[mc1burke]

Originally Posted by MartyMcFly88MPH

Figured I'd update this thread with my results.

I had the Curt hitch installed by a local company. They managed to do it without any trimming, but I'm not sure that's a good thing.

I seem to have a different style bumper than OP. You can see in the pics that the hitch pushes right up on the bumper. I mentioned it to the installer and they made it sound like no big deal. I'm thinking about bringing it back for trimming.
What say you fine folks?

Marty!

How is your install working? Did you get the additional cuts? I have the same bumper and I'm getting ready to do the install on my m240. Any tips? updated pics?

[MartyMcFly88MPH]

Originally Posted by mc1burke

Marty!

How is your install working? Did you get the additional cuts? I have the same bumper and I'm getting ready to do the install on my m240. Any tips? updated pics?

I decided to leave my install as it was in the pics. I went back to the shop and they strongly recommended not trimming. I was mostly just worried that the bumper might crack while sitting on the trunk putting on ski boots. It proved to not be a problem.

[B1nary]

I used the pictures and advice in this series of posts on the 2016 M235 to have the the new Curt 11367 hitch installed on my M240i. There have been a few changes (good ones) that M2 owners should be aware of if you are considering installing the Curt hitch on the 2017 M240i.
1. The Curt hitch I purchased came out of the Curt Warehouse in Edmonton, AB.
2. The delivered price was just under $200CDA (late Dec 2016)
3. The wiring harness for lights (if you go this route) is the Tekonsha Modulite ZCI. No splicing of any wires. I also purchased the Drawtite 18151 install wiring harness.This turned out to not be necessary as you could buy this hardware locally or may have connectors and spare wiring in your shop.
4. With the changes made to the actual hitch mounting frame (it is more rectangular as noted) there is no longer any need to grind or elongate the mounting holes. The hitch is a perfect fit on the 2017 M240i.
5. The heat shield still has to be cut to fit around the hitch frame. This turned out to be the most time consuming part of the install. I'll try to UL pictures showing how the shield was modified.
6. The car I have was ordered with the executive package (about $4500CDA option). It came with the standard bumper fascia, in case that matters.
7. The black lower bumper fascia has to be cut to fit the hitch receiver. This is also a no-brainer now. It can be done on the car or it can be removed and done off the car if you prefer.
8. If you measure to the centre of this lower fascia and cut a small rectangular opening that starts in the very centre and extends about an 1 1/2 (40mm) either side and 3/4" (20mm) deep the receiver will virtually disappear up under the fascia leaving a space of between hitch and fascia of about 1/2" (12-13mm).
9. While standing anywhere near the back of the car the hitch is not noticeable. You have to bend down to actually see it is there. I'll try to upload pictures showing the cut out. (First post so not sure I can do this)
10. I still need to trim the heat shield right in front of the receiver but that can be done with a simple straight cut and pushing the heat shield piece up out of the way.
11. The hitch has been on the car for a week now and there is no rattle or other adverse effect I have noticed.
12. Because it is -25C here I had a body shop do the install. Someone backed into the rear bumper (car was only 5 days old) cracking the bumper. The insurance company decided to replace the bumper and I had Kavia Autobody do all the work. There was no charge to do any of this. It was free. If you are in Saskatoon I would strongly suggest you look these guys up. They are one of only a small handful of shops who have the highest iCar and shop ratings around. So if you are in or even close to Saskatoon, it would be worth giving them a call.

I called 4 BMW dealerships to have the hitch installed and all refused to do it.

I hope this helps you out.
Sorry Seems I have to resize them. Will try to edit this post ad add them later.

[horsepower_and_hounds]

Sweet job

[tubmw]

Originally Posted by ehagerty

See in red below

ehagerty Thought I give a quick update.

So for the M140 the story is a bit more complex.

In summary in the M140 the exhaust sits about an inch further back from the bumper mounts, so there isn't enough space for the hitch to clear the exhaust with the Kurt hitch.

I'm having a local shop extend the sides plates of the hitch in order to clear the exhaust. Still not sure if this would lead to other interference with between the hitch and the bumper fascia, but it seems it shouldn't.

Another difference is that the end of the heat shield continues straight over the exhaust (not down) and screws directly to the bumper bar. Fixing it will be slightly different I guess.

The teardown reference for the Series 1 in another thread was very helpful to move with confidence in taking down the bumper. I'll update this thread with the link when I'm done.

I tried convincing 3 BMW dealers to do the work and they all refused. But I'm happy that the hitch mounting shop seems a lot more competent to get it done.

Still wondering if fitting then M performance exhaust would give me the additional space needed, but there is no way to tell, so it looks like modding the Kurt Hitch is the way to go.

[bowhun2r]

Originally Posted by B1nary

I used the pictures and advice in this series of posts on the 2016 M235 to have the the new Curt 11367 hitch installed on my M240i. There have been a few changes (good ones) that M2 owners should be aware of if you are considering installing the Curt hitch on the 2017 M240i.

Sorry Seems I have to resize them. Will try to edit this post ad add them later.

QQ... I just put my M240 order in and this will be one of my first mods to the car. In the first post, the OP removed the tail lights. However, in your pics it looks like you were able to take the rear clip off w/o removing the tail lights? Is that correct?

Just trying to research as much prior to doing the job. BTW... you wouldn't happen to know the deep socket size needed to remove/attach the hitch and steel bumper?

Thanks, and thanks for the great informative post. Extremely helpful (as was the original post by @ehargerty)

[B1nary]

[QUOTE=B1nary;21177572]I used the pictures and advice in this series of posts on the 2016 M235 to have the the new Curt 11367 hitch installed on my M240i. There have been a few changes (good ones) that M2 owners should be aware of if you are considering installing the Curt hitch on the 2017. I also need to add trailer lights to the car and the following is what I did.

Since I did not want to splice into the original wiring (I wasn't sure how much power draw the car would accept before throwing an error). Instead I used an external module - Tekonsha ZCI interface - see pictures. This unit gets its power direct from the battery and uses the current sensor modules for each light function (Turn, Brake etc.) to trigger the trailer light functions. Some things to watch for:
1. You do not need to remove or access anything outside the car. All connections are made in the trunk (see pictures).
2. You will need to remove the right side (Passenger) trunk liner (3 push plugs) and the bottom trunk floor liner as well as the back vertical plastic piece where the trunk lock mechanism is (4 push plugs). The rear seats will need to be folded down to access a single push plug right behind the seats.
3. Once inside - on the right side of the car you will see a big wiring bundle by the right rear tail light (inside the trunk). This bundle is actually 2 bundles. You need to remove a big strip of the wire loom wrap as shown.
4. Here are the wire colours you need to access (note the format is as follows -- the first colour is the main colour of the wire and the second colour is the minor colour. For example Grey/Purple is a Grey wire with a smaller Purple stripe. Don't mix these colours up as there are a lot of wires that look similar:
a. Grey wire/Purple stripe -- Tail lights
b. Black wire/White stripe -- Left Tail Light
c. Yellow wire/Black stripe -- Stop Lights (Brake)
d. Black wire/Grey stripe -- Right Tail light

The Tekonsha modules are attached with the arrow pointing to the light side of the connections (in this case all modules will point toward the back of the car. If you hook them up wrong, they just won't work. When you are done wrapping everything you will note that there is a small rectangular opening in the foam insert right in front of the wiring harness. I tucked the module in there.

Once all the modules are snapped together simply re-wrap all the wires together with high quality electrical tape (it is more flexible and sticks better).

I hope this saves someone all the extra work I went through before I figured out where all the wires were to make this work.

[bowhun2r]

Thanks again to ehagerty for the helpful posts and answering my PMs.

I finally got delivery of my M240 last Friday. While I was waiting for the car to complete I went ahead and ordered my rear diffuser and had it painted.

I then used the pics in this thread to cut out the area in the diffuser for the hitch.

My dealer installed the hitch/MPE/rear diffuser before I picked the car up. Initially the dealer said "BMW does not recommend using the hitch". I explained to him I will not be towing a boat...just my 1up rack (which I also found on this thread) and my bike. Their master tech looked over this thread and the Curtis install instructions and agreed to do the work. They charged 3.5 hours of labor for the hitch, MPE and rear diffuser. Possibly a bit more than necessary... but not that bad.

Here are the pics. The cut I made came out great and honestly you can't really see the hitch with the hitch cover on. It's concealed very well. The rack is great and it's much easier transporting my bike.

After I received my diffuser back from the paint shop I went ahead and made the cutout for the hitch.

My tips are still on back order... should be here soon.

[IMG][/IMG]

[horsepower_and_hounds]

Originally Posted by bowhun2r

Thanks again to ehagerty for the helpful posts and answering my PMs.

I finally got delivery of my M240 last Friday. While I was waiting for the car to complete I went ahead and ordered my rear diffuser and had it painted.

I then used the pics in this thread to cut out the area in the diffuser for the hitch.

My dealer installed the hitch/MPE/rear diffuser before I picked the car up. Initially the dealer said "BMW does not recommend using the hitch". I explained to him I will not be towing a boat...just my 1up rack (which I also found on this thread) and my bike. Their master tech looked over this thread and the Curtis install instructions and agreed to do the work. They charged 3.5 hours of labor for the hitch, MPE and rear diffuser. Possibly a bit more than necessary... but not that bad.

Here are the pics. The cut I made came out great and honestly you can't really see the hitch with the hitch cover on. It's concealed very well. The rack is great and it's much easier transporting my bike.

After I received my diffuser back from the paint shop I went ahead and made the cutout for the hitch.

My tips are still on back order... should be here soon.

[IMG][/IMG]

Good job bro

[mdputnam]

Here is my Curt hitch modification and install without having to cut the M235i diffuser. I started out purchasing a Curt Hitch and 1 1/2" X 6" long receiver from Etrailer.com and a 1 1/2" X 1/2" steel bar from onlinemetals.com.


I then cut off the end of the old receiver.


And welded on a piece of the 1 1/2" X 1/2" steel bar as a spacer and the new receiver on to what remained of the old receiver.


Primed and painted to look nice and pretty.




Here it is installed before the panels go back on.


All tucked behind the diffuser and buttoned up! And look no need to cut the rear diffuser!


Here is a view with the bike rack installed.


And without the bike rack installed.

[bowhun2r]

Originally Posted by mdputnam

Here is my Curt hitch modification and install without having to cut the M235i diffuser. I started out purchasing a Curt Hitch and 1 1/2" X 6" long receiver from Etrailer.com and a 1 1/2" X 1/2" steel bar from onlinemetals.com.

Well done! With it dropped lower, do you have any issue hitting it going up a driveway?

[mdputnam]

Originally Posted by bowhun2r

Well done! With it dropped lower, do you have any issue hitting it going up a driveway?

None so far after 3 weeks of driving around. The hitch hangs down 1 1/2" from the bottom lip of the diffuser. It is slightly higher off the ground than the M Performance muffler.

[JDinWestCO]

After 34 yrs with a 318i, I've just bought a 2016 M235i xDrive convertible. Very sweet car! I would like to be able to do road trips with it, and often that means my girlfriend and I would like to have our mountain bikes with us. We have a 1UP rack with 2 trays and 2" receiver for our 4Runner.

I found this thread and read thru it, plus tried to do a lot of other research, too.

Here's what I think I've learned. Tell me if I have this right:

1) There are only two hitch receiver arrangements on the market that will work on my car-- one from Curt, model 11367, which takes 1-1/4" insert (and 1Up will sell me the appropriate conversion for the rack $80) Class I with a 200lb tongue weight/2000lb towing weight. ~$120 from eTrailer.

The other is made by/sold thru BMW, and it hides further up under the bumper but attaches behind the bumper beam the same way. This is Class II, tongue weight 300lb/3500lb towing weight. Has removable, snap-in tow balls, or 2"receiver. Rear Transport crossbeam - $330 + 2" Receiver Tube - $194. (If I want to tow a trailer with lights, then wiring etc. would add ~$730 more in parts alone.) Link: https://parts.bmwnorthwest.com/p/BMW...712349499.html

I'm assuming the reason you are all going to so much trouble is partly to save money, and partly to do it yourself, correct?

2) I'm somewhat concerned about being to close to the load rating of the Class I from Curt. Our bikes are in the mid-30 pound range, and the 1Up rack is 40 pounds (total 100lbs+). It looks to me like static weight is not likely to be relevant, but the torque/leverage on the tongue is. And if the center of mass of the bikes/rack combination is twice as far from the mounting bolts, 100 pounds produces about the same leverage as 200 pounds at the ball of a standard hitch. Therefore, my 1Up with 2 mountain bikes would be right at load capacity.

3) As for installation, it's pretty straightforward, and your instructions show lots of detail, which is great!!! Thank you!!! For the M235, as opposed to the 228, a little modification is needed. The bumper trim of the rear diffuser needs to be trimmed a little (different trimming for different diffusers), and the heat shield needs to be cut some or left off, but otherwise installation looks great!

Does that pretty well summarize what it takes to carry 2 bikes on my new beauty?

[horsepower_and_hounds]

Originally Posted by JDinWestCO

After 34 yrs with a 318i, I've just bought a 2016 M235i xDrive convertible. Very sweet car! I would like to be able to do road trips with it, and often that means my girlfriend and I would like to have our mountain bikes with us. We have a 1UP rack with 2 trays and 2" receiver for our 4Runner.

I found this thread and read thru it, plus tried to do a lot of other research, too.

Here's what I think I've learned. Tell me if I have this right:

1) There are only two hitch receiver arrangements on the market that will work on my car-- one from Curt, model 11367, which takes 1-1/4" insert (and 1Up will sell me the appropriate conversion for the rack $80) Class I with a 200lb tongue weight/2000lb towing weight. ~$120 from eTrailer.

The other is made by/sold thru BMW, and it hides further up under the bumper but attaches behind the bumper beam the same way. This is Class II, tongue weight 300lb/3500lb towing weight. Has removable, snap-in tow balls, or 2"receiver. Rear Transport crossbeam - $330 + 2" Receiver Tube - $194. (If I want to tow a trailer with lights, then wiring etc. would add ~$730 more in parts alone.) Link: https://parts.bmwnorthwest.com/p/BMW...712349499.html

I'm assuming the reason you are all going to so much trouble is partly to save money, and partly to do it yourself, correct?

2) I'm somewhat concerned about being to close to the load rating of the Class I from Curt. Our bikes are in the mid-30 pound range, and the 1Up rack is 40 pounds (total 100lbs+). It looks to me like static weight is not likely to be relevant, but the torque/leverage on the tongue is. And if the center of mass of the bikes/rack combination is twice as far from the mounting bolts, 100 pounds produces about the same leverage as 200 pounds at the ball of a standard hitch. Therefore, my 1Up with 2 mountain bikes would be right at load capacity.

3) As for installation, it's pretty straightforward, and your instructions show lots of detail, which is great!!! Thank you!!! For the M235, as opposed to the 228, a little modification is needed. The bumper trim of the rear diffuser needs to be trimmed a little (different trimming for different diffusers), and the heat shield needs to be cut some or left off, but otherwise installation looks great!

Does that pretty well summarize what it takes to carry 2 bikes on my new beauty?

To put your mind at ease I routinely carried 2 bikes on my rack, got the add on later and it never was an issue. You will be fine and the 1up is about the lightest you will get. And what is this about a $80 adapter? Their racks usually come with a 1 1/4 to 2 adapter

[JDinWestCO]

Thanks for the reply. That is reassuring.

My 1Up came with a 2" bar that goes into the receiver. The person I talked to there told me that what I need is to replace that bar with a 1-1/4" bar which will come an adapter to go to 2". Their web site is not overflowing with information, but the guy said I need a "1-1/4" Hitch Bar with Side Plates." https://www.1up-usa.com/product/1-25...h-side-plates/

If these were road bikes, I wouldn't be concerned at all, but our full-suspension mtn bikes are on the heavier side, and our previous rack (a Thule that wasn't sturdy enough and got so bad I had to strap it to the car to control the pitching around whenever the 4Runner went over a bump) weighed 7 or 8 pounds less. My 1Up is a 2" Heavy Duty Double. I don't want to make the mistake of under-engineering again.

Didn't know I was going to be getting a little BMW convertible that I would want to take everywhere. But I must say, the 1Up rack looks great on you guys' cars. Hope it will on mine soon, too!

[horsepower_and_hounds]

Originally Posted by JDinWestCO

Thanks for the reply. That is reassuring.

My 1Up came with a 2" bar that goes into the receiver. The person I talked to there told me that what I need is to replace that bar with a 1-1/4" bar which will come an adapter to go to 2". Their web site is not overflowing with information, but the guy said I need a "1-1/4" Hitch Bar with Side Plates." https://www.1up-usa.com/product/1-25...h-side-plates/

If these were road bikes, I wouldn't be concerned at all, but our full-suspension mtn bikes are on the heavier side, and our previous rack (a Thule that wasn't sturdy enough and got so bad I had to strap it to the car to control the pitching around whenever the 4Runner went over a bump) weighed 7 or 8 pounds less. My 1Up is a 2" Heavy Duty Double. I don't want to make the mistake of under-engineering again.

Didn't know I was going to be getting a little BMW convertible that I would want to take everywhere. But I must say, the 1Up rack looks great on you guys' cars. Hope it will on mine soon, too!

Oh I see.... the 3 1up racks I have had were 1 1/4 versions

[martinknutson]

Originally Posted by JDinWestCO

After 34 yrs with a 318i, I've just bought a 2016 M235i xDrive convertible. Very sweet car! I would like to be able to do road trips with it, and often that means my girlfriend and I would like to have our mountain bikes with us. We have a 1UP rack with 2 trays and 2" receiver for our 4Runner.

I found this thread and read thru it, plus tried to do a lot of other research, too.

Here's what I think I've learned. Tell me if I have this right:

1) There are only two hitch receiver arrangements on the market that will work on my car-- one from Curt, model 11367, which takes 1-1/4" insert (and 1Up will sell me the appropriate conversion for the rack $80) Class I with a 200lb tongue weight/2000lb towing weight. ~$120 from eTrailer.

The other is made by/sold thru BMW, and it hides further up under the bumper but attaches behind the bumper beam the same way. This is Class II, tongue weight 300lb/3500lb towing weight. Has removable, snap-in tow balls, or 2"receiver. Rear Transport crossbeam - $330 + 2" Receiver Tube - $194. (If I want to tow a trailer with lights, then wiring etc. would add ~$730 more in parts alone.) Link: https://parts.bmwnorthwest.com/p/BMW...712349499.html

I'm assuming the reason you are all going to so much trouble is partly to save money, and partly to do it yourself, correct?

2) I'm somewhat concerned about being to close to the load rating of the Class I from Curt. Our bikes are in the mid-30 pound range, and the 1Up rack is 40 pounds (total 100lbs+). It looks to me like static weight is not likely to be relevant, but the torque/leverage on the tongue is. And if the center of mass of the bikes/rack combination is twice as far from the mounting bolts, 100 pounds produces about the same leverage as 200 pounds at the ball of a standard hitch. Therefore, my 1Up with 2 mountain bikes would be right at load capacity.

3) As for installation, it's pretty straightforward, and your instructions show lots of detail, which is great!!! Thank you!!! For the M235, as opposed to the 228, a little modification is needed. The bumper trim of the rear diffuser needs to be trimmed a little (different trimming for different diffusers), and the heat shield needs to be cut some or left off, but otherwise installation looks great!

Does that pretty well summarize what it takes to carry 2 bikes on my new beauty?

We're looking at purchasing a 2015 M235i, and a hitch mounted bike rack is a must for us. I did see the BMW rack with the plugable receiver/hitch ball, and wondered if it was possible to lock that adapter in place. We have pretty aggressive bike thieves in our area, and having the rack purloined with the bike on it is not unheard of. I tried looking at the diagrams on the dealer site, and they were low res enough that I couldn't tell if there was a locking point.

[mdputnam]

Originally Posted by martinknutson

We have pretty aggressive bike thieves in our area, and having the rack purloined with the bike on it is not unheard of. I tried looking at the diagrams on the dealer site, and they were low res enough that I couldn't tell if there was a locking point.

Most bike rack manufactures have a system to lock the rack to the hitch, but your bike rack whether is is a 1Up or Thule or whatever is no match for a battery powered cutoff saw or reciprocating saw. The DVS690 battery powered cutoff saw with a steel cutting blade is the pros tool of choice these days. In less than a minute any part of the rack can be separated from the car...

[martinknutson]

Originally Posted by mdputnam

Most bike rack manufactures have a system to lock the rack to the hitch, but your bike rack whether is is a 1Up or Thule or whatever is no match for a battery powered cutoff saw or reciprocating saw. The DVS690 battery powered cutoff saw with a steel cutting blade is the pros tool of choice these days. In less than a minute any part of the rack can be separated from the car...

Perhaps I asked my question poorly. I realize that racks can lock to the receiver. In the case of the factory BMW rack, there is a fixed crossbar bolted to the frame, and the receiver, or a standalone ball can be snapped into the crossbar. I was interested in the locking of the modular unit (receiver) locking to the crossbar.

A determined thief will get your bike, no question about that. It's more about establishing a gradient that makes your bike slightly less attractive to the thief than the one down the way. Additionally, most (not all) of the thieves locally are homeless, and bolt cutters are the tool of choice for them.

[TheGroundRoof]

is it only a euro thing to have factory hitch?, I have it on my 2014 220d

option s235a towing hitch detachable

[hwntime]

I don't get installing a whole hitch to carry a single bike? I have a Thule trunk mount which holds 2 bikes and serves its purpose just fine. It's sturdy and stable and I've had my Trek Domance SL6 and my girlfirend's Fuji Rouibax on there numerous times without incident. It's not a permanent fixture and doesn't add additional weight.

[designatedposter]

Originally Posted by hwntime

I don't get installing a whole hitch to carry a single bike? I have a Thule trunk mount which holds 2 bikes and serves its purpose just fine. It's sturdy and stable and I've had my Trek Domance SL6 and my girlfirend's Fuji Rouibax on there numerous times without incident. It's not a permanent fixture and doesn't add additional weight.

Having a hitch and a hitch rack is a big convenience when you ride 3+ times a week. Its all a luxury. We could all just disassemble our bikes and fit inside the car with seats down too.