BMW X5

Once a new car has been received from the dealer and checked on delivery/collection would you not check that everything (lights,indicators,brake lights,fridge,battery charge folding satellite dish) worked correctly before driving off, I do even though my dashboard lights tell me everything is OK the wife still tours the van checking all the lights etc every trip even when the van was collected from the dealer when new.

Do you mean he should have taken the van with him to collect a new car so he could check it out when hitched up, l certainly didn't. When l collected mine, all l did was to inform the dealer that l was going to tow a caravan with the car and that l required a 13 pin single socket to conform to the British towing regulations. The dealer told me that wasn't problem as quiet a few customers want their vehicles for towing. Most dealers are aware of the towing regulations but it seems BMW are not. To be honest l could have been in the same boat as Tony as l looked at the X3 but couldn't justify the price for what l was getting.

My X3 had the same “problem” despite making it clear the towbar was for towing a UK caravan, but what was really annoying was that the only (and expensive) way to remedy the situation was to rip out the whole towbar loom and replace - this because the plug was moulded and couldn’t take the extra two pins. Westphalia produce an additional (two pin) loom, but BMW elect to fit a Westphalia plug that can’t take it, even though one is available. My new X3 arrives soon and we expect a similar situation. I realise that BMW’s main market isn’t the UK, and that most BMWs don’t go anywhere near a caravan - but surely it should not be beyond their imagination to produce an installation which can take the required retro wiring without having to resort to such extreme (and wasteful) measures.

It never ceases to amaze me that people still put up with this after all these years. Simply put, if a vehicle is sold on the British market and is not correctly wired for that market then it is not fit for purpose.

we got our new BMW X1 in February, when we ordered it i requested a tow bar with 13 pin electrics i told them what i needed for the fridge, charger and ATC. About 2 weeks later BMW called and said they would struggle with the 13 pin for a 12v supply. I told them not to fit it and i contacted witter. They fitted a detachable tow bar with 13 pin electrics and it works perfect. £630 fitted. I was shocked back then that BMW couldn't do this for me. I wanted to take delivery of the car and not have to worry about getting it fitted after. 

typical Germans.

Pardon? 

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I’ll have to check my new Land Rover discovery sport it was fitted with a new detachable towbar 

I am on my second BMW X3 and always use Indespension to fit a new towbar and electrics; cheaper and they know what they are doing. The local BMW dealer also uses Indespension but still charges the list price ! I also looked at the electronic towbar but decided against it because of the wiring loop needing a supplementary kit and the cost.