Why Does Curt Hitch Not Fit 2004 Mini Cooper S Series?

Question:

I just saw a 2005 Mini Cooper S convertible at the 2018 Minis in the Ozarks gathering with a trailer hitch that the owner from South Dakota said was a Curt and thought it came from this web site, but I see your description says excluding S series and one of the reviews says , does not fit Cooper S convertible. So... whats the story here? I am sure there is very little difference between my 2004 Cooper S hardtops rear bumper cover and the 2005 Cooper S convertibles rear bumper cover aside from the hinges for his rear hatch, so why not for S series? Too hard to fit above the S central exhaust? Too difficult to get to the hitch pin because of the exhaust?

asked by: Phil W

Helpful Expert Reply:

I reached out to my contact at Curt and he said the owner of the vehicle in the photo was outside of the their # C11126 hitch compatibility because as manufactured it will absolutely have issue with the center exhaust on your 2004 Mini Cooper S. It appears the location is the same as in your photo for this hitch and bumper, but there is one thing to consider as to why it is not a confirmed fit.

I have attached the installation instructions which also include photos to help. It shows that the safety chain connection point and hitch pin connection are hindered by the exhaust as they would be accessed from under the bumper and that is why it isn't a fit. That would allow the ball mount you see from the photo you took to be constantly attached, but not account for safety chains.

This would be acceptable for a bike rack style application, but not a trailer. You also would only be able to connect or disconnect after the vehicle exhaust was cool to the touch because you would absolutely need to work around it for connecting and disconnecting accessories.

expert reply by: Jason S