German Engineering

Last weekend the kayak guy and I planned a trip to see the very big trees of northern California and do some paddling in Humboldt Bay. I volunteered the Ultimate Driving Machine for the trip with only a slight amount of worry about getting it dirty. So Friday morning car loaded and roof rack bolted on tight we made our way to the kayak shop to pick up the boats. Loading them on the rack was easy enough as the UDM has a pretty low roof and the kayaks aren't that heavy. Two straps tightly over the middle of the boats held them fairly well in place and a bow line attached to the front of the car would make them more secure. But the UDM is a streamlined racing machine it's front bumper is not desecrated by any loop to tie a rope to. I remembered there is a small panel on the front bumper for some sort of use in towing so we popped off the small plastic square. I sort imagined there being a large hook behind the plastic panel but of course there wasn't. All that was there was a puzzling threaded hole. While the kayak guy continued to search for a suitable tie down place I whipped out the 325ci manual and learned that the tow eye which screws into the socket behind the little square panel can be found in the tool kit located in the door of the trunk. Problem solved. The tow eye screwed tightly into place, it didn't look very pretty having a huge loop sticking out of the front of the car but it created the perfect mechanism for tying down kayaks. I'm thinking I should get a second loop so I could tie down the back also though on this trip the kayaks stayed tight without a rear rope. I'm not sure how exactly the tow eye is used in towing but it provides an elegant solution to keeping the car looking beautiful during everyday driving while having added practicality when needed.