Exhaust hitting trailer hitch - easy fix

[krhodes1]

This is kind of amusing - I fitted the usual light-duty Curt hitch on my 128i a few months back. Had what seemed like plenty of clearance (3/8" or so) between the muffler hanger bracket and the hitch mount plate.

BUT - after a long drive (2hrs+ on the highway) I was getting a light rattle from back there at idle. Next long drive, I backed the car up on ramps and sure enough, it's just barely touching. Evidently, the exhaust can expand that much when it gets good and hot. Next morning, back to 3/8" clearance.

The fix was easy, unbolt the exhaust hangers and drop the exhaust down, and slice 1/4" strip out of the edge of the hanger bracket with an angle grinder. It's plenty beefy, losing that bit of metal should make no difference. One side of the hanger bracket sticks out further than the other, that's the one that needs to be trimmed.

So I would say just go ahead and do that when installing the hitch, with the bumper cover off and before the hitch is bolted on, you shouldn't even need to drop the exhaust.