How to Find the Interior Color on the Car for My BMW
by Elizabeth Hannigan
The interior of your BMW may look simply beige to you, but if you damage something and need to replace any paneling or upholstery you'll discover that finding a perfect match may be harder than you anticipated. BMW, like most manufacturers, has made small changes to both the interior and exterior color options on their vehicles over the years. If you want to find an exact color match for your paneling or upholstery, you'll need to find the name and number of the tint used in your particular car.
Step 1
Look at your owner's manual to discover the make, model and year of your car. You won't be able to determine the interior color of your car without this information.
Step 2
If you don't have the original owner's manual, look beneath your back seat for your car's build sheet. The build sheet is like your BMW's birth certificate and has all of the information regarding color names and numbers, options that your car was built with and any other detail of the car's manufacture. The build sheet should be a small, rolled up sheet of paper. The interior color is listed next to the German word "Polst."
Step 3
Look under the hood or along the driver's side door if you can't find the car's build sheet. For some models, you can find a sticker at either of these locations that displays the name and numbers for both the exterior and the interior colors of the car.
Step 4
If still needed, call a local BMW dealer and provide them with your car's Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). The dealer should be able to tell you exactly what color the interior of your car is. If the first dealer refuses to help you, call a few other dealers until someone is willing to provide you with this information.
Step 5
Enter the last seven digits of your VIN in Mitsuhiko Kanekatsu's BWW VIN Decoder (see Resources) if you can't find the build sheet and no dealer will help you. You should be able to find your original interior color this way.
Writer Bio
Elizabeth Hannigan began writing freelance articles in 2005. Her work can be found in "Orientations" magazine. She holds a Master of Arts in art history from the University of Delaware.
