OEM European tow hook retrofit

[ccorodan]

Hi,

The roof bike carriers I have saved from my E46 don't really work on an F15 because a) the car is too high, making it difficult for me to mount/dismount the bikes and impossible for my wife, and b) of the noise level, higher than what I remember from E46.

I got a relatively good offer from Germany for the OEM tow hook, but the offer specifies that I have to also change the cooling fan and housing, which alone are around 800 Euros. It seems that the European cars without factory installed tow come with a 650W fan, compared to an 850 W fan for the cars equipped with the tow hook. The American and hot weather cars all come with the 850 W cooling fan.

As I only need the hook to carry the bikes, do I have to upgrade the cooling?
Will there be any errors if the weak fan is identified?
Is the more powerful cooling intended for the increased towing capacity models?

Thanks for your input!

[spike5150]

I can't imagine you would need the extra cooling capacity for a bike carrier. That has to be towing related. Not sure if it would trip an error code, though.

Not sure what the Euro tow hook consists of, but we had the US hitch installed on my wife's X5 minus the wiring harness for use with a bike rack. So, the car's brain doesn't know it is there...

[alphaod]

As long as you don't plan on actual towing, you don't need the additional cooling.

Just be sure whoever buys your car after you knows this (moral responsibility).

[ccorodan]

To my knowledge the electric harness is a must in Europe as I need to use the lights on the bike carrier. This is why I am worried about errors if the wrong cooling fan is identified.

[Bomber]

I used an after market module from www.rightconnections.co.uk completely plug and play and no issues what so ever, I also asked lots of companies in the UK that install towbar/hook/hitch on F15's and none have ever changed the cooling fan

[ccorodan]

The OEM tow has an electric swiveling hook. The electrical module does more than just providing signaling / lights power. The folding/unfolding of the hook is controlled from a menu of the infotainment system, therefore the concern about errors.