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10-27-2013, 01:55 PM | #133 |
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I cant believe a european car mfg doesnt offer a plug and play towing wiring harness as much as they tow things over there...even my old 2002 acura had a towing accy connector pre-wired into the car's harness. All I had to do was buy and wire up the trailer side connector and click it in to the car side oem connector & just like that..it was done. Clean, with no worries about about warning lights, etc
Sold the acura and still have a bike trailer that hasnt had much use since. Guess I'll install a new hitch on wifey's acura now instead of the 1er...
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10-27-2013, 03:39 PM | #134 | |
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Drives: Alpine White 128i Cabrio
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10-29-2013, 02:59 PM | #135 |
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Wiring is not usually a huge issue
I haven't put a hitch on my convertible but I might in the future. We have two 128i verts in the family and both of us like ours and don't want to change. We also have a 2006 Suzuki SUV that does our towing. But the new house has more limited parking and a boat slip in the back so that towing duty will be going away. The vert should handle a little utility trailer.
Anyway, the zuk also lacked a plug in for the trailer wiring as have several cars I've owned. When you can find the plug in harness, it is not always reasonably priced. What you need to know is a location you can find the necessary wires. Even better is to know which color does what. I had to hunt around on the zuk and was still done in a few hours. With a voltage tester you can put on the signal you are looking for and probe until you find it. Wires normally come down one side of the car or the other. My guess is removal of the plastic sides in the back will reveal them. With a little time and the converter (less than $20) you can normally wire things up. That shouldn't throw any codes but if it does they are easily reset (I prefer Torque but any decent OBDII code reader will do it).
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128i Convertible, MT, Alpine White, Black Top, Taupe Leatherette, Walnut, Sport
Ordered 5/22/09, Completed 6/4/09, At Port 6/9/09, On the Georgia Highway 6/13/09, Ship Arrived Charleston 6/24/09 at 10pm, PCD 7/21/09 |
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12-08-2013, 06:00 PM | #136 | |
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01-04-2014, 06:24 PM | #138 |
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I installed one last year on my 128 and it has been great. Only one issue that bugs me is when you run the car hard the exhaust moves back and rubs against the hitch. When cold there is a 11mm gap but when the exhaust heats up and the car is moving it moves back and rubs against the hitch. I was thinking of taking a grinder to the exhaust rib like "FactorX81" did but am just wondering if I have another issue or something loose in the exhaust system. Any ideas...11mm is a lot of movement? The hitch is installed per the manufacturer on the outside of the bumper brackets....
Cold: Hot and parked: Last edited by horsepower_and_hounds; 01-18-2014 at 08:33 AM.. |
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01-17-2014, 04:41 AM | #140 |
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So I measured it cold then warm at the time of interference.....it moves 11mm then rides on the hitch. Is that normal? Is there a slip joint or anything that can be adjusted to pull the exhaust forward?
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01-17-2014, 12:33 PM | #141 |
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I don't think you can safely move your exhaust away from the hitch by any reasonable measures. I looked up the thermal coefficient of expansion of 304SS. it is 17.3 x 10 to the negative 6th power meters per meter per degree Kelvin. I think better in SAE where the equivalent is 9.6 times 10 to the negative sixth inches per inch per degree farenheit. If I assume the exhaust is about 300 degrees F and the exhaust system is around 140 inches long I get about your amount of movement. My assumptions are rough and undoubtedly not exactly correct but the goal in this sort of a calculation is to see if you can get in the ballpark with something that is potentially reasonable. I would say this passes that test. In other words, 11mm could just be thermal expansion of the exhaust system.
To allow for that expansion the exhaust hangs on rubber hangers that have a lot of flexibility. If we take away that flexibility, we will bind somewhere else. If the hitch is in the way and removing a little metal solves that, it is what I would do.
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128i Convertible, MT, Alpine White, Black Top, Taupe Leatherette, Walnut, Sport
Ordered 5/22/09, Completed 6/4/09, At Port 6/9/09, On the Georgia Highway 6/13/09, Ship Arrived Charleston 6/24/09 at 10pm, PCD 7/21/09 |
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01-18-2014, 08:35 AM | #142 |
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thanks...will probably be grinding away at the tab a bit where there is contact to stop the loud rattle....it is quite annoying.
Thought about putting some kind of buffer there but it would not last long ai am sure..... |
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01-28-2014, 09:13 AM | #143 | |
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02-03-2014, 12:14 AM | #144 | |
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Hi there i was just wondering with the bikes the curt two bar, does the hitch / bike rack bounces around agressively?
I had mine installed and yesterday went out with a bike rack attach to the hitch.. it is bouncing and wobbleing around like crazy. Quote:
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02-06-2014, 08:51 AM | #145 |
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mine bounces and wobbles a lot as well. I don't know what type of rack you have but in my case it is the rack doing the wobbling the hitch is solid. I have a thule 2 bike rack with the center folding arm similar to the rack in the above pictures.
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02-08-2014, 06:01 AM | #146 | |
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I just have the hot exhaust contact which I have now strapped a thick rubber spacer in-between to let it ride on. Will see how that works |
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08-10-2014, 12:12 AM | #147 |
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Just installed the hitch from curt as it says in a manual.
I tested rattling without towing. Seems that after 10miles on a highway the hitch touches the exhaust but I do not know if it will make noise if I tow something. Puzzled what to do next, do not want to have rattling while towing from west to east coast. |
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08-10-2014, 06:09 PM | #148 |
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I don't have a hitch on my e88 yet but may do it. I currently tow with my Suzuki SUV. It has a class III hitch which has a 2 inch rectangular bar. It also has an eighth of inch or so clearance between the bar and the hitch. Depending on how the trailer is loaded it sometimes rattles. It only happens over bigger bumps unless the trailer is loaded improperly with too much weight in the back of the trailer.
With bikes on the back, I strongly suspect the rattling will be mostly the bikes and parts of the bike rack, not the bar fitup to the hitch. The weight of the bikes is going to take the slop out of the bar fitup and unless a bump causes enough acceleration up and down to overcome that weight, the bar won't move in the hitch. The way the bikes are held is unlikely to be as loaded (it could damage the bikes if it was) so I think that is where your rattling will come from. At highway speeds, I doubt you will hear a thing. Highways tend to be smoother than at least some secondary roads too. That may help. I wouldn't worry about it. With a quality bike rack you should be fine.
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128i Convertible, MT, Alpine White, Black Top, Taupe Leatherette, Walnut, Sport
Ordered 5/22/09, Completed 6/4/09, At Port 6/9/09, On the Georgia Highway 6/13/09, Ship Arrived Charleston 6/24/09 at 10pm, PCD 7/21/09 |
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08-14-2014, 05:52 PM | #149 | |
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which fits BMW. Someone can post how to DIY?! |
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08-14-2014, 10:12 PM | #150 | |
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08-15-2014, 12:13 PM | #151 |
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Looking at john08135 post in 2009 where he was launching 2 SeaDoos made me remember a story told to me from a friend who winters in Fort Lauderdale. People sometimes launch at low tide, boat ramp is extremely slippery and sometimes tow vehicle slips into water. No traction. Obviously I would not launch at low tide. Our cars are RWD and usually have high performance summer tires. I think I would carry some sand in an empty windshield washer bottle, just in case I needed it.
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08-20-2014, 06:44 PM | #152 |
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I just installed modulite http://www.etrailer.com/Custom-Fit-V...id=20101170141
and it works! You will need to ask manual which color is which on a modulite. The guys from etrailer send me a link for manual. Otherwise there was no description in the box. |
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08-20-2014, 09:59 PM | #153 |
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I purchased 11184 hitch that I am planning to install on my 2011 128i. I am planning to get Thule rack to haul two bikes (990XT - http://www.thule.com/en-us/us/produc...90xt-_-5776509).
I am reading installation instructions and it says that non trailer loads (i.e. bike rack) must be supported by stabilizing straps. It does not seem like anyone is using any straps... Anybody knows what is the deal with these straps? Also, as far as muffler rattle goes- can anyone confirm that 128i needs hitch/muffler hanger trimmed? I would rather do it all at the same time, during the installation, as my E82 is non sport package and I need to remove the whole bumper to install/work on the hitch... Thank you, Max |
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08-22-2014, 08:03 PM | #154 | |
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