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  #11  
Old 01-09-2012, 08:02 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Scooter View Post
Good reference there , but I don't agree with the upholstery one. While I'm sure most cars got the Alpina marked upholstery, not all of them did, so I don't believe it would be sufficient to say a car isn't an Alpina because it doesn't have "Alpina marked" upholstery.
Exactly, I know of two B10 biturbos Alpinas that do not have the Alpina stripes on them. One got M5 seats and the other (mine) has the Alpina-Recaro seats sans the stripes.
  #12  
Old 01-10-2012, 10:22 AM
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All the Alpina from Germany came with the cluster, gear nub, steering wheels as standard items inside the cabin, only BMW Sytner and two other BMW dealer http://www.bmwalpina.co.uk/ww/findad...alpina-hq.html in England would charge to add this item separately since all the items were shipped to Sytner by Alpina to be assembled and accommodate for Britain customers and their cars number would start with 4 digit numbers suck as B10 3.5/1
  #13  
Old 01-10-2012, 11:12 AM
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Originally Posted by AlpinaMan View Post
All the Alpina from Germany came with the cluster, gear nub, steering wheels as standard items inside the cabin,
Good point about the cluster AlpinaMan. Correct me if I'm wrong, but codes can be altered on later model cars, e.g., e34 to change or alter the true mileage.
  #14  
Old 01-10-2012, 01:24 PM
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Originally Posted by Mark in Toronto View Post
Good point about the cluster AlpinaMan. Correct me if I'm wrong, but codes can be altered on later model cars, e.g., e34 to change or alter the true mileage.

Absolutely positively, that is why knowing what to look for is extremely important and also making sure that the service documentation would match to the car mileage with in few thousands KMs, and bear in mind these days you could buy anything from eBay and transplant on any car.

Last edited by AlpinaMan; 01-10-2012 at 01:34 PM.
  #15  
Old 01-10-2012, 11:58 PM
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Originally Posted by Mark in Toronto View Post
Good point about the cluster AlpinaMan. Correct me if I'm wrong, but codes can be altered on later model cars, e.g., e34 to change or alter the true mileage.
If the cluster is swapped out on an E34, E36 and later, a red dot appears next to the trip odometer indicating the mileage might not be accurate.

Another way to verify whether or not an Alpina car is a true Alpina car is to have the VIN checked by the parts department at your BMW dealer. In the ETK, when you enter the last 7 of the BMW VIN, this should come up on a real Alpina car:

Quote:
Note

Caution! ALPINA vehicle
-
ALPINA-specific parts can only be
identified using the ALPINA Parts
Catalogue.
-
The ALPINA Parts Catalogue can be
ordered directly from ALPINA by
specifying the vehicle identification
number.
-
Contact:
-
Mail: mailto:info@alpina.de
Tel: +49-8241-5005-0
Fax: +49-8241-5005-155
*****
  #16  
Old 01-11-2012, 09:02 AM
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Originally Posted by wkohler View Post
If the cluster is swapped out on an E34, E36 and later, a red dot appears next to the trip odometer indicating the mileage might not be accurate.

Another way to verify whether or not an Alpina car is a true Alpina car is to have the VIN checked by the parts department at your BMW dealer. In the ETK, when you enter the last 7 of the BMW VIN, this should come up on a real Alpina car:
The mileage is not that difficult to change, you just have to change it in the LCM and the cluster (they have to match, if the LCM and the cluster dont match that's when you get the dot). There are tools available to do this.

The best way to verify the car is the VIN. Most newer ones have WAP VINs with a WBA or WBS VIN crossed out. Run that WBA or WBS at the BMW dealer and the report will always have a line that says the vehicle is for Alpina. I have tested this on a small pile of them.

Last edited by KillerPM; 01-11-2012 at 09:09 AM.
  #17  
Old 01-11-2012, 10:33 PM
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Default True Alpina?

I believe that "AlpinaMan" covered most of the important points. In the past, I have considered about 6 different Alpinas to buy but have ended up with an Henna Red e24 Alpina clone and two other genuine e24 Alpinas. I check all the areas as previously noted by AlpinaMan and then I always email Alpina in Buchloe with the information I have found and ask for their confirmation. Alpina has usually been very responsive in this regard.

If you have a later or at least a post 1986 or so Alpina that has the full Alpina WPA....... Alpina VIN rather than a BMW WBA...... VIN, you can also get the original BMW VIN for the body that Alpina used to make their conversion. Sometimes that VIN information is helpful in sourcing standard BMW parts for that particular vehicle.

As an aside, I was up in Kamloops, BC last April with the Spring Thaw Rally and it would have been cool to know that there was another genuine Alpina/owner in that area.

John

e24 Alpina B10 3.5, #36 of 44
e24 Alpina B7S Turbo Coupe, #25 of 30
  #18  
Old 01-12-2012, 12:00 PM
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Kamloops is about 4 hours from those of us in Vancouver, BC. I'd make the trip if the snow and ice was gone from the roads
  #19  
Old 01-12-2012, 10:08 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KillerPM View Post
The mileage is not that difficult to change, you just have to change it in the LCM and the cluster (they have to match, if the LCM and the cluster dont match that's when you get the dot). There are tools available to do this.

The best way to verify the car is the VIN. Most newer ones have WAP VINs with a WBA or WBS VIN crossed out. Run that WBA or WBS at the BMW dealer and the report will always have a line that says the vehicle is for Alpina. I have tested this on a small pile of them.
I got that message when I entered my VIN in the ASAP ETK portal. The build info for my B7 Turbo lists two Alpina-specific option codes, too. That said, I also verified the car and have the build sheet from Alpina, which has some pretty interesting info on it as well.

That said, having seen many cars that get passed off as Alpina cars, obviously, everything Sia mentioned is correct.
  #20  
Old 01-13-2012, 11:32 AM
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Thank you Chris.
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