Is there a way to associate a specific engine with a specific VIN# by using the engine number? Do dealers have the means to do this?

 

Try this and yes a dealer should be able to do it as well.
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...vindecoder.php

 

Great info. First Gens aren't gonna last forever and parts are going to be needed!

 

Braminator,

Thank you for the link. Unfortunately, it is not working. I'll try it again later.

Do you know for a fact that it matched the engine serial number to the VIN#?

 

Yes all cars have to have a correlation between the engine and chassis Vin#.

 

If you want to be sure that your engine is the original engine of your vehicle, then your VIN will tell you which engine the car came with. When you look at the VIN plate or stamp on your engine, the sequence of ending numbers on the Engine VIN stamp should match the Vehicle VIN stamp.

 

Braminator,

Your 07:23 pm PM has the info I need. I was able to get the NAM Decoder to work on my iPhone, but the info did not show how you can match the engine and VIN numbers. The info you provided with your last email does. Thank you.

 

Braminator,

The VIN and Eng # for the car I was looking at do not match. However, two dealers say that the two numbers cannot be correlated, and that they have no way of doing it.

Just FYI, and thank you again..

 

I just doubled check again. Go out to your car and take a mirror and flash light. Look at the engine from the front of the MINI facing rear-wards the engine # is on the rear of the engine block at the rear left facing the bulk-head where if you look near the oil filter housing you're in the right area not normally visible after a couple of years without cleaning. Mine seems to match from what I can see with the last 6 numbers of my VIN#

 

Two dealers one being MINI of Birmingham that I have checked with sent me this response "Your chassis VIN number is the last 6 numbers of the vin, if those numbers are on you engine you are good!!"

 

The note from your dealer says "your chassis VIN number. . .". I am looking for engine no. not chassis number.

Also, my car is '06 MCS and I cannot find the numbers where you've described. What yr is yours? Did they move the location of the numbers?

 

Your chassis number is the vin number as seen in the window and door jam. 2004

 

Did you look with a mirror and flashlight?

 

I'm very skeptical that VIN and engine serial number have any correlation with each other. It doesn't make sense for manufacturing and parts tracking at the factory, since the chassis and engine come from different suppliers. However, BMW should have a database of which specific engine (serial #) was installed into which chassis (VIN).

A Google search yielded this: http://www.mini2.com/forum/general-d...al-number.html

 

rkw,
Thank you for the info. I tend to agree with you that matching VIN and engine # can become a production hassle. The link you sent was helpful. The local dealer has no way of correlating the two numbers.

Braminator,
I was able to read the 3 numbers on the block. One is 00768334, the other two are identical, 27359270. None of them have any similarity to the VIN. My car is original, with no accidents or major repairs. Not sure what's going on here.

The numbers on the valve cover are different yet again. One is W11B16D0280676, and one is 0392943 01. I give up. Thanks for staying with me, and the help.

 

The 1st three numbers I can read on mine match part of my VIN from what I can read. Well I guess we will never know then. It was worth a shot. I still believe they have to have a way of knowing from the factory. What if your engine was stolen from your car? How can they know if someone has it? How do they know it is yours? See why I feel there has to be away of knowing.

 

In 1987, the Department of Transportation's Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Standard required manufacturers to also put the VIN on the major parts (like engines, hoods and fenders) of certain vehicles if the car is considered "high theft" [ref].

Here is some reading material that helps explain this also.
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/buying-selling/vin.htm

 

I realize I am replying more than a decade later but for anyone who runs into this thread like I did, I wanted to clarify for those that are unsure, at least for Volkswagen, my 2009 Eos 2.0 TSI had the VIN# on the engine block. The same number located on driver door jam & corner of dashboard.


Vin# on 2009 Volkswagen Eos 2.0 TSI engine block.

 

BMW, however, stopped putting chassis numbers (VIN) on engines far earlier- well
before it started production of the MINI.

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