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      08-31-2020, 12:08 PM   #1
Lionel Hutz
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Liftgate kick sensor and hitch

Hi all, I have been looking into a X5 45e as a new kid hauler. It is important that the car have the kick sensor for the rear hatch (which I understand the 45e has), but also important that it has a trailer hitch.

I have read in comments that the OE hitch disables kick sensor functionality. Is that true? Is there an aftermarket solution that leaves the sensor functional? The hitch only needs to be able to support a bike rack, not for heavy towing.
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      08-31-2020, 12:17 PM   #2
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Can you get the European hitch? It doesn't disable the kick sensor.
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      08-31-2020, 12:24 PM   #3
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This is directly from the BMWUSA web site/build configurator:
>>>
Trailer Hitch
$550
The factory-installed trailer hitch will enable increased towing power to 7,200 lb; however, the "foot-kick" capability in Comfort Access will be removed. Important: When towing please ensure to always use appropriately rated equipment and trailer with appropriate braking. See dealer for details and carefully read Owner's Manual before towing. In some states, aftermarket trailer brakes are required.
<<<


Stealth Hitches (https://stealthhitches.com/products/...-g05-2019-2020) makes an aftermarket hitch for the G05 that they say does NOT disable the foot release. You can find this statement in their FAQ about the product.

I just sent an inquiry to them last week to verify whether they have tested their hitch with the 45e version (with M sport) yet. They do have a version specifically for the M-sport body but I want to verify there is nothing different about the 45e from the gas versions of the X5 that might impact installation.

They also offer the option of buying only to use with a bike rack versus for towing, which is useful for those of us not planning to tow since it costs less (no wiring harness).

I just ordered my 45e last week and want to get this bike rack receiver plan in place before the vehicle comes in in October.
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      08-31-2020, 12:25 PM   #4
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I have an automatic hitch on my 45e with M pack and kick to open still works. So indeed I can confirm that in Europe it works.

Sometimes a bit to good. When the kids are sitting on the lower part to put on skiboots/ hiking boots and they swing their legs to much I hear the warning beep and it starts to close. You can easily overrule by pushing the button but it must be fun to see for other people.

Edit: but you are not in Europe. Sorry.
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      08-31-2020, 12:25 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lionel Hutz View Post
Hi all, I have been looking into a X5 45e as a new kid hauler. It is important that the car have the kick sensor for the rear hatch (which I understand the 45e has), but also important that it has a trailer hitch.

I have read in comments that the OE hitch disables kick sensor functionality. Is that true? Is there an aftermarket solution that leaves the sensor functional? The hitch only needs to be able to support a bike rack, not for heavy towing.
BTW, congrats on your new kid.

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      08-31-2020, 12:42 PM   #6
Lionel Hutz
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rawskyb View Post
This is directly from the BMWUSA web site/build configurator:
>>>
Trailer Hitch
$550
The factory-installed trailer hitch will enable increased towing power to 7,200 lb; however, the "foot-kick" capability in Comfort Access will be removed. Important: When towing please ensure to always use appropriately rated equipment and trailer with appropriate braking. See dealer for details and carefully read Owner's Manual before towing. In some states, aftermarket trailer brakes are required.
<<<


Stealth Hitches (https://stealthhitches.com/products/...-g05-2019-2020) makes an aftermarket hitch for the G05 that they say does NOT disable the foot release. You can find this statement in their FAQ about the product.

I just sent an inquiry to them last week to verify whether they have tested their hitch with the 45e version (with M sport) yet. They do have a version specifically for the M-sport body but I want to verify there is nothing different about the 45e from the gas versions of the X5 that might impact installation.

They also offer the option of buying only to use with a bike rack versus for towing, which is useful for those of us not planning to tow since it costs less (no wiring harness).

I just ordered my 45e last week and want to get this bike rack receiver plan in place before the vehicle comes in in October.
This is extremely helpful, thanks.

Any idea if your lead time is consistent with US orders generally (i.e. ~6-8 weeks?). I'd hoped to get a car from dealer inventory but the inventory specs around here don't seem to be what I'm looking for--silly 21" wheels but no adaptive cruise control.
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      08-31-2020, 12:44 PM   #7
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Quick update: I spoke with Stealth Hitches and they have not yet had a chance to test with the 45e (or any 2021 build) yet.

If anyone is in the Georgia area and would like to let them test with your 45e, it sounded like they would be up for using your vehicle as a test. I suspect you would get a free installation at a minimum for your assistance.
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      08-31-2020, 12:55 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lionel Hutz View Post
Any idea if your lead time is consistent with US orders generally (i.e. ~6-8 weeks?).
Yes, 6-8 weeks sounds about right. I ordered last week and am expecting delivery in mid to late October. It came from a dealer allocation for September build. I'm crossing my fingers that it shows up toward the beginning or middle of October, but won't cry too hard if it is late October.

With the delay to availability of the 45e here in the US, you may be hard-pressed to find many on the lots at all, much less with the packages and options you want.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lionel Hutz View Post
I'd hoped to get a car from dealer inventory but the inventory specs around here don't seem to be what I'm looking for--silly 21" wheels but no adaptive cruise control.
Hey be careful with the insults. My 45e with M-sport and 21" Y-spoke wheels was also ordered without the Driving Assistance package. I have zero use for any of the DA package features and think the Y-spoke wheels look 10x better than the standard 740M star-spoke wheels. (I will run separate 20" wheels with winters during the cold weather months, and then switch back to the 21's in the Spring. I have found this to be much better than running AS tires that force you to compromise both in the winter and the summer.)
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      08-31-2020, 01:03 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rawskyb View Post
Yes, 6-8 weeks sounds about right. I ordered last week and am expecting delivery in mid to late October. It came from a dealer allocation for September build. I'm crossing my fingers that it shows up toward the beginning or middle of October, but won't cry too hard if it is late October.

With the delay to availability of the 45e here in the US, you may be hard-pressed to find many on the lots at all, much less with the packages and options you want.



Hey be careful with the insults. My 45e with M-sport and 21" Y-spoke wheels was also ordered without the Driving Assistance package. I have zero use for any of the DA package features and think the Y-spoke wheels look 10x better than the standard 740M star-spoke wheels. (I will run separate 20" wheels with winters during the cold weather months, and then switch back to the 21's in the Spring. I have found this to be much better than running AS tires that force you to compromise both in the winter and the summer.)
Sorry... the oversized wheel trend is by far my least favorite thing about modern car design. Louder, less comfortable, more expensive, more fragile, not really any better handling. Double all those issues when running RFT. I've downsized rims on most of the cars I've owned since the trend started.
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      12-14-2020, 12:51 PM   #10
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Any of you know if Canada has the same specs as the US or Europe? Mine should be delivered next month so it's too late to remove the factory installed tow hitch..
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      12-14-2020, 04:18 PM   #11
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The hitch for US customers is a receiver, and option price is $550 US. The hitch that includes the power retractable gooseneck is quite a bit more expensive. I think the Canadian hitch is the same as the US one, but you can get an idea if you look at the price charged (after conversion).
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      12-15-2020, 08:11 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MaxRiver View Post
Any of you know if Canada has the same specs as the US or Europe? Mine should be delivered next month so it's too late to remove the factory installed tow hitch..
Canada has same specs as US.
And why would you want to remove the factory hitch? It is way more useful than the kick to open which is a feature I hate and hardly used in all my previous BMWs.
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      01-13-2021, 09:35 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nosnoop View Post
Canada has same specs as US.
And why would you want to remove the factory hitch? It is way more useful than the kick to open which is a feature I hate and hardly used in all my previous BMWs.
For sure I want a hitch, I would just have it installed afterwards to not disable the kick to open feature - quite handy with a dog and a baby!
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      04-16-2022, 10:05 AM   #14
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Sorry to dredge up an old thread, but my question relates to the OPs question exactly:

If the US hitch is factory installed, is the hardware for kick-to-open still present, but just disabled in Comfort Access? If so, I'm wondering if it could be reenabled, and the sensor moved to a location that works with the hitch?

Mark
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      04-16-2022, 10:14 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ScaldedDog View Post
Sorry to dredge up an old thread, but my question relates to the OPs question exactly:

If the US hitch is factory installed, is the hardware for kick-to-open still present, but just disabled in Comfort Access? If so, I'm wondering if it could be reenabled, and the sensor moved to a location that works with the hitch?

Mark
in the US when the hitch is installed per factory, the kick-to-open hardware is completely removed, not simply a function of disabling software
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      04-16-2022, 10:17 AM   #16
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Originally Posted by nZtiZia View Post
in the US when the hitch is installed per factory, the kick-to-open hardware is completely removed, not simply a function of disabling software
Bummer, but thanks for the quick reply and info.

Mark
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      04-16-2022, 10:24 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ScaldedDog View Post
Sorry to dredge up an old thread, but my question relates to the OPs question exactly:

If the US hitch is factory installed, is the hardware for kick-to-open still present, but just disabled in Comfort Access? If so, I'm wondering if it could be reenabled, and the sensor moved to a location that works with the hitch?

Mark
In a conversation I had with BMWNA (so take as you will, they're not always the most accurate), the person told me that the sensor bar was not compatible with the NA hitch bar. I had a stealth hitch installed by a local independent and the kick-to-open works as it did before the install.

In essence, there's something about the BMW version of the hitch that mucks up the sensor bar, but 3rd parties seem to have this figured out.
It would be nice if BMWNA could get their $h!t together and produce a hitch with kick-to-open, clearly it's not THAT tough to do.

It certainly would be interesting to hear from a newer MY owner who has the factory hitch whether they can see any kind of connector that would be meant for the sensor bar, but not used.

For those that comment why have kick-to-open... Well it's convenient sometimes, a pain in the a$$ sometimes, but really should be a feature that is included with a luxury SAV / SUV and not be removed for the sake of adding a hitch, you should be able to have both and disable the kick-to-open in iDrive if you want to. I personally would have loved to have the factory hitch, but carrying things in and out of the trunk and having the kick-to-open / close was the winner for me. To each their own.
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      04-16-2022, 10:50 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SWBOS View Post
It certainly would be interesting to hear from a newer MY owner who has the factory hitch whether they can see any kind of connector that would be meant for the sensor bar, but not used.
Thanks man. I'll happily volunteer to do that when ours arrives.

I'm with you on kick-to-open, and all these basic "luxury" features. For what these cost, and we checked every box but the 21" wheels and headliner, this basic stuff should just work.

Mark
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      04-16-2022, 11:21 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lionel Hutz View Post
Hi all, I have been looking into a X5 45e as a new kid hauler. It is important that the car have the kick sensor for the rear hatch (which I understand the 45e has), but also important that it has a trailer hitch.

I have read in comments that the OE hitch disables kick sensor functionality. Is that true? Is there an aftermarket solution that leaves the sensor functional? The hitch only needs to be able to support a bike rack, not for heavy towing.
There are several things that go with the factory hitch that can't easily be retrofitted, the factory hitch is a steal IMHO. After having the X6 for about a year and a half, I can tell you I'm extremely glad I opted for the hitch. I used it more than a dozen times for a variety of things: bike rack, small trailers, big trailers, it paid for itself many times over.

Good luck!
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      04-16-2022, 11:37 AM   #20
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i, on the other hand, had a hitch installed in my previous Q7 of 5 years and never used it, so when i traded it in for my X5, i didn't opt for the hitch. i haven't had the need so far in 14 months. i use the kick-to-open almost every day, so it's now clear that was the right decision for my use case.

as for the connector, i read somewhere it and corresponding wiring are altogether missing if one doesn't opt for the hitch when ordering.

Last edited by nZtiZia; 04-16-2022 at 12:32 PM..
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      04-16-2022, 12:23 PM   #21
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in addition to not getting the connector here's what else you're missing without the Tow package:
- Trailer Stabilization Control
- Trailer Mode

See descriptions of both.
Attached Images
  
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      04-17-2022, 09:43 AM   #22
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Let's be honest with eachother, those of us here that want the hitch would much prefer the factory one. Why are we forced to remove a basic option that BMW's direct competition seem to be able to keep?
On this topic alone this is an epic fail on BMW NA's part. Good job that the rest of the vehicle outshines the competition in my opinion.
I do absolutely agree with those that if KTO is not a priority then the factory hitch IS an absolute bargain.
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