F10 M5 Towbar

[cashmax]

Struggling to find much info.

Want to tow a trailer and Caterham next year to a couple of race rounds only and don't want to have to get another car to tow with. Is the M5 up to it and has anyone done it?

[Jonny TVR]

cashmax said:

Struggling to find much info.

Want to tow a trailer and Caterham next year to a couple of race rounds only and don't want to have to get another car to tow with. Is the M5 up to it and has anyone done it?

If it doesn't already have a towbar then you have problems as you can't retro fit. Can't imagine there would be any type of problem pulling that

[MikeE]

Jonny TVR said:

cashmax said:

Struggling to find much info.

Want to tow a trailer and Caterham next year to a couple of race rounds only and don't want to have to get another car to tow with. Is the M5 up to it and has anyone done it?

If it doesn't already have a towbar then you have problems as you can't retro fit. Can't imagine there would be any type of problem pulling that

Is that specific to an M5 as you can retrofit towbars to most other cars, assuming the VIN plate confirms a max towing weight?

[VerySideways]

If you've got a towing weight on the VIN plate then why can't you retrofit?

I believe BMW do a retrofit kit for the electric towbar, and that kit comes with a slightly different rear diffuser:

[Output Flange]

Lifted from elsewhere, but might help:

71.60.6.874.904 - Towbar assy.
71.60.2.357.457 - Retrofit kit.
71.60.6.872.319 - control unit.

Part numbers for the electric tow bar from BMW.

[cashmax]

Output Flange said:

Lifted from elsewhere, but might help:

71.60.6.874.904 - Towbar assy.
71.60.2.357.457 - Retrofit kit.
71.60.6.872.319 - control unit.

Part numbers for the electric tow bar from BMW.

Thanks,

Just done the research and it looks like it will be cheaper to buy a half decent tow car instead. A shame because I don't want to do that, but looks like BMW spank you big style for retrofitting.

[AW10]

Not the same car but... I retrofitted a Westfalia detachable towbar onto my E61 M5. Rather than buying the factory bar I bought one for a 535d and it bolted up without issue. Cost was about half of going through BMW and it works just fine. Depends on your appetite for a challenge.

[VerySideways]

AW10 said:

Not the same car but... I retrofitted a Westfalia detachable towbar onto my E61 M5. Rather than buying the factory bar I bought one for a 535d and it bolted up without issue. Cost was about half of going through BMW and it works just fine. Depends on your appetite for a challenge.

Same applies for the M135i actually, same towbar as fits on other 1 series cars.
Can't tow with it due to lack of towing weight on VIN plate, but you can use it for a bike rack.

You can get a detachable towbar from PF Jones for £200 for an F10, worth a punt?
https://www.pfjones.co.uk/5-series-saloon-f10-2010...

[HoHoHo]

VerySideways said:

AW10 said:

Not the same car but... I retrofitted a Westfalia detachable towbar onto my E61 M5. Rather than buying the factory bar I bought one for a 535d and it bolted up without issue. Cost was about half of going through BMW and it works just fine. Depends on your appetite for a challenge.

Same applies for the M135i actually, same towbar as fits on other 1 series cars.
Can't tow with it due to lack of towing weight on VIN plate, but you can use it for a bike rack.

You can get a detachable towbar from PF Jones for £200 for an F10, worth a punt?
https://www.pfjones.co.uk/5-series-saloon-f10-2010...

That page says the M5 is excluded

[AW10]

As it did for the E61 M5 but it fitted just fine.

[VerySideways]

HoHoHo said:

That page says the M5 is excluded

Ditto the M135i towbar, and the Audi S4 towbar, and so on... doesn't necessarily mean it doesn't fit.
In this case i suspect the only reason it wouldn't fit is due to that rear diffuser.

[Thurbs]

Had the dealer fit one to mine.

Tows like a dream.



I do get some funny looks though.

[hornetrider]

AW10 said:

Not the same car but... I retrofitted a Westfalia detachable towbar onto my E61 M5. Rather than buying the factory bar I bought one for a 535d and it bolted up without issue. Cost was about half of going through BMW and it works just fine. Depends on your appetite for a challenge.

Yeah I did the same on my E61 550i.

Detachable westfalia towbar was fitted for 450. and it cost me another 100 to buy and paint the new lower diffuser with the detachable towbar cover.

[cashmax]

Thurbs said:

Had the dealer fit one to mine.

Tows like a dream.



I do get some funny looks though.

What was the damage?

[Thurbs]

It was a dealer car which I bought new with 6 miles on the clock so it was all lumped in to a "OTR" price (which I then haggled down).

I think they wanted somthing like £1700 which I laughed at but didn't focus on it specifically, just the overall number.

If my maths are correct, an "adjusted" price I paid for it would have been about £1200 with 0% for 4 years.

[cashmax]

Got Watling Engineers to fit the Westfalia removable unit in the end. They took a while because they hadn't done an M5 before, but managed it in the end and I'm happy. Total cost under £700.

[RhysH]

Old.push being dragged up.... what the tow limit on m5? Thinking about getting one as possible next daily ar but we have a caravan use with the kids etc lol.