When did US Dash VINs start?

[tjones02]

What year did the US BMW get dash steering column VIN tags?

[RogerRamJet77]

Had to be before June 1969. 

[02Les]

January '69, sometime around the middle of the month.

[jgerock]

I agree with Les. My May 69 and James Laray’s 69 have steering column tags.

[JWT]

I do not have one and the below is my cars info.  However, maybe the cover was just long gone and was replaced at some point...I am interested in knowing.  It is a 1969 1600.

 

 

The BMW 1600 US VIN 1567199 was manufactured on November 23rd, 1968 and delivered on December 03rd, 1968 to the BMW importer Hoffman Motors Corp. in New York City. The original colour was Florida, paint code 066.

Edited June 26, 2020 by JWT

[Conserv]

24 minutes ago, JWT said:

I do not have one and the below is my cars info.  However, maybe the cover was just long gone and was replaced at some point...I am interested in knowing.  It is a 1969 1600...

 

JWT,

 

Your November 1968 is simply further evidence of the cut-off.

 

I have complete faith in 02Les’s judgement. If he says it was mid-January 1969: (a.) it was mid-January 1969, and (b.) he’s got photos to prove it!

 

(Florida — nice!)

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

Edited June 26, 2020 by Conserv

[HBChris]

My former 11/68 2002 had no tag on the column.  The latest owner has joined the FAQ recently.

[02Les]

Pictures I have of 1600-2, 2002 cars point toward a mid January '69 date. It is, however, not cast in stone looking at pics that sometimes are not the best. VIN 1567693 (3 Jan '69 build) has no VIN steering VIN tag, 1567736 (28 Jan '69 build) has one. 1664328 (early Dec '68 build) no tag, 1664695 (late Jan build) has a tag. For sure the tag was present from at least mid/late Jan '69.

 

Naturally, if someone has an '02 manufactured in late '68 that has a valid VIN tag on the steering cover, then I pass.

[tjones02]

With this info I would gather that the US DOT required the dash visible VINs for the ‘69 model year and BMW as usual of the time was a little slow to get the ball rolling, but was all in by mid January.

 

With this info I’ll look up the DOT side of things and report back.

 

Edit, that was easy... Having the 1969 date was key to find the correct info.

” A move to create a more systematic VIN scheme was made in 1968, with the enactment of Federal motor vehicle safety standard (FMVSS) No. 115, which took effect January 1, 1969. That standard required each passenger car to have a VIN that is permanently “sunk or embossed” on a part of the vehicle visible through the glazing by a person standing at the left windshield pillar. Manufacturers were required to avoid having a VIN be repeated within a 10-year period.”

 

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2008/04/30/08-1197/vehicle-identification-number-requirements

Edited June 26, 2020 by tjones02
Updated info

[Gordon]

Did early E21's have the VIN on the steering column or was it on the bottom corner of the dash?  Same should apply to E12 since 75 was the first year that the E12 was sold in North America.

[tjones02]

@Gordon E21s had them on the dash. I believe it was only the E3, E9, NK and ‘02s that had them on the upper steering column.

[Conserv]

3 hours ago, tjones02 said:

With this info I would gather that the US DOT required the dash visible VINs for the ‘69 model year and BMW as usual of the time was a little slow to get the ball rolling, but was all in by mid January.

 

With this info I’ll look up the DOT side of things and report back.

 

Edit, that was easy... Having the 1969 date was key to find the correct info.

” A move to create a more systematic VIN scheme was made in 1968, with the enactment of Federal motor vehicle safety standard (FMVSS) No. 115, which took effect January 1, 1969. That standard required each passenger car to have a VIN that is permanently “sunk or embossed” on a part of the vehicle visible through the glazing by a person standing at the left windshield pillar. Manufacturers were required to avoid having a VIN be repeated within a 10-year period.”

 

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2008/04/30/08-1197/vehicle-identification-number-requirements

Nicely done! But, yes, it does appear BMW was slightly behind in complying with the January 1, 1969 date — which is unusual as it seems like a Customs issue. I suppose I’d like to see a few more intact cars from late December and early January to make certain that the January 3rd example isn’t an exception, or had the cover replaced.

 

And we still need to understand how a few even later ‘02’s — ? — snuck through U.S. Customs without the steering column VIN tags.

 

Thanks for starting this thread and completing it! We’ve brought up the issue previously, generally within another issue’s thread, but I don’t recall having a clear answer previously.

 

Best regards,

 

Steve

 

[tjones02]

@Conserv Wink indeed as to how a BMW could make it to the US and be sold without a VIN on the dash/steering column, in late ‘71 to early ‘72. ?

[Gordon]

On 6/26/2020 at 2:49 PM, tjones02 said:

@Gordon E21s had them on the dash. I believe it was only the E3, E9, NK and ‘02s that had them on the upper steering column.

Tom,   this E21, VIN 5420506 has the VIN on the side of the steering column.  It was built in SEP 76 making it a very early US spec E21. 

[Mike Self]

I have a steering column upper pad with the VIN 1660900 stamped on it--the 899th US spec '02 off the line, so the presumption is that all US 02s had 'em.  My Feb '69 car--1664801 and a dash cover I have (1664803) have em--they were bright aluminum and a real glary nuisance--within a week of delivery I had painted mine black.  

 

One of our board members has a three digit US spec 1600 (1570XXX)--Robert, does your car have the dash VIN?

 

mike