Technical Systems BMW X5 E53

BMW Model Identification

BMW uses two different methods of identifying its products

1. External Designations are for customers to identify BMW products. These are marketing designations commonly referred to as trunk badges.
2. Internal Designations are used by BMW and center personnel to identify a particular production version.

External Designations

External designations located on the trunk or tailgate are the model names. Customers and the public identify BMW products by these names.

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The external designations are created by the sales and marketing department to position each model in a certain target segment of the vehicle sales market.

The trunk badges consist of a combination of numbers and letters. The badge shown above is typical of 3, 5, and 7 series vehicles. The first digit represents the series identification. The last two digits mark the engine displacement. Occasionally there are examples where the actual engine displacement does not match the designation. This is a marketing decision to continue familiar name recognition from one version to the next and to create a spacing between models. Examples are

1. 1996-1999 318ti with a 1.9 liter engine
2. 1996-2001 740i with a 4.4 liter engine
3. All 323i are equipped with a 2.5 liter engine.

There is another series of badges that begin with a letter followed by a single digit. These are found on the Z3 roadster and coupes, X5 SAV, Z8 roadster and Motorsport versions of series cars.

Additional letters sometime follow the badge numbers and are used to further identify each model. Examples include

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1. C -Coupe
2. i -Fuel Injected
3. x -all-wheel drive
4. L -long wheel base
5. s -sport
6. ti -touring internationale

Internal Designations

Internal designations are created and used by the Engineering and Technical Development departments to identify a new model during the design of the car. The use of the internal designations carries over to the Technical Support groups after the car is produced. Internal designations refer to the entire vehicle series of a particular body design. (Example: E46 describes all 3 series cars of that design). BMW products start with an "E" and are followed by a two digit number. Not all design concepts make production, so internal designations are usually not sequential. Table 1.1 lists the internal designations, series number and the years produced.

The E designations often include an additional number separated by a slash (/). Example

1. E36/7- Z3
2. E36/5- 3 door touring
3. E46/3- Sport Wagon
4. E46/2- Coupe
5. E46/16- All-Wheel Drive
6. E46/5- 3 door touring

INTERNAL DESIGNATION

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E36

318i/is/iC/A 1992-1996

325i/is/iC/A 1992-1995

323is/iC/A 1998-1999

328i/is/iC/A 1996-1999

M3/A 1995-1999

E36/5

318ti/A 1995-1999

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E36/7

Z3 roadster 1.9/A 1996-1998

Z3 roadster 2.3/A 1999

Z3 roadster 2.8/A 1997-2000

Z3 roadster 3.0/A 2001

M Roadster 1998

E36/7

Z3 Coupe 2.8/A 1999-2000

Z3 Coupe 3.0/A 2001

M Coupe 1999

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E46

323i/Ci/iC/A 1999-2000

325i/Ci/CiC/xi/A 2001

328i/Ci/iC/A 1999-2001

330i/Ci/iC/xi/A 2001

M3 2002

E34

525i/it/A 1989-1995

530i/it/A 1994-1995

540i/A 1994-1995

M5 1991-1993

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E39

525i/it/A 2001

528i/it/A 1997-2000

530i/it/A 2001

540i/it/Protection/A 1997

M5 2000

E53

X5 4.4iA 2000

X5 3.0i/A 2001

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E32

735i/iL/A 1988-1991

740i/iL/A 1992-1994

750iLA 1988-1994

E38

740i/iL/Protection 1995-2001

750iL/Protection 1995-2001

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E31

840Ci/A 1994-1997

850i/Ci/Csi/A 1991-1997

E52

Z8 2001

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Vehicle Identification Numbers

Vehicle Identification Numbers are referred to as the VIN. BMW utilizes a VIN with a 17 character structure. The characters are grouped to include multiple information. (Scheme 260)

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VIN Location On Vehicle

The VIN is located on the vehicle in the following locations

1. Left lower corner of the instrument panel. This is viewed through the windshield from outside the vehicle.
2. B pillar compliance label. On the drivers side door jamb.

Additionally the VIN is stamped into the chassis in one of two locations

1. Under the hood on right side of engine compartment bulkhead.
2. Under the hood on right side shock tower.

Vehicle Production Dates

The production date of the vehicle is included in the B pillar compliance label.

Production date information is required quite often when a repair procedure affects only a certain range of vehicles. The range is based on production dates.

The date shown on the label reflects the actual month and year the vehicle was produced. It is not a model year indicator.

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Vehicle Production Anti-Theft Labels

Since 1987, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requires that the VIN be marked on specific parts of the car during manufacture for theft identification. Some models are exempt if the total number of vehicles imported is below a certain number.

If the vehicle does have the label it is also a reference point for the VIN.

If equipped, the label is placed on the following locations

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1. Engine
2. Transmission
3. Hood
4. Trunk lid
5. Front bumper
6. Rear Bumper
7. Front Fenders
8. Doors
9. Quarter panels.

Paint Code Identification

When ordering painted parts it is necessary to obtain the vehicle paint code. The paint code consists of a three digit number printed on the color identification tag. All color identification tags are located in the engine compartment.

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Engine Identification

BMW engines are identified by a combined alpha-numeric code.

1. M - for standard production engines
2. S - for Motorsport engines (Motorsport is a separate special racing division of BMW)

After the letter there are two digits that identify the engine. Table below lists engines by number of cylinders.

ENGINE IDENTIFICATION

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The older engines have the specification plate located as follows: (see ENGINE SPECIFICATION )

ENGINE SPECIFICATION

Transmission Identification

BMW uses three different transmission suppliers.

1. Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen: A German supplier of BMW transmissions. Commonly referred to as ZF. ZF manufactures both manual and automatic transmissions.
2. Getrag: A German supplier of BMW manual transmissions.
3. Hydramatic: A French supplier of BMW automatic transmissions. Hydramatic is a manufacturing division of General Motors Powertrain.

The BMW identification code system is the method used for parts ordering, information research and identification within BMW technical organization.

The breakdown of the BMW transmission identification code is as follows

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Each manufacturer has it's own internal identification for its products. For example: the A5S 360R is the GM 5L40E, and the A5S 325Z is the ZF 5HP 19.

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Automatic Transmissions

The following table 1.4 lists the automatic transmissions and the models they are used in.

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS

Manual Transmissions

The following table lists the manual transmissions and the vehicles they are used in.

MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS

Transmission Data Plate

The transmission ID can always be determined by the data plate attached to the transmission.

The data plate contains the transmission model number, serial number, manufacturer and 2 digit character code.

(Note the location of the data plate for the A5S 440Z transmission shown right)

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BMW Abbreviations and Acronyms

BMW ABBREVIATION

See also:
• ENGINE SPECIFICATION