To see if this custom-fit item will work for you please tell us what vehicle you'll use it with.
Thank you! Your comment has been submitted successfully. You should be able to view your question/comment here within a few days.
Error submitting comment. Please try again momentarily.
Perfect for light-duty towing, this custom, vehicle trailer hitch receiver features fully welded, gloss powder coated steel construction. Drawbar sold separately.
Features:
Specs:
At etrailer.com we're committed to the products we sell, and to our customers. Our experienced and knowledgeable staff are available via both phone and email to address your questions and concerns for the lifetime of your hitch. The technicians at etrailer perform hitch installations on a daily basis, making them a valuable resource for do-it-yourselfers. The one-on-one, personal service you'll receive comes straight from an expert in the towing and automotive field. We've installed it, we've wired it and we've towed with it, so whatever your question, we can answer it.
Average Customer Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars (29 Customer Reviews)
Perfect for light-duty towing, this custom, vehicle trailer hitch receiver features fully welded, gloss powder coated steel construction. Drawbar sold separately.Great hitch. The material is quite thick, the powder coating looked beautiful, and the install was very simple. I already had the bumper fascia removed (preLCI cars have a one piece bumper that must be removed), as I just redid my exhaust, so I was able to get this installed in all of 10 minutes. Haven't used it yet, but it was easily strong enough to stand on after install. very happy with this hitch
The hitch was well packaged. It areived without a dent nor scratches on the actual hitch. Paint is also of good quality, looks like its powder coated which means paint wont just chip or fade without extensive use or abuse on the hitch. Installation was pretty pretty simple and straight forward. Instruction was a bit off. Im not sure if its just my vehicle or the instructions itself.
Installation was easier than I expected. Took me about less than an hour and thats with me taking my time and cleaning everything as I go while im under there.
As the intaruction says:
1. Take off underpanel by loosening 2 8mm bolts and 2 10mm bolts.
2. Instructions requires you to remove the rear most mouning point of the exhaust hanger with a 10mm socket but i found this incorrect. The bolt thats holding the hanger is an E10 Torx Bolt. Maybe its just my car but who knows. Even after figuring that out, i still refused to remove the exhaust as its not really in the way but I did put a rag over my exhaust tips to prevent any scratches from happening.
3. I then removed all 4 8mm screws holding the bumper fascia and used a small pry bar with a 45 degree bend. I pushed down on the tabs from under the car while pulling the fascia away from the car. Be very careful when doing this because you dont want to break those tabs, though they did not look fragile.
4. Raise the hitch onto the mounting screws and install all 4 lock washers and 12mm nuts. Torqueing the top nut is next to impossible unless you remove the whole bumper. With that being said jusy make sure you just tighten the hell out of it. The bottom ones you can torque with the help of an extension.
5. This i think was the most exciting part for me, cutting the under panel. Luckily i had a dremel tool which made the job easier. I followed the basic guidelines on the trimming instruction but i shortened it a bit as I dont want any debree/mud/grime getting up in there. This is what probably took me the most time as I had to test fit and cut multiple times.
6. Next step is putting back everything in reverse order.
7. Enjoy towing whatever it is youre towing!
Overall, I’m very happy with this product. It doesnt stick out too much like an eyesore. Its probably about the same length as the exhaust tips, maybe a tad longer but thats it. I will be using this to carry my bikes, snowboards and maybe tow some small stuff every now and then.
Sorry bout the not so great quality photos but its something!
Very simple install only had to remove the fascia and bottom of bumper. Bolted right up and very sturdy. I have attached my two bike rack to is and it is flawless. Should have done this sooner.
Fit just as it should. Removing the bumper cover was not very easy for somebody not having experience with that. But that has nothing to do with the hitch.
Purchased for 2013 BMW 135is with carbon fiber diffuser and Dinan stage 2 tuned exhaust. Goal was to carry Kuat bike rack for a road bike - total tongue weight of less than 50 pounds. Just can't fit the bike into the tiny convertible trunk. Was worried about potential conflicts with diffuser and independent specialty shop was concerned they would have to cut through diffuser - not good with carbon fiber. Install just completed and they only had to shave down about a quarter inch of the bottom of the diffuser, just about an inch and a half wide, to make a bit of space for the hitch receiver. Can't even tell that they shaved it - looks really good. About two inches of receiver is visible, but that's a fine price to pay for bringing the bike along while the top's down. Shop said that the hitch build quality was excellent, and the fitment to the frame was perfect. Had to trim a tiny bit off one of the muffler mounts, but they didn't have any concern about strength or integrity. Install cost was $160, excluding a wiring harness which I don't need.
Pros: Very strong and well made. Looks great on car. Con: A 128i Convertible does not have a Rear Bumper Fascia (as shown in installation instructions), just an entire Rear Bumper Cover. Was unable to remove Bumper Cover. Did get hitch installed with persistence and nimble fingers as space is very limited. Took 2 hours to install.
Bill B.
11/17/2014
Hello Jeff, I have the 128i convertible also. Did you have to cut the bumper cover or did you just have to work within the constraints of the bumper cover being in the way? Thanks. Bill
Anonymous
11/17/2014
Bill, I worked within the constraints of the bumper cover. JeffB
I purchased a hitch from etrailer for my bmw 1 series and the video and instructions were spot on in terms of easy installation and putting everything back the way it came off.
I mainly use the hitch for my bike rack but i have used it to haul small trailers with tongue weight less than 200 lbs and overall 800 lbs or less total trailer weight.
It is a great hitch, well coated and protected and was really easy to put on.
The hitch fits perfect on a 2013 BMW 128i convertible but does require taking off the rear bumper shield. I watched a Youtube for a 328 and the directions worked flawlessly. Slide out the bumper cover, don't force it. Remember the screws in the wheel wells and everything should go flawlessly.
Only takes about 1 hour to get off the bumper cover, 30 minutes to put on the hitch and maybe 20 minutes to put back the bumper cover. No cutting, no pain. Have fun.
Easy to install and works great on my 2013 128i.
I purchased this hitch for my 2009 BMW 128 convertable. It is great I don't have to worry about scratching my car with a trunk mounted bike rack. I also still have access to the trunk with the bike rack installed in the hitch. I also have a BMW 328 wagon that I tried to get a hitch for in 2012 but there wasn't an aftermarket hitch available then but there is now. I am going to get one for this car also. Installation: after seeing the instructions I realized that I had to remove the rear bumper so I took it to a pro to instal and it took 2 hours. N
This trailer hitch has done all we've asked of it. It has hung tough during travel in rough conditions, held fast to our bike rack, and is invisible apart from the port. I recommend it most highly when strength/durability/flexibility as well as appearance are important to you.
Pix of hitch on my 2011 BMW 1 Series M Coupe.
Item arrived in perfect condition. Packaging was excellent, secure, and easy to manage. Actual item looks better than expected: full wrap-around welds where I expected spot welds; reinforcement brackets with full wrap-around welds on the vertical riser to the hitch receiver.
Will update review once I've got it installed.
This hitch worked great on my 2012 135i. Install was pretty easy - maybe 2 hrs. After 6 months I can report that all is good and it's been working great to for my 1 or 2 bike hauling needs.
Hitch works great. etrailer was the only source I could find for a hitch for my BMW 128i.
Etrailer provided a Great price and quick delivery.
The hitch was very easy to install and the directions were clear...less than 2 hours for the full installation.
My trailer hitch fits perfectly on my BMW 135i 2012. Easy to install and super solid. I highly recommend.
My order was processed fast and received as expected. It came with install instructions specifically for my car which were very helful.
Good product, works on my 135is, which is a tricky car to add a hitch receiver to.
installed on my 2008 135iThis is the 3rd hitch I have bought from E-trailer.com and i am very pleased once again.
Perfect fit and its very hidden under the bumper.
great price and service
I own a 2012 128i BMW. This product fits great and gets the job done. Shipping was quick and this product is offered at a fair price.
Matt
9/14/2016
The trailer hitch has been a huge help. Towed my motorcycle 1,000 miles across country with no issues. Towed a few other things here there, mainly to and from autocross races. The hitch is a perfect fit. Thanks for the follow-up, I really respect you and the company for going above and beyond.
Gregory
9/8/2023
It works as it should. There was initial muffler rattle but the installer found a way to eliminate that save for occasional and completely unpredictable recurrences that never last long.
Mike L.
11/1/2023
Helpful Links
Perfect fitment highly recommended
Fit like a charm. I read the instruction twice just to be sure before I started.
Works perfectly!
Do you have a question about this Trailer Hitch?
Info for this part was:
At etrailer.com we provide the best information available about the products we sell. We take the quality of our information seriously so that you can get the right part the first time. Let us know if anything is missing or if you have any questions.
Mike
8/23/2020
Still doing great after a year - works perfect under carbon diffuser, barely visible. Holds Kuat bike rack and two bikes fine, no issues.