Info on old bmw

[Robert Mayrand]

Can bmw provide some info on old bikes with the serial number. Where it was bought, maintenance & repair under warranty? I tried bmw canada but the did'nt sound too cooperative.

Robert

[Dennis Andress]

My bet is BMW won't. There are probably meticulous records kept somewhere, but BMW as a company doesn't give much of a sh**.

 

There's enough collectors out there that you should be able to find a lot of information about your bike online. What model and year do you have?

[Robert Mayrand]

I have a 1998 r1100rt. Finding info aboutthe model is not the problem . But what i want is to fond some record or info from the vin number

[tallman]

One option is to see if there were any recalls out on the bike (a long time and probably no longer enforced) and if they were done.

A BMW dealership (maybe not even in business now) would have reported the work and there would be a record (perhaps).

Is it a Canadian bike?

They sold a small number per year back then in Canada, so odds are in your favor if any work done.

But, it was a long time ago.

Are there any service records, original owners/maintenance books?

They would have dealer stamps in the maintenance book.

Is there a goal?

Condition/mileage/history service records, any in hand?

[Dennis Andress]

Sorry, For some reason I was thinking of much older bikes.

 

The only record keeping by VIN will be service and recall history, for when the bike was taken to a dealer.

[realshelby]

I don't know if CarFax works on bikes, but it is a library of information on cars.

[shuber]

Outside of going through a dealer I don't think you can get the detailed info. There is a bit of info via these sites:

 

http://bmwmotorcycletech.info/IDnumbrs.htm

http://bimmer.work/

http://www.bmw-z1.com/VIN/VINdecode-e.cgi

 

Edited January 23, 2017 by shuber

[dirtrider]

Can bmw provide some info on old bikes with the serial number. Where it was bought, maintenance & repair under warranty? I tried bmw canada but the did'nt sound too cooperative.

 

Evening Robert

 

If the bike came with a riders manual then you might look inside at the service records area.

 

More than likely have the original (selling) dealer stamp for prep or first service.

 

If there & the dealer is still in business then try giving them a direct call & ask for the service record- maybe?

 

 

[Robert Mayrand]

Unfortunately, no manual, and no idea when it was bought or where? With the vin a was able to see that it was build in february 4, 1998, in the famous original galcier green color but that's about it! I would like to trace back it's history to check if the mileage is right and would like to know what was done to the bike, it's a bit mysterious since the bike would have done less then 13k miles in the first 14 years of it's life. Not a lot, but not completely unusual since the average annual mileage for all motorcyclist in america is around 2000 miles a year. A number wich always amaze me because it's so low, but wich has been confirm by many research and the NHTSA

Robert.

[tallman]

If that's the goal, no sweat.

Service is time and mileage (sorry kilo) determined.

Do an anuual and 12,000 mile service.

Make sure the tires are ok.

Then start replacing the age items, brake lines, fuel lines, spare HES etc.

Lots of other low mileage older bikes on here lately, look at the replies.

Enjoy.

[Tri750]

Not thru bmw corporate.

The dealer can look up what dealership the bike was purchased from and yes, if there were any campaign or service bulletins or recalls done and at what dealership.

Also if any need to be done. Recalls and campaigns don't expire.

Then, you can call the selling dealer and nicely ask the service department if they have any records on the bike.

They are not allowed to give you copies of any work orders but can verbally tell you.

All they need is the last 7 digits of the VIN.

Edited January 24, 2017 by Tri750

[mikeR1100R]

All of the above is good advice, but if the bike was previously owned by someone like me, there will be no records because I have owned the bike for 12 years and have never taken it to a shop for maintenance or repairs. Hopefully the previous owner kept personal records of maintenance.

[lkchris]

Sure, visit your BMW dealer.

 

They can tell you if there are any open warranty items.

 

... and that's it.

[MarkAZ]

Good luck with the dealer.

 

When I bought my RT the lady told me her late husband (cancer victim) had recently had the clutch replaced at the dealer but she didn't have the paperwork. I emailed the dealer to see if they could tell me what had been done and they basically told me to go pound sand. If I could provide a notarized letter from the previous owner giving them permission, they might be able tell me what had been done. Geez...I wasn't asking for personal financial info, just a yes or no if the clutch had been done. Pretty silly, IMO.

[StuGotz]

Good luck with the dealer.

 

When I bought my RT the lady told me her late husband (cancer victim) had recently had the clutch replaced at the dealer but she didn't have the paperwork. I emailed the dealer to see if they could tell me what had been done and they basically told me to go pound sand. If I could provide a notarized letter from the previous owner giving them permission, they might be able tell me what had been done. Geez...I wasn't asking for personal financial info, just a yes or no if the clutch had been done. Pretty silly, IMO.

 

Not really silly if you put yourself in the dealership's place. They are in business to make money, not to provide answers on bikes that were sold privately that perhaps may have originally been sold by that dealership. If it were my dealership and I were small enough I may be able to provide an answer to you. But a high-volume dealership maybe doesn't have the time or resources to be able to answer questions all day to folks that aren't regular customers. Can you imagine the phone traffic they get in the first place, not to mention emails.

 

Try a different approach. Ride your bike to the dealership. Introduce yourself to the service manager. Tell him you probably will bring the bike in for service but you have no records and you'd like to know what services are due.

 

Or don't take it anywhere and do it yourself. Like some of us do.

 

MB>

[realshelby]

Very well said! ^^^^

[MarkAZ]

I guess the thing that irritated me most about it was that instead of just saying 'Sorry we can't provide that information' or just not responding at all, they came up with a ridiculous requirement. I realize they're in business to make money but sometimes you gotta give a little to get something in return, like maybe some future business.

 

Funny thing is, a few days later, the service manager (who was copied on their response) emailed me and asked for the VIN. I sent it to him and he responded with the info I asked for (they had done the clutch but that's all they'd done to the bike but that was about $1000 worth of work).

 

FWIW, I do all my own maintenance & repairs, I've never been to a BMW dealer (or any other motorcycle dealer for that matter, at least since I bought my Honda CB350 new in 1971). But if I ever have something that I can't handle I will consider taking it to that dealer.

 

 

[Anthony11]

Hi Robert: I just bought a 2003 1150R Rockster. Only 19K. The local BMW dealer was able to look it up by VIN, and determine its service history, and recall items. Getting the 20K service done, and ready to roll! Good luck.

 

[lkchris]

Life is usually fairly funny and this is another example.

 

Seems we all value DIY maintenance over dealer maintenance ... until, that is, we're looking to buy a previously-owned bike. Then we all want meticulous dealer service records!