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      03-21-2016, 06:40 PM   #67
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What height mount is everyone using? I dont yet have a trailer and want the most flexibility when getting one - uhaul, friends trailer, etc. wondering if there is a most common size.. thanks!
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      03-22-2016, 06:18 PM   #68
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ramsal View Post
In order to get this to work I had to drill 1 hole in the long L shaped bracket to attach the bracket that holds the 7-pin receiver. The rest is pretty self evident from the photos. Let me know if you have any questions and I'd be happy to try and explain it better. Good luck!
Can you have the carbon fiber rear valence with this "no cut" method?
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      04-03-2016, 08:14 PM   #69
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installed over the weekend, so offering some additional tips. its a really impressive hitch, the instructions are perfect, and the wiring harness is very impressive. all oem.

1. when you pull off the side valances the 4th tab, a white piece, will pop off. remove it from the car and slip it into its groove on the valance. easier to install that way.

2. you need an 18 or 19mm deep socket to get the bolts off.

3. my design for the trailer pin connector was different, and it sits up behind the bumper. really tight fit, but no cutting needed.

4. after the wiring was complete i got a trailer light warning. im hoping the wiring isnt messed up, and it just needs coding, but i cant find the codes for this, only the zoom. so, tbc.

5. run the wiring harness before the bumper/hitch is installed. its easier to route everything behind it.
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      04-04-2016, 11:38 AM   #70
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You shouldn't receive an error with a test light. There is no coding required since you're using the OEM trailer module. The only thing you can code is the zoom feature.
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      04-04-2016, 07:56 PM   #71
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no test light, no any light. just connected all wiring and received a trailer electrics error. hoping something isnt loose somewhere. ill have to hunt around when its dry again
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      04-04-2016, 08:18 PM   #72
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I'm pretty sure with the OEM module, it need to be coded to accept the module. Of course mine was OE installed, so it was done at the dealer. But it does say coding is required after install in the installation guide.
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      04-05-2016, 03:22 PM   #73
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I only coded the zoom feature. Nothing else has to be coded. My hitch works perfect with no errors.
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      05-06-2016, 04:26 PM   #74
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Anyone have a wiring diagram for the OEM harness? Just received mine in the mail and it did not come with any diagram or instructions so I am a little lost as to how to wire everything up.
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      05-06-2016, 10:27 PM   #75
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TZANIDO777
Anyone have a wiring diagram for the OEM harness? Just received mine in the mail and it did not come with any diagram or instructions so I am a little lost as to how to wire everything up.
If you search, I posted the OEM instructions last spring that should be easy to find.
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      05-07-2016, 08:48 AM   #76
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Quote:
Originally Posted by skalberti
You shouldn't receive an error with a test light. There is no coding required since you're using the OEM trailer module. The only thing you can code is the zoom feature.
Agree. Same with mine.
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      05-09-2016, 05:01 PM   #77
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Hey everyone,

So I installed my InvisiHitch this past weekend. This thread made it a fairly uneventful process. I called the folks at ExecuHitch on Monday morning because their website didn't actually specify the year of vehicle so I wanted to confirm I got the hitch for the F15 and not the E70 (not sure if they even make it for the E70 any more, but wanted to be safe). I ordered the InvisiHitch along with the OEM Wiring Harness, the 2" Hitch Receiver (for racks (I'm using it for our Thule Trailer Hitch Cargo Box), as well as the 2" Ball Mount for the occasional towing we do. Two days later and FedEx showed up with the box!

The instructions they included were very detailed and made the install a breeze. I removed my back tires and drilled out the plastic rivets so I wouldn't have the center of the rivets floating around in my wheel well. Disassembly of the bumper cover was straight-forward following the instructions they provided along with the tips from the others who have provided input on the previous 3 pages of this thread. Shout-out to skalberti for his initial post on his install experience and ramsal for his tip on mounting the connector further in so you don't have to cut the bumper molding at all (although I think it might have just barely fit on a non M-Sport the way it's set up in the instructions).

I did encounter one problem once it was all hooked up. Initially I got a malfunction warning in the iDrive and the extended display in the dash and HUD. I'll post those details in my next post, but I wanted to give a huge "THANKS" to Daryl at InvisiHitch. I emailed him on Sunday night expecting a reply today, but he responded to my email within an hour!! So I went out and fixed the problem and everything is working perfectly now. Talk about awesome customer service (which is rare these days)!!!! I still need to do the coding for the zoom function on the camera. They include a coding cable along with the contact info of a guy who will code the "bonus" functions for the OEM harness along with a slew of other functions free of charge (included in the cost of the hitch) if you want him to do that (just about everything on the coding cheat sheet from what I could tell). I'm going to go ahead and start coding anyway so the trailer functions will be a good start instead of using the free remote coding that was included.

Here's a couple tips that haven't been mentioned yet (I don't think):
- For the wiring harness inside the car, run the harness up BEHIND the large loom of wires that's already back there before hooking everything up. This will make for the cleanest install once you tidy everything up. I did not do this and disconnecting the four power wires from the back of the fuse panel once they're connected is a ton of work. Just run them where I've indicated with the yellow arrow in skalberti's pic and you'll have an install that looks like it came from the factory that way.


-Put your bumper cover back on and reconnect the PDC sensors before connecting the wiring harness inside the car. Make sure to fire up the car and make sure your PDC functions properly before you connect the harness. I decided to do this after reading Bo2Shelby's post and that also helped me eliminate that as being a possible part of the problem later on once I wired the harness to the car.

- Have a helper there to tell you everything he'd do differently (lol) but mainly for when you remove the four final tabs for the bumper cover in the center of the bumper and pull the cover off. The helper is also useful when initially placing the InvisiHitch on the 8 bolts on the car so you don't damage that super-soft BMW paint as well as initially placing the bumper cover back on the car. Other than that, keep giving him beers to try and reduce the amount of "helpful hints" he gives you.
Other than that, I really have nothing else to input. Awesome product, and it truly is invisible. I've attached a few pics below to give you an idea of what you're buying (if you purchase one) as well as how hidden it truly is.

Original Impact Bumper:



InvisiHitch Mounted:



Bumper Cover Back On (I'm actually downhill a bit on a sloped driveway):



Close Up Shot (I was squatting down at bumper level when taking this):



Ground Level Looking Up (you can finally see it):

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Last edited by Class5Kayaker; 06-13-2016 at 04:38 PM.. Reason: Correct Typo
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      05-09-2016, 06:05 PM   #78
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Quote:
Originally Posted by leo95se View Post
installed over the weekend, so offering some additional tips. its a really impressive hitch, the instructions are perfect, and the wiring harness is very impressive. all oem.

1. when you pull off the side valances the 4th tab, a white piece, will pop off. remove it from the car and slip it into its groove on the valance. easier to install that way.

2. you need an 18 or 19mm deep socket to get the bolts off.

3. my design for the trailer pin connector was different, and it sits up behind the bumper. really tight fit, but no cutting needed.

4. after the wiring was complete i got a trailer light warning. im hoping the wiring isnt messed up, and it just needs coding, but i cant find the codes for this, only the zoom. so, tbc.

5. run the wiring harness before the bumper/hitch is installed. its easier to route everything behind it.
Did you ever get this resolved? I had a similar/same issue last night. Once I got everything buttoned back up and fired up the car I got an error in the iDrive Screen and on the Dash. I got this error before ever trying to hook up my trailer to the harness.





In an attempt to troubleshoot the problem, I hooked up my "trailer" (It's a Thule Cargo Box for trailer hitches with lights) and all the lights functioned properly except the left blinker. When I turned on the hazards, the left trailer light did not blink and when I turned on the left blinker the trailer light didn't blink and the car's left rear blinker blinked rapidly (it blinked normally without the trailer hooked up). The taillights of the trailer functioned properly otherwise (they illuminated with headlights and got brighter when the brakes were applied).

After emailing Daryl at InvisiHitch, he gave me a few things to try:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Daryl
Thanks for sending all the details... very helpful when diagnosing from afar. The following really caught my attention:
"I got this error before ever trying to hook up my trailer to the harness."

The most common problem that causes dash warnings immediately is inserting one (or both) of the two CAN wires into the wrong slot of the vehicle's 26-pin connector. So please check that again. You may need a flashlight and a magnifier to read the tiny slot numbers on the black plastic connector. Here are some photos showing the correct positions:
http://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...8#post19462708

Another cause is forgetting to connect the small 2-pin CANbus plug.

One other cause I have seen only rarely: the factory failed to put a fuse in one of the fusebox locations used by the hitch harness.

If all 3 of the above are correct, then you probably received a defective controller. But usually zero trailer lights work when the controller is bad.

Please let me know what you find.

Daryl
So I went and checked all my connections for a fifth time. They were all correct. But Daryl's comment about the 2-pin CANbus plug made me decide to disconnect and reconnect it again. NO ISSUES AFTER THAT!!! I hooked up my Thule Box to verify. It must have not been seated perfectly. Just in case it's a bad (i.e. not perfect) connector, I zip tied it down to the main wiring loom so it doesn't move around at all.

24 hours later, still no issues.

Hopefully this helps you out if you haven't solved your issue yet. If you've already fixed your malfunction, maybe this tip will help a future DIY'er.
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      05-10-2016, 08:00 PM   #79
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I had my dealer take a look when it was in for service. They said a wire was wrong (hmm) so I'm not sure but it's possible I had a pin in the wrong location.

Thx for the tip!
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      06-20-2016, 09:58 AM   #80
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For those that have installed this yourselves, would it be possible to install the OEM HARNESS without removing the bumper? We got the OEM mechanical parts only installed on my wife's X5 for bike rack, but considering adding the harness for towing.
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      06-21-2016, 01:02 PM   #81
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Quote:
Originally Posted by spike5150 View Post
For those that have installed this yourselves, would it be possible to install the OEM HARNESS without removing the bumper? We got the OEM mechanical parts only installed on my wife's X5 for bike rack, but considering adding the harness for towing.
I don't think so. You have to be able to get at the hole that passes the harness wires from the inside of the X5 to the outside. I doubt you can reach up in there to fish it through. Maybe, but I doubt it.
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      06-22-2016, 07:52 PM   #82
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Quote:
Originally Posted by spike5150 View Post
For those that have installed this yourselves, would it be possible to install the OEM HARNESS without removing the bumper? We got the OEM mechanical parts only installed on my wife's X5 for bike rack, but considering adding the harness for towing.
You're going to need to remove the bumper cover. It's not hard to do, just take your time and be careful to protect your paint following the tips from others in this thread.

What do plan on towing? I think the OEM hitch is only rated for like 3,000 lbs or something close to that (too lazy to look it up right now). Might be worth installing the whole InvisiHitch and then selling your OEM one in the classifieds to someone only wanting to mount a bike rack. Installing the metal replacement bumper is the easy part and since you'll have the bumper cover off already it might be worth the extra money.
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      06-22-2016, 10:33 PM   #83
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Class5Kayaker View Post
You're going to need to remove the bumper cover. It's not hard to do, just take your time and be careful to protect your paint following the tips from others in this thread.

What do plan on towing? I think the OEM hitch is only rated for like 3,000 lbs or something close to that (too lazy to look it up right now). Might be worth installing the whole InvisiHitch and then selling your OEM one in the classifieds to someone only wanting to mount a bike rack. Installing the metal replacement bumper is the easy part and since you'll have the bumper cover off already it might be worth the extra money.
Thanks. Oem is good to 6,000 with special ball mount, which I already have for our other x5. Appreciate the feedback.
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      06-22-2016, 11:11 PM   #84
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We took our '15 X5 35i towing our new '16 R5 (5500 wet and loaded with gear) to Cape Cod from Boston this weekend.

We averaged 13mpg and have 16k miles.

Braking and handling performance was excellent, power was fine on flats however it did seem to need to downshift two gears on hills, nothing to be discouraged about though.

We are running the invisihitch and it performed perfectly. We had to get a 7pin to 5pin adapter however everything is great. I've had the invisihitch on the car for a year now and it still looks new, with no signs of rust or wear.
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      07-26-2016, 07:39 AM   #85
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Has anyone dealt with Execuhitch recently. I placed an order with them like 3 weeks ago and was told they will ship my order out when all parts are ready and won't charge my card till the order goes out. Then a week later I see they had charged my card but no communication about shipping. So I called them and was told they were about to ship my order so they charged my card but found out they were short on some pieces and they are awaiting a shipment for those parts. I called again last week since I hadn't heard from them for another week and this time they tell me the parts just landed at the airport and will most probably ship my order by the end of the week. Here we are Tuesday the week after and still no word from them. I also noticed their website has been down for the last month or so, and I'm starting to get concerned at this point.
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      07-26-2016, 09:43 AM   #86
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mad_max
Has anyone dealt with Execuhitch recently. I placed an order with them like 3 weeks ago and was told they will ship my order out when all parts are ready and won't charge my card till the order goes out. Then a week later I see they had charged my card but no communication about shipping. So I called them and was told they were about to ship my order so they charged my card but found out they were short on some pieces and they are awaiting a shipment for those parts. I called again last week since I hadn't heard from them for another week and this time they tell me the parts just landed at the airport and will most probably ship my order by the end of the week. Here we are Tuesday the week after and still no word from them. I also noticed their website has been down for the last month or so, and I'm starting to get concerned at this point.
I ordered from them about a month ago and everything arrived without issue. Installed my InvisiHitch last week; all was fairly uneventful. Only advice I have is that it is MUCH easier if you remove the back wheels and drill out the rivets instead of trying to get them out some other manner. I didn't do it the easy way...

Also, I recommend you just invest in a rivet tool and new BMW rivets. Three of the reusable rivets they sent bent as I was putting them in making them useless. I think this was user error but the BMW rivets with tool is pretty brainless. This was a total of about a $22 investment.

Also, 19mm deep socket with extension is required to remove old aluminum piece and install steel brace...
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      07-26-2016, 10:11 AM   #87
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MarineOh3 View Post
I ordered from them about a month ago and everything arrived without issue. Installed my InvisiHitch last week; all was fairly uneventful. Only advice I have is that it is MUCH easier if you remove the back wheels and drill out the rivets instead of trying to get them out some other manner. I didn't do it the easy way...

Also, I recommend you just invest in a rivet tool and new BMW rivets. Three of the reusable rivets they sent bent as I was putting them in making them useless. I think this was user error but the BMW rivets with tool is pretty brainless. This was a total of about a $22 investment.

Also, 19mm deep socket with extension is required to remove old aluminum piece and install steel brace...
Thanks for the information, can you also share a link to what type of rivets and tool you got.
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      07-26-2016, 10:48 AM   #88
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mad_max
Quote:
Originally Posted by MarineOh3 View Post
I ordered from them about a month ago and everything arrived without issue. Installed my InvisiHitch last week; all was fairly uneventful. Only advice I have is that it is MUCH easier if you remove the back wheels and drill out the rivets instead of trying to get them out some other manner. I didn't do it the easy way...

Also, I recommend you just invest in a rivet tool and new BMW rivets. Three of the reusable rivets they sent bent as I was putting them in making them useless. I think this was user error but the BMW rivets with tool is pretty brainless. This was a total of about a $22 investment.

Also, 19mm deep socket with extension is required to remove old aluminum piece and install steel brace...
Thanks for the information, can you also share a link to what type of rivets and tool you got.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I went to the dealer and got the rivets. They will pull up the parts schematic and identify the exact one that you need for the wheel arch.
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