Pre-production management 991a

[knetikx 0]

Hi, after looking through my E93's history, I found a stamp from BMW Munich, which explained why on Carjam the car is listed as imported. I then downloaded the following Vin-decode, which shows code 991a, pre-production management. Additionally, when I log in to BMW Auckland City, it shows the as attached: 335i Cabrio Press Car. Anyone familiar with this kind of thing and care to explain what this entails? 

JZ95204_EN.pdf

[balancerider 701]

These are often importer display or motor show early production cars. I think NZ is the only RHD market that allows them to be imported and registered which is how they end up here. Means some interesting cars end up here at times - 325d LCI F31 with a manual box but otherwise fully specced springs to mind recently. @E30 325i Rag-Top may be able to shed some more light? Usually the press cars have a different designation, S902A I think?

[E30 325i Rag-Top 2914]

balancerider is spot on there, in amongst the option codes at the end of the build list there are flags for the factory to make special builds, the 991 code is one of those.

The term "pre-series control" means it is a test vehicle that is being built for the purpose of testing and homologating a new function, or combination of functions on the vehicle. This will be used by the engineers in Munich for a period of time, which may not even involve driving it, to carry out the required tests to make sure everything is working as it should before the function can be made available to order on standard production cars. After the tests are completed the cars are offered to various markets, like NZ, for sale and if not sold are recycled (there is a cool video of this process on the Tube). And yes, these cars do often get built with funky options, like 330d wagons that have full Professional Navigation but no auto lights or wipers. Nothing wrong with them, still good cars, just different to NZ specs.

Quite a few of these vehicles have ended up in NZ over the years as we are one of only a few RHD markets, and we have very loose import controls compared to most of the others.

For Press cars there is a seperate option code which is 902, there are also codes for Show cars, that is cars which are to be presented at motor shows or other exhibitions around the world, and various others. There are many rumours about the 902 Press cars having different engine tunes to give more power and better drive, etc so the journalists give better reviews! No idea if this is true or not.

[knetikx 0]

@E30 325i Rag-Top Awesome overview you gave there! Everything I was hoping to find out, adds some character to the car when research reveals this kind of thing. To be honest, when I first bought the car it felt faster than others I tested. I put this down to the K&N intake/Remus exhaust, but possibly far more likely that it had a 'fiddled' ECU. I've recently discovered it has the later model ECU only fitted to cars post 2008, with BMW AK unable to find any service history to suggest it was a warranty or service issue. Interesting stuff, thanks guys! 

[NZ00Z3 186]

I've got a 3.0L Z3 that is No 6 off the production line with S916a Development Car and S991A pre-series control. What's the difference between these two codes?

[E30 325i Rag-Top 2914]

Not sure on that one, never seen the S916A code before and it's not live in any of the systems now. Your Z3 would have been a bit earlier in time, so possibly was another way of distinguishing what was to go into the car as a special build, as well as the pre-series control.