Whether you need to move house, go on holiday with a caravan, dispose of green waste, or have a hitch is really handy. In this post, we will show you the electrical connection of a trailer hitch of a BMW X3 . In actual fact, regardless if the installation process is not complex, it is necessary to clarify some details to consider this work without any problem. First of all, we will find out what the electrical wiring harness of your car hitch involves, then, in a second step, how to make the electrical connection of the hitch of a BMW X3 .

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What’s the wiring harness for a BMW X3 hitch trailer?

Why do we have to connect a wiring harness with the hitch trailer of a BMW X3?

So we will start our content by detailing the fundamentals of a wiring harness of a BMW X3. In order to discover how it works, you must previously discover its necessity. If you have a trailer or a caravan to tow, it is essential and earlier all mandatory by the highway code to follow certain protocols, here they are:

  • A solid chassis for the trailer…
  • Wheels that fit.
  • An electrical connection.
  • A license plate in plain sight.
  • A stoplight repeater.
  • A traffic light repeater.
  • A blinker repeater.
  • License plate illumination.
  • A fog light repeater.

In order to meet all the electrical regulations, you will need to install a wiring harness connection on the hitch trailer of your BMW X3 . We will focus on this in this article, if you want to learn how to install the hitch of a BMW X3, please find out our content on this theme.

What is the electrical connection of the trailer hitch of a BMW X3?

We will now quickly show you how the electrical connection of your hitch works. The connection uses the 12-volt current from your car to power the hitch lights on your BMW X3. There are two different systems of electrical connection for a hitch, here they are:

  • The 7-pin electric plug for a BMW X3 trailer, 7 pins : This is the traditional plug that will be found on all BMW X3 hitches. This electrical connection will enable you to transmit all the lighting functions required for the rear signalling of your trailer, you will discover a plug for each action (left and right indicators, ground, fog light, left and right position light, left and right brake light).
  • Electrical connection for caravan with 13-pin plug for BMW X3: This plug system is mainly used for caravans that involve 12 volts inside to supply the various electrical gear in the cabin. This sort of connection requires the use of an adapter. The extra pins will bring the 12 volt power permanently (to recharge a battery in the caravan) and the 12 volt power in use (to use the 12 volt equipment when the car is switched on).

How do I hook up the wiring harness of a BMW X3?

To conclude this content, we will quickly show you you how to produce the connection of the wiring harness of your BMW X3 .

How to make the connection of the wiring harness of an old BMW X3?

To mount the wiring harness of an old BMW X3, you will have to go and get all the necessary cables in the rear lights of this one. We recommend you to call in a car electrician for this intervention because it is complex, but we will nevertheless summarize the most important steps to be carried out:

  • Take out the trunk lining from your BMW X3 to access the rear light unit.
  • Locate the wires that correspond to each of the taillight functions.
  • Connect them to the lugs on the wiring harness on your hitch.
  • Close the whole thing down.

How do you connect the wiring harness of a recent BMW X3?

For modern BMW X3s, the wiring harness is much easier to connect:

  • You can use a multiplexable box, you will discover particular ones for your BMW X3 and universal models. It’s up to you to select according to your budget, know that a universal version costs between 30 and 60 euros.
  • Take out the trunk lining from your BMW X3 so that you can route the cables from your box to the front of your BMW X3 and connect them to your fuse box.
  • Install the circumstance in the trunk properly.
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  • You don’t have to retrieve your cables from the trunk and connect them to your outlet.

How do you hook up the power to a trailer on BMW X3?

Finally, to conclude this content we will quickly show you you how to produce the electrical connection of a caravan on your BMW X3 . To get this done you will automatically have to go through one of the previous steps, it’s up to you to select the one that means your model and your budget. After you have conducted this, the last step will be to buy an adapter that goes from a 7-pin plug to a 13-pin plug so that you can benefit from the 12 volt current in your caravan. These adapters come at different prices, you will need to count between 15 and 40 euros. All you have to do is plug it into your 7-pin plug.

If you have any additional questions about the BMW X3, do not hesitate to consult our BMW X3 category.