[Loek]

Hi all,

After more than ten years of lurking here and following all the discussions about new and upcoming BMWs I am in the process of becoming a proud owner of an F10 LCI 528i.

As part of the due diligence, I put the VIN through "Bimmer.work" and it has, despite my best efforts, left me with some questions. I hope I can count on your expertise to fill in the gaps.

I'm trying to figure out the exact line/edition of the vehicle.

The car seems to be a Luxury Line (7S2), but it has a "Without Additional Designation Outs" (3DZ) so no logos on the side. It has "BMW Individual" door sills (option 778) and Individual Roof lining Anthracite (775).

The car is Imperial Blue with a light brown interior. Based on the VIN it has "Leder Dakota/schwarz/exklusivnaht (LCLZ)". It seems to be Zimt/Cinnamon brown (not black as the VIN suggests?). Neither the imperial nor the cinnamon/Dakota seem to suggest 'Individual'.

With the above information, I'm trying to understand what makes this an "Individual" F10, is it just the roof lining? Did the first owner make a specific choice to delete the Luxury badges and order an individual door sill?

Some pictures below (taken by a 3rd party inspector). Thank you in advance!

[Smonkbmw]

Options vary from US to Europe but I haven’t seen a f10 with Cinnamon interior. Black headliner was a m sport only option, I think.
The car in picture has a aftermarket trunk spoiler on it (I have one just like it on mine. And not being extremely familiar with the luxury line, I’ve never noticed the chrome trim on the bumper around the reflectors before. I’ll have to see if I can look at one in my travels today.
But yes it could be the door sills and headlining that make it individual. I still question the interior color choice though. Looks good 👍🏽

[Loek]

Thanks! Most F10s on sale in Holland are black or grey, often with black or grey interiors, and the majority has the M-sport (bumper) package. I prefer the Luxury Line with the extra chrome trim (as you noticed). This is a 2014 model, I tracked down a German brochure from 2013 to try to piece together the colours/options of the time. But as you say, maybe there's even differences between Holland and Germany. I am still curious as to how the options/packages were offered at the time and what constitutes an "Individual".

Regarding the trunk spoiler: I think this is an optical illusion from the lighting or compression of the image, it's perfectly stock as far as I'm aware! First order of business will be to reinstate the 454-style wheels that the car was originally delivered with.

[Smonkbmw]

Yep definitely no spoiler 😂

[Qsilver7]

Sometimes BMW will throw in parts from special models...just like some regular models may have some M-sport accessories optioned...sometimes BMW will offer options from the Individual parts bin.

For instance, your carpet is not the normal color...along with the headliner...I would assume that you have an Individual interior option pkg. My 2015 f06 650ix GC is not an individual...but it does have an individual exterior color (Moonstone) and the Cohiba Brown Merino leather interior which also has little tabs sewn into the seat's seam that have INDIVIDUAL written on them. Again, its not an Individual model...it was just optioned with some things taken from the Individual option parts bin.

You can see an example of F06 Individual interior offerings:

• Platinum
• Opal White
• Cohiba Brown
• Amaro Brown
• Champagne

...but again, the F06 cars that optioned these 5 interiors weren't actually INDIVIDUAL BMWs...it was just an option pkg. Perhaps in your market, it also included the door sills.

[Loek]

Thanks! Also very useful. I was really not sure how rigid the packages were or if indeed there's a "parts bin" approach sometimes.

I now recall that this BMW was sold in Holland as a "Last Minute Edition", which is an odd misnomer for some of the first LCIs to be sold. When I looked a few weeks ago I could not find any press release or other info about this (possible) package/edition. Looking again, the dark carpeting could be a feature, I see other "Last Minute Editions" also have this (irregular?) option. If you say it's not the usual colour, maybe it was a feature of a series of Dutch models. I get the car in two weeks, maybe the paperwork will offer more insights. I thought the VIN alone would tell me the whole story.

In any case I love the two-tone look!

[Loek]

The more I look, the stranger it gets. These seats also seem to be non-standard, I can barely find images of seats with the same stitching pattern. Note the rounded line towards the top and the "strip" of two parallel lines on the flanks of the back rest.

According to the VIN these are heated (494) comfort seats (456) but they don't match anything in the LCI brochure I have or a search through Google Images.

Seems to match some references to "Individual" comfort seats, perhaps it's Amaro/Merino and not Cinnamon/Dakota at all.

I will continue to eagerly await delivery and hopefully an original bill of sale.

[Qsilver7]

Have you run your VIN through another decoder like www.mdecoder.com just in case there may be a mistake at the bimmer.work site?

I ask because in the original post you say you have Dakota leather...and from the pics you posted, the leather seems to be much smoother (like it may be Nappa or Merino leather). Dakota leather has a definitive man-made grain pattern...think of a basketball or American football. Dakota leather also has a synthetic protective coating...again which is obvious...and the leather in the pics you posted appear to be fine grain/smooth leather.

The type of leather can also explain the different style panels. Dakota/Vernasca, Nappa, and Merino can all have different style panels in the way the seat cover is put together...as well as the type of seat that is options: standard, sport, or multi-comfort seat.

This would again point to the car having a special Individual order pkg that changed the seating leather to either Nappa or Merino...and the color to Amaro or another individual leather color.

See psots #37, #39, and #119 in this other thread about f10 interior seating colors: https://www.bimmerfest.com/threads/m....750131/page-2

In post #83 (in the thread linked above)...Autoputzer uploaded some images of his interior. You may be able to PM him to ask about the interior of his old f10. He is active on the forum but has moved onto one of the other models...but I'm sure he'd still remember his f10 5 series.

Autoputzer's f10:

[ctcarbonari]

Originally Posted by Qsilver7

In post #83 (in the thread linked above)...Autoputzer uploaded some images of his interior. You may be able to PM him to ask about the interior of his old f10. He is active on the forum but has moved onto one of the other models...but I'm sure he'd still remember his f10 5 series.

As far as I know he's still driving his beloved manual (F10) 535 w/ DHP.
Heck, he's prolly outside right now taking tire tread measurements and updating his spreadsheets.

I know he's been talking about his next BMW a bit. Maybe he finally pulled the trigger and got it?

In any case, he's a pretty knowledgable guy and should be able to give some insight into "nitty gritty" BMW options questions.

[Qsilver7]

Originally Posted by ctcarbonari

As far as I know he's still driving his beloved manual (F10) 535 w/ DHP.
Heck, he's prolly outside right now taking tire tread measurements and updating his spreadsheets.

In any case, he's a pretty knowledgable guy and should be able to give some insight into "nitty gritty" BMW options questions.

…thanks for that bit of info…for some reason I was only remembering his name on the X3 forum…but I guess that’s what happens to those of us that have had multiple models and also jump around the different model forums.

And yes, being a f10 5 series owners…he may remember some of the special option pkgs that were offered. But again, different markets also have different option pkg offerings, too. Heck, Canada & the USA are both in North America and we have different option pkgs…let alone what is offered in Mexico.

[Loek]

Originally Posted by Qsilver7

Have you run your VIN through another decoder like www.mdecoder.com just in case there may be a mistake at the bimmer.work site?

I ask because in the original post you say you have Dakota leather...and from the pics you posted, the leather seems to be much smoother (like it may be Nappa or Merino leather). Dakota leather has a definitive man-made grain pattern...think of a basketball or American football. Dakota leather also has a synthetic protective coating...again which is obvious...and the leather in the pics you posted appear to be fine grain/smooth leather.

The type of leather can also explain the different style panels. Dakota/Vernasca, Nappa, and Merino can all have different style panels in the way the seat cover is put together...as well as the type of seat that is options: standard, sport, or multi-comfort seat.

This would again point to the car having a special Individual order pkg that changed the seating leather to either Nappa or Merino...and the color to Amaro or another individual leather color.

See psots #37, #39, and #119 in this other thread about f10 interior seating colors: https://www.bimmerfest.com/threads/m....750131/page-2

In post #83 (in the thread linked above)...Autoputzer uploaded some images of his interior. You may be able to PM him to ask about the interior of his old f10. He is active on the forum but has moved onto one of the other models...but I'm sure he'd still remember his f10 5 series.

Autoputzer's f10:

Thanks so much for your help, I think the mystery has been solved! "Dakota" was the only thing bimmer.work told me about seating (mdecoder didn't recognise the VIN and is now blocked for the day). But clearly, seeing as it's a smooth leather, it looks like it's actually Amaro and an Individual leather/interior, worthy of the door sill plates. An unexpected bonus!

I read in that thread you recommended (which includes a near-twin in post #37) that people struggled to photograph it, and that's true in my case. The inspection photos make it look washed out, but the studio photos used to advertise the car (unfortunately now offline, one photo below) show off the reddish tone much more.

Very happy with what this search turned up, that's extra motivation to keep the car in good shape over the coming years!

[ice31]

Originally Posted by Loek

Hi all,

After more than ten years of lurking here and following all the discussions about new and upcoming BMWs I am in the process of becoming a proud owner of an F10 LCI 528i.

As part of the due diligence, I put the VIN through "Bimmer.work" and it has, despite my best efforts, left me with some questions. I hope I can count on your expertise to fill in the gaps.

I'm trying to figure out the exact line/edition of the vehicle.

The car seems to be a Luxury Line (7S2), but it has a "Without Additional Designation Outs" (3DZ) so no logos on the side. It has "BMW Individual" door sills (option 778) and Individual Roof lining Anthracite (775).

The car is Imperial Blue with a light brown interior. Based on the VIN it has "Leder Dakota/schwarz/exklusivnaht (LCLZ)". It seems to be Zimt/Cinnamon brown (not black as the VIN suggests?). Neither the imperial nor the cinnamon/Dakota seem to suggest 'Individual'.

With the above information, I'm trying to understand what makes this an "Individual" F10, is it just the roof lining? Did the first owner make a specific choice to delete the Luxury badges and order an individual door sill?

Some pictures below (taken by a 3rd party inspector). Thank you in advance!

I think the interior was changed, in the cockpit picture that compartment on the left should be brown, not black. This could suggest just someone changed it or the car had an accident. Did you check trough CarVertical or a service similar to that?

[Loek]

I paid for a thorough inspection (on a bridge) which turned up no signs of any crash. The dark compartment also caught my eye but it seems that more "Amaro" cars have it, as well as other lighter Individual interiors. Perhaps it's meant to match the carpeting, or it contrasts on purpose, or they don't make Amaro-coloured lids!

(Other plastic parts, on the doors for instance, are also in a contrasting colour. I am guessing it would be too costly to make an appropriately-coloured replacement in every case.)

[BMW FOREVER]

Can you please post screenshots of the entire data that you got from the VIN decoder? Based on that I will be able to tell you what is the actual case with your car. Reading everything above to me it looks like the interior was swapped out with another car but I cant be sure without the VIN/screenshots from the decoder.

Does the car in the video have the same interior as yours?

[Loek]

You must have a great memory to pull up this 8+ year-old video! The interior is very close, even the exact same seats but a different trim (mine isn't glossy but anthracite woodgrain 4CE). The guy also identifies it as an Individual. That specific car seems to in the meantime have been exported, by the way.

The attached screenshots are from Bimmer.work, I still can't get mdecoder to work (site times out, now it's locked again). I wonder what you will be able to tell me. Everything seems to match perfectly, apart from the description of the upholstery on the first page:

"Leder Dakota/schwarz/exklusivnaht (LCLZ)". This is what set me off in the wrong direction in the first place.

Perhaps the Individuals are too specific to show up properly on VIN sites like this with complete accuracy? I wasn't really concerned and thought I'd solved it until your post. The fact that it came from the factory with "Individual" door sills seems to suggest the leather and seats weren't retro-fitted.

[BMW FOREVER]

Mdecoder works for me so I can pull it from there and post screenshot if you don’t mind PMing me your VIN. This bimmerwork website isn’t always accurate when it comes to individual specs.

[M_Bimmer]

I hope I'm not misreading post #12, where there seems to be a question regarding the "Folding Box" color in the OP's post, where the "Folding Box" is the compartment on the Driver's left knee on LHD F10's.
Assuming the OP's vehicle has had an interior color change based on the color of the "Folding Box", might be "jumping" to an inaccurate conclusion, but please disregard, if I've misunderstood post #12.

That box is only color matched on dashboards that have standard lower pleather colors of SCHWARZ, ZIMTBRAUN, MOKKA, VENETOBEIGE or OYSTER.

If the lower dashboard is Merino leather, it received the standard SCHWARZ colored "folding box" as shown below, pointed to by the arrow. On vehicle like the F01/F02, the "folding box" could be covered in Merino leather, colored matched to rest of the merino leather color on the lower portion of the dashboard, but not for the F10.

NOTE: Information above does not apply to the F07

[Loek]

Originally Posted by BMW FOREVER

Mdecoder works for me so I can pull it from there and post screenshot if you don’t mind PMing me your VIN. This bimmerwork website isn’t always accurate when it comes to individual specs.

Thank you, finally got Mdecoder to work by using my phone on 5G. For the first time, in writing, confirmation of "Indiv leather extended/amaro-braun" as we'd already deduced! Other Individual Equipment listed is S775 Headlining Anthracite and "Entrance strips BMW Individual" S778 as already noted.

So the car seems to be completely as delivered apart from the missing 454 wheels. I am having winter tires put on the existing 236-styles and buying a set of 454s for regular use.

[Loek]

Originally Posted by M_Bimmer

I hope I'm not misreading post #12, where there seems to be a question regarding the "Folding Box" color in the OP's post, where the "Folding Box" is the compartment on the Driver's left knee on LHD F10's.
Assuming the OP's vehicle has had an interior color change based on the color of the "Folding Box", might be "jumping" to an inaccurate conclusion, but please disregard, if I've misunderstood post #12.

That box is only color matched on dashboards that have standard lower pleather colors of SCHWARZ, ZIMTBRAUN, MOKKA, VENETOBEIGE or OYSTER.

If the lower dashboard is Merino leather, it received the standard SCHWARZ colored "folding box" as shown below, pointed to by the arrow. On vehicle like the F01/F02, the "folding box" could be covered in Merino leather, colored matched to rest of the merino leather color on the lower portion of the dashboard, but not for the F10.

NOTE: Information above does not apply to the F07

Thank you for your insight, I also noticed any pictures I saw of Individual interiors in F10s had "mismatched" details like this box or other plastic bits. So I wasn't concerned and it is now well and truly established that it's an Amaro interior. (With, admittedly, a seat design you don't see very much.)

[E84_Isaac]

Maybe adding to this months later but i also have a 2015 535i msport i bought in December with individual amaro brown interior. I havent seen another one in person since my own which is pretty cool to say the least and it does have quite a few options as well. Only thing i wish the car wouldve had was the 6WB cluster

[Hoa]

Originally Posted by E84_Isaac

Maybe adding to this months later but i also have a 2015 535i msport i bought in December with individual amaro brown interior. I havent seen another one in person since my own which is pretty cool to say the least and it does have quite a few options as well. Only thing i wish the car wouldve had was the 6WB cluster

Congrats on the new car. You can easily add 6WB. If you are in the states, I do have one for sale.

[ice31]

Ah great, glad it turned out be all good. I’m happy I was in the wrong on this one
Congrats on the purchase hope it serves you well mate