DVLA proof of manufacturing date

I imported my BMW Z3 from South Africa and want to register it with the DVLA. They require that I submit a document indicating the date of manufacture of my car. They suggest that I get it from the manufacturer or a recognised authority, such as a car club. BMW customer service did not even reply to my online request. Does this club create documents like that? If not, does anybody know where I can get one?

 

In spite of their claims, BMW seem to have little interest in their history - perhaps they have forgotton the meaning of 'service!'

Did you contact BMW (SA) who would have received the car from BMW, and sold it as new?

You cannot send the VIN plate to DVLA, and they will not accept an owner's reading of the VIN code, which may have been copied from another car for cloning purposes. The important thing is the VIN stamped into the body

DVLA will probably not accept a date via an internet site , but you can get the same thing from any BMW dealer, which has the advantage of being an offical BMW document.  Just provide the last seven digits of the VIN, such as LE91381.

However, a UK dealer may not have access to data for a car sold through BMW(SA) but it is worth trying first.  In this case, an approach to the supplying dealer in SA, or the SA registration authorities would be the best answer to prove the pedigree of your car, which could otherwise have been stolen in SA and then imported to the UK.

The gold standard for this type of thing is the original bill of sale, and ideally a list of the subsequent owners, but again, the SA registration people may be able to help.

I went through this with a November 1982 built E30 registered in March 1983.

Thanks but no thanks. I'll wait another year.