[dar2008]

A heads up if anyone is on the lookout for an E92 M3.

There was one posted on the M3 V8 FB group yesterday and it received over 90comments questioning its authenticity before being removed, though at the time, it was still being advertised on eBay - has now been removed from there too.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/115054252...4AAOSw3f5hbwe3

Current registration: K31 OUD
Original registration: DN59 UBP
VIN Number: WBSWD92050P389220

The car is being sold from Weston-super-Mare by a guy called Kieren.

The problem with this car is it’s purporting to be an M3 “Alpine Edition", but is clearly not. The view is that this is likely a stolen car that has been cloned to the same VIN as an M3 "Alpine Edition" that was sold by Copart in 2016/17.

The VIN number above, provided by the seller links to a well spec’d Alpine Edition built in November 2009, with Individual Interior, EDC, Individual Audio, Front PDC, High-Beam Assist, Retractable Armrest – yet the sellers car had none of these items and is also missing the chequered flag "Edition" door plates. (Note: Someone found some pictures from the original Copart listing, and all those things were present on that car before sale).

Whilst missing all of the Alpine Edition features, the sellers car does include the Stop/Start button, which I don’t believe appeared until some time in 2010 on the M3, which suggests the sellers car is really a later car.

A couple of guys on the FB group managed to get more photos from the seller, including close ups in the engine bay – the VIN number is missing from the top of the left strut mount, which suggests it’s been ground off.

The seller may be innocent in all of this, or he may not be but it's important to prevent some other poor person being duped into this.

I always encourage anyone buying an M3 (or any BMW) to do a free VIN check...

https://bimmer.work/

Anyone doing a VIN check on this particular car will find a very differently spec'd M3.

[-claw-]

The more people advertise the fact that a car is probably dodgy the better.

Looks as though the switches for the heated seats are not there either.

[neilvan]

Originally Posted by -claw-

Looks as though the switches for the heated seats are not there either.

Seat heater switches are in the climate control area 2010+ just fyi

[-claw-]

Originally Posted by neilvan

Seat heater switches are in the climate control area 2010+ just fyi

.... DOH!!

[Oldwiggy]

It’s back up on eBay, I saw it earlier.

[dar2008]

It’s gone off eBay now.

I’ll do an update in the next few days about what happened.

[turducken54]

The heated seat buttons also point to this being a newer than 09 car. Not until mid-2010 did they move up to where they are here.

[dar2008]

Originally Posted by turducken54

The heated seat buttons also point to this being a newer than 09 car. Not until mid-2010 did they move up to where they are here.

On the M3, the updated climate controls with the relocated heated seat buttons first appeared in 2009, in fact a genuine Alpine Edition has the updated panel.

That said, on this particular car, two visible things did point to it being newer than 2009.

- Auto Stop / Start technology - first appeared later in 2010, and really not an easy retrofit.
- Updated DSC button graphic on the 3button panel next to the DCT stick. The new DSC graphic didn’t appear until sometime in 2011.

As it turns out, this car has now been proved to be an August 2011 built car.

[rasa bmw]

post in oyher section about this car,,its a clone,and police involved as the owner(ex) traced it etc

[allex29]

Originally Posted by rasa bmw

post in oyher section about this car,,its a clone,and police involved as the owner(ex) traced it etc