124 E500 VIN

[Star man]

Could anybody shed light on how the VIN number of 036s are determined by the factory? Specifically, are the last 6 digits of the VIN sequential and specific to 036s? Or, are the VIN numbers pulled randomly from the total 124 production run, including all variants of 124?

 

[500AMM]

Could anybody shed light on how the VIN number of 036s are determined by the factory? Specifically, are the last 6 digits of the VIN sequential and specific to 036s? Or, are the VIN numbers pulled randomly from the total 124 production run, including all variants of 124?

The 6 last digits is a sequential number created in Mercedes-Benzs' MMA & Production system called SAP. That 6 digit number is unique for all new "objects" entering their production line, totally independent of what the final "object" will be - which in this case ends up as a car. Additional coding put in combination with this number separates on what model it is.

Below is an extract from post #10 in this thread: http://www.500eboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2807

WDB 124036 1C 162677 (1994 E500 Limited)

WDB = fabricator code

WDB (West Germany Daimler Benz)
WDC (West Germany Daimler Chrysler)
WDD (West Germany Daimler)​

124 = Model/serie, or build platform

036 = Model designation, chassis & engine combination (i.e. sedan with 5.0 V8 for the 500E/E500)

1 = steering wheel position

1 = left side​

2 = right side​

C = production plant

A, B, C = Sindelfingen (for WDD and WDB)
A = Tuscaloosa (for WDC)
F, G = Bremen
X = Graz​

162677 = sequential production number, but independent of which configuration/type in the 124 series


-a-

 

[gerryvz]

I can give you a bit of insight into this, yes.

MB produced 2,562,143 W124 models from 1985 through 1995. I believe that 124 cabriolet production may have even gone into 1997. Each chassis is assigned a VIN number by the factory's production management systems. The VIN numbers werere assigned as the chassis components were stamped and welded together in the factory in Sindelfingen, and then that chassis moved into the production area and body/paint shop. Chassis numbers were assigned as production build orders for specific cars were received.

The last six digits of the VINs are sequential across all models of the W124, but there are variations based on the specific chassis (for example, the 124.034 [400E/E420], the 124.036 [500E/E500] and the 124.092 [E320 wagon]) that are coded into the VIN. It's why you see things like "WDBEA92" or "WDBEA36" at the beginning of US VINs, or non-US VINs starting with "WDB124036" or "WDB124092" -- WDB is the manufacturer code, and the bolded digits tell what chassis sub-variant that a specific car has.

Because there were more than 2.5 million cars produced, and only six sequential numbers at the end of the VINs, here were a couple of "rollover" breakpoints where VINs rolled over from 999999 to 000000 where a "B" and later a "C" was used immediately preceding the last six numbers in the VIN to designate the rollover series. These letters had a dual purpose: they also designated the specific MB production facility where the chassis was made. That way you can tell generally where in the production sequence the VIN was in (i.e. whether it was the first series, second ("BXXXXXX") series or third ("CXXXXXX") series).

Examples of .036 VINs from each "series" would be:

early: none (remember that 124 production started in 1985)
second series: WDB1240361B261403 (produced in mid-1990)
third series: WDB1240361C249300 (produced in early part of 1995)


Early in the production of the .036, it is fairly common to see .036 specific VINs in groups of 4 or 5 sequential chassis. However, this is not a hard and fast rule, and it becomes less common over the course of production, where .036 VINs are interspersed in singles or doubles among other 124 VINs. Sometimes there are 200 or 300 VINs between individual .036 VIN numbers -- these numbers being other non-036 W124 VINs.

The last six digits of the earliest VIN of an .036 was "261403," which was about half-way into the second VIN series production of the 124 (roughly about 1.2 million cars into production of the series). What this means, is that .036 production didn't even begin until the total production of all W124 models was just over half-way through!

The six digits of the latest VIN of an .036, produced in the spring of 1995, was "249300" of the "C" series. If my calculations are correct, this would have been nearly 2.25 million cars into the total production of the W124 -- specifically, approximately the 2,249,300th chassis out of 2,562,143 produced.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,
Gerry

 

[500AMM]

That was a good add to what I wrote in post #2



Cheers
-a-

 

[gerryvz]

That was a good add to what I wrote in post #2
(...or did I just do a wasted attempt to tell something useful)

That 6 digit number is unique for all new "objects" entering their production line, totally independent of what the final "object" will be - which in this case ends up as a car.

I think there is an inaccuracy in your post -- your post implies that all cars that MB makes/models are sequentially numbered, which as you stated it, I would interpret to mean that non-W124 VINs would be interspersed among W124 VINs.

This is not correct. The six-digits specifically refer sequentially to W124 production, so that when you see a W124 VIN with the numbers "666666," you know there were 666,665 W124s produced before it... or 1,666,665 -- no other models such as W126s, W140s, W201s, etc. They all have their own sequential production codes per the information above.

Cheers,
Gerry

 

[500AMM]

I think there is an inaccuracy in your post -- your post implies that all cars that MB makes/models are sequentially numbered, which as you stated it, I would interpret to mean that non-W124 VINs would be interspersed among W124 VINs.

This is not correct. The six-digits specifically refer sequentially to W124 production, so that when you see a W124 VIN with the numbers "666666," you know there were 666,665 W124s produced before it... or 1,666,665 -- no other models such as W126s, W140s, W201s, etc. They all have their own sequential production codes per the information above.

Cheers,
Gerry

No, I didn't say any other model, but independent of car configuration/type. But it can be understood to include other models, which I didn't mean. So, it cooks down to not so proper wording from my side. I posted that information a year ago, but didn't get any comments, neither from you who were the only poster after my post that time. It probably just passed by, but I'll correct the wording both in this post and the referred post.

But do you find that information I posted useful?

-a-

Hah, this was my post number 2000!