[yodacbt]

Hi guys, I am new to BMWs.
I recently purchased a 2011 528i (the year with the N52) and made the stupid mistake of not doing a pre-purchase inspection. Took it to an independent shop a few days ago and the tech told me the engine is a junkyard motor based on this little red tag stuck to the side of the block. I was told that the engine was otherwise in great condition, but for my peace of mind, I have a few questions:

1. I tried to look for the metal tag containing engine serial number on the intake side of the block but the tag had obviously been removed. No sticker found near the flywheel either. Is there any other way for me to figure out where the engine came from?

2. Related to question 1, could this engine possibly have come from a previous gen E-chassis BMW, or do only F10 N52s fit in my car?

3. The emission sticker says the car is ULEV, meaning that the original engine was an N52 and not an N51, but since the engine has been replaced, the sticker doesn't really mean anything anymore. Is there any way to check whether the current engine is N51 or N52?

Here's the red tag in question that made the tech say it's a junkyard motor. Please let me know if he was correct:

[Hoa]

Production date code is right above it

[yodacbt]

Originally Posted by Hoa

Production date code is right above it

I got a better picture of the dials. How would you decode this, if these are production codes?

I also took a picture of where the engine serial number is supposed to be on N52s. As you can see there's a faint outline of what used to be a metal tag so it's definitely been removed. I tried to scratch it with a metal rod and there was nothing underneath.

[Hoa]

Looks like it’s from a 2016 vehicle. There should be other stamps throughout the engine like oil pan, cylinder head and other parts that came with that motor.