How to look up BMW specifications from an Australian number plate

Sometimes when you are looking at BMWs for sale you might want to look up the original specifications -- things like what equipment and options came with the car when new.

This is easy to do if you have the VIN using websites like www.mdecoder.com/

But most for sale advertisements don't include the VIN and you might not want to ask the seller for it.

Thanks to BMW's various recalls you can now easily find the VIN, which you can then use to look up the specifications of the car.

Here's how to do it:

1. Go to www.recall.bmw.com.au/
2. Enter the license plate number and select the state fo registration, then press 'next'
3. The VIN will be shown on the next page (as well as the last 7-digits of the VIN next to "chassis")
4. If the right vehicle details are shown, press 'Yes' to check the recall status of the car (you may as well do this at the same time)
5. Go to www.mdecoder.com/
6. Enter the number you just found and press 'submit' to see the specifications and original equipment