[AWJDThumper]

Bought my 2019 X1 xDrive 20d a few weeks ago but would like to add a towing bar for my M/C trailer. I've had 2 x quotes from BMW at a price of ~£3000 which compares with ~£700 fitted from a range of non-BMW fitters.

Looking at the BMW quote, it includes £650 for labour, £640 for a fan housing, £229 for a body domain, £197 for a retro kit, etc none of which I understand the need for.

I would be grateful if someone could explain why the BMW price is so expensive and why so much works needs to be done to fit a towing bar. I recently had a quote from LR for a Discovery Sport towing bar and that was only £1200.

[BrianJ]

My experience of asking a BMW dealer in the UK was the same as yours. All I wanted was the equivalent of the optional (at built time) removable bar for mounting a bike rack. The dealer insisted that it had to be a proper towbar (same actual towbar) but with the additional fan which gets fitted (at build time) if you order the full tow bar eg for towing caravans etc ie provides additional engine cooling for towing caravans up hils etc. In the end I ordered the same removable bar for mounting bike racks as is fitted by BMW in the factory (its a Brink item) with the 13-PIN Brink vehicle-specific electrics (so the reversing lights on my bike rack work) and had it all fitted by a local towbar fitter. About £680 all in.

[AWJDThumper]

Thanks for the reply. I'm giving the BMW dealer I bought the X1 from a chance of offering me a more sensible price and made it clear I definitely wasn't interested in up-rating the fan. If they can't get the price closer to a max of £1500, I will get it done by one of the mobile fitting companies at half that price!

[BrianJ]

Good luck. It was the dealer that I ordered my car from who insisted that after the car had been built a towbar had to be the complete item with additional fan and all. "Otherwise what's to stop anybody towing a caravan with it and ruining the engine?". The option only for bike racks wasn't contemplated. I gave up and went elsewhere.

[AWJDThumper]

I expect I may get the same response in which case this will be very frustrating! However, the main concern I have with going elsewhere is over the electrics and exactly how the tow bar socket will be interfaced to the car's electrics.

I bought my X1 recently but also considered getting a LR Discovery Sport. That car already came with the necessary interface socket and fitting a tow bar as a result would have only cost £1200.

For the X1, I don't really know what would be involved but I note the BMW quote also included a 'Body Domain £229', a 'Retrofit Kit £197' and a 'Control Unit £113'. If BMW considers these electrical items are necessary why, for example, does an aftermarket tow bar only cost ~£700?

I'll see what BMW say when they get back to me but I may end up fitting a tow bar to my VW Golf as the least painful option

[AWJDThumper]

As expected, despite a valiant effort from the sales rep who recently sold me my X1, he was not able to persuade the service manager to fit a towing bar at a lower price. As said, the BMW policy seems to be that to avoid future liability, they have to fit the full kit including the £1000 of uprated radiator fan. Leaves me with a difficult decision because fitting a 3rd party towing bar and electrics could invalidate my 1 year BMW approved used warranty

[BrianJ]

I was in the same position. I did it anyway. All the towbars come with a choice of electrics, either generic or vehicle specific. I went with vehicle specific. Have had zero problems. I took the view that if the towbar fitter screwed up the car's electrics, that would be a claim against him not the vehicle warranty.