VIN Decoder for BMW

Vehicle info via a BMW VIN Code & access a history report

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Example: WBA4Z3C56JEA32052

Where to find the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN):

1. Bottom corner of the front windshield.

2. Inside the front doorjamb.

3. The vehicle's registration document.

NHTSA - Safercar.gov - NMVTIS

VIN Code Description

The VIN code (Vehicle Identification Number) describes common characteristics of manufacture for individual vehicles and is unique for every vehicle. The VIN consists of 17 letters and numbers only. This is also know, although less commonly, as the vehicle chassis number.

Why acquire a BMW VIN check & History Report

For most vehicles, info on lemon law buybacks, odometer fraud, previous collision damage, vehicle maintenance, product recall notices and other such important information can be accessed. Vehicle information held by NVMTIS (National Vehicle Motor Title Information System) is available for BMW vehicles.

An estimated 34% of consumers bought a vehicle history-report for a used car in 2006. (UVSC - study - J.D. Power and Associates Used Vehicle Sales and Certification).

The optional Vehicle History Report for all vehicles is provided by carVertical, an NMVTIS Approved data provider. The free online BMW Vin check tool will also show build summary data based upon the VIN code as entered.

What's in the Full BMW History Report

BMW VIN Location

North American and European BMW vehicles (common locations)

1. The driver-side windshield, bottom left or right facing outward.

2. Inside the driver's side door jamb.

BMW Vin Decoder character locations

Other BMW VIN Code Locations

3. Stamped onto the right-hand suspension turret in the engine bay.

4. A VIN code 'plate' may be riveted to the left-hand suspension turret in the engine bay. This plate may shows additional information such as weight and capacity.

5. Vehicle legal documents, like the Log-Book.

 

How to manually read a BMW VIN Code

Decoding a BMW VIN is relatively straightforward. You can see most of the decoded data via our own BMW VIN decoder above. The following is a standardized structure of the VIN for the United States and Canada according to standards ISO 3779 and ISO 3780. These sequences are used in the BMW VIN decoder report tool.

BMW VIN character positions

Characters 1 - 3: WMI - World Manufacturer Identifier

Char 1: Region/Country of manufacturer

This is always the first character. So for BMW models, so this will be one of the following:

W = Germany S = Germany 4 = United States N = South Africa

Char 2: Vehicle manufacturer name

B = BMW AG

Char 3: Vehicle type

A = Passenger Car A = Utility Vehicle S = Passenger Car X = Utility Vehicle

Characters 4 - 9: VDS - Vehicle Descriptor Section

Char 4 - 7 are the Vehicle Model Codes. This is used to identify the overall vehicle type and body style.

Char 8 - Safety System Restraint Identifier

Char 9 - Vehicle check-digit calculation and is used for all road vehicles sold in the US and Canada.

Characters 10 - 17: VIS - Vehicle Identifier Section

Char 10 - Year Identifier (excluding European models. There is no date code for European built BMWs. The 0 (number) is used in 10th place to indicate it's a Europeian model). This will show correctly on the BMW vin decoder output.

A = 1980 B = 1981 C = 1982 D = 1983 E = 1984 F = 1985 G = 1986 H = 1987 J = 1988 K = 1989 L = 1990 M = 1991 N = 1992 P = 1993 R = 1994 S = 1995 T = 1996 V = 1997 W = 1998 X = 1999 Y = 2000
1 = 2001 2 = 2002 3 = 2003 4 = 2004 5 = 2005 6 = 2006 7 = 2007 8 = 2008 9 = 2009
A = 2010 B = 2011 C = 2012 D = 2013 E = 2014 F = 2015 G = 2016 H = 2017 J = 2018 K = 2019 L = 2020 M = 2021 N = 2022 P = 2023 R = 2024 S = 2025 T = 2026 V = 2027 W = 2028 X = 2029 Y = 2030
1 = 2031 2 = 2032 3 = 2033 4 = 2034 5 = 2035 6 = 2036 7 = 2037 8 = 2038 9 = 2039

Char 11 - Assembly plant code

A, F, K = Munich, Germany B, C, D, G = Dingolfing, Germany E, J, P = Regensburg, Germany V = Leipzig, Germany 0, L, M = Spartanburg, U.S.A W = Graz, Austria N = Roslyn, South Africa 4 = Araquari, Brazil M, S = Shenyang, China

Char 11 - 17 - BMW Serial Number - often used for BMW parts look-up (last 7 digits of VIN).

Characters 12 – 17: Sequential Production Number. A unique character combination for every BMW.

 

Reference

1. Wikipedia: Vehicle Identification Number

2. NHTSA GOV

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