BMW retrofit tow hitch & Alko Hitch

I am going to do that all too common and very annoying thing of replying and not being able to answer your question.

But

I thought it worth a mention that some BMWs have a significantly downgraded towing capacity if you are not using a factory fitted tow ball with upgraded cooling etc..

Interesting thought. Only issue raised in owners’ manual is that of fuel heating with less than 1/4 tank! Sadly several BMW dealers are little or no use in providing any helpful information..... disappointing.

You are making a mountain out of a tiny molehill, the tolerances are not that critical that 3mm will mean you cannot hitch your caravan. I am not surprised the dealers are not helpful because they are only interested in selling you a car and unless you get a caravanning salesman they don't care, also applies to 99.9% of manufacturers/dealers and sales staff. Just think through the implications if it were so close. Your bigger concern is ensuring the order form very clearly states unequivocally the wiring is for a UK caravan and to include for fridge, aux, and battery charging. Very few EU manufacturers include for this so be forewarned. 

Thank you. We're new to all this so I'm sure I am making a mountain of it.

All slightly complicated by signing us both up for the Club Caravanning course to be told that for vehicle to be acceptable on course the minimum spacing between car body and centre of ball is 70mm! I'm sure it can't be that problematic as the BMWs used in Club Towcar awards must be BMW supplied, presumably with BMW factory fit tow hitch which seems to work OK.

Not keen on spending the hideous cost of BMW retrofit to discover subsequently that it won't work with the Alko hitch on our soon to arrive caravan!

Your thoughts on electrics very helpful. think a detachable after market hitch from someone who does this stuff every day might be the route.

Unless I am mistaken, the factory-fitted towbar for the 335i was always an electrically retractable one. Detachable or fixed ones would be engineered by the towbar manufacturers and only approved by the BMW sales and service organisation for sale through their dealer network so there may be a small difference in dimensions. I've got the factory-fitted electrically retractable version on my car and I could check the clearance on that tomorrow if interested.

I have just checked the electrically retractable factory fitted towbar on my BMW and it has 70mm clearance.

Thank you, that's really helpful. It is possible (at a very large price) to have one retrofitted.

When talking to the dealer he BMW retrofit detachable shows a clearance of 65mm which is a puzzle.Presumably you have no issues with an Alko hitch?

I will speak to the dealer again tomorrow!

Thanks for taking the time to check it for me, that's much appreciated.

One other thought. Do you tow a caravan with your factory fit towbar? If so I presume you have no problems with it.

If anyone else has a BMW retrofit detachable tow bar on their 3 series touring and would be prepared to measure the lateral distance from tow ball centre to bodywork it would be much appreciated.

Thanks All.

Yes, I do tow a caravan, but it has a Winterhoff hitch, not an AlKo one. I understand that the Winterhoff design does not require the same clearance as AlKo,

Hi Jet744

When I had a caravan I had a BMW coupe 320D 2010 model, the towbar was fitted by a company in Shrewsbury that the local BMW dealership used to fit their aftermarket towbars. They fitted a Westfalia swan neck detachable that was suitable with the Alko hitch, it was close to the bumper but no problem to attach.