Where To Install The Plastic Kick Wand During A Stealth Hitch Install On A 2012 BMW 535i

Updated 04/25/2024 | Published 04/20/2024

Question:

I have a 2012 bmw 535i. I’m installing the stealth hitch and the instructions are unclear. The plastic kick wand that holds wiring for my hands free trunk function mounts directly to the reinforcement bar that I have to remove. What is the recommended step for reinstalling kick wand? The old reinforcement bar has slots that the kick wand clips slid into and held it flush. There’s no slots for clips on new reinforcement bar. My instructions tell me to just refer to first 6 steps but that’s not possible with the new bar.

asked by: Payton A

Expert Reply:

Hey Payton,

Stealth Hitches is typically great about having some sort of clip to hold sensors back in their original place, but I'm assuming this is just an oversight on their part. We do occasionally run into this issue down in the shop and we typically just zip tie the plastic wand as close to the factory position as possible on the new crossbeam. The instructions for the Stealth Hitches Hidden Rack Receiver # SH97ZR completely leave out what to do so I would just go the zip tie route to get the new hitch installed and then partially install the rear fascia to test the sensors. If you run into issues then let me know and we can try to figure out a better solution.

expert reply by: Kevin C