the cut out.

Did you check out the Towsure site for the Bar and detachable towball kit. I reckon you could buy the lot for under ?250 (incl VAT) and pay someone to fit it for you if you don't fancy having a go yourself. (I'm sure someone would fit it for less than ?100 which means the whole job would come to less than ?350).

If you want to see the "before and after" pictures of mine with the detachable ball then let me know and I'll take some pics when the weather improves (raining heavily here at present). The pictures with the fixed towball are in my gallery or the link in the previous post.

 

 

Sorry guys, my first ever post after loitering on tihis forum for the past 6months, and I manage to naff it up! Please be patient with me.

I've got a 530d Sport (E60), and ended up being shafted by Rydale Newport for ?1302!!
I'd checked most of the internet sites for 3rd party suppliers, and most of them seemed to offer a towabar (detachable or fixed) for the E60, but not much info about cars with the M-tech kit.
After the shock of smug 18yr old sevice desk guy giving me the initial quote (bless, they have to start somewhere), I contacted Bankfarm trailers in Newport South Wales for a quote. They fit Bosal and Witter, but it seems that someone else with a sport kitted car had a Witter towbar (Quantum detachable) fitted, and was so upset with the look, black blanking plate jutting out from rear diffuser, that Witter has now refused to fit that particular bar to a 5 series Sport.
Could be bullsh't, but the guy at Bankfarm turned down my ?400 anyway.
So I ended up parting company with my ?1300, and promised the wife I'd cut back on the drink and party girls......she thinks....

I've alwys been passionate about cars, and to be honest, it did grind a little, the thought of having to put a bar on the 5er. But we bought a caravan at the beginning of the year, and the kids need holidays and all that...and nothing short of a 4x4 would pull our van.

So now at least with the BMW outfit, you wouldn't know the car ever had a bar fitted, unless you were a frequent visitor of this website.

As much as it hurts, we pay a premium over an SE model for the Sport, mostly on it's M5esque looks. I don't think I could have lived with myself if I'd compromised those looks with an after market towbar, as was available at the time (Feb06).