TheSamba.com :: View topic - M-code plate help

Sun Nov 09, 2008 11:59 am

prairie_vw wrote: 1978 Champagne Edition

82 084 087
483146 D64 P31
04 4 7344 KN 2319 61

Great to see a Canadian Champagne Edition bus! So far I have seen quite a few Champagne buses but all of them were originally sold in the USA.

I see Mildred already helped you on the code D64. But this translation is for the D64-code used in the 1970 model year. For some reason most of those 'letter'-codes (or 'group codes') changed each model year. The D64-code for 1978 is also a bit different.

Being a Champagne bus owner myself I am quite a Champagne bus fan :) . I looked up these codes on the microfiche that has the explanation for the group codes. I already noted 'D64' on it, it had 'Canada' written behind it. I thought this was a mistake or something because I had never seen a Canadian Champagne bus. But this proves that the fiche was correct. So there are probably also Canadian Champagne Microbuses out there?!? Anyone on the forum has such a bus? I am curious to the codes! :D

OK, here is the explanation of D64 for 1978 models:

060 - Eberspächer BA6 petrolheater (LHD) (fitted under cargofloor)
073 - Roof opening and reinforcement for Westfalia pop up roof SO 73
102 - Rear window heating
113 - Admittanceplate for Canada
121 - Two electric ventilators in fresh air system
123 - suppression equipment for radio reception
162 - rubber strips for bumpers
568 - Tinted windows and windshield, with laminated windshield
597 - Stronger battery: 12 V 63 Ah instead of 12 V 45 Ah
618 - Generator 70 A instead of 55 A (type 4 engines)
652 - Interval switch on windshield wipers and wash-wipe installation. Interval ca. 6 seconds
765 - Special salescampaign "Champagne Edition II"

Sun Nov 09, 2008 12:39 pm

marco_s wrote: just wondering if i could get some help on my m code don't know that much so any info will be useful. :idea: sorry pic isn't that good..

:!: Thanks for posting that pic:!:
Now I finally know for sure what colour code 522552 stands for! I always knew it was some sort of blue, but now I know it is Neptune blue with a Cloud White roof. (because of the paint sticker that is still in your bus, but was missing in all the other buses I spotted with this code)

522552 stands for:

5: special paint instruction (Sonderlackierung in German). Both Neptune Blue and Cloud White were regular VW colours. But for some reason all US-buses of modelyear 1968 have a special paint code meaning that something about the paint job was different...I have no idea what. It could be the type of paint, or a small piece of the car being in a different colour....like the wheels, the VW logo or whatever...
22: the special paint instruction was applied to a VW type 22 (= VW Microbus)
552: number of the special paint instruction: Neptune Blue L50K with Cloud White L581 roof

Sun Nov 09, 2008 12:57 pm

Just to complicate things further I looked at a 1978 Canadian Westfalia with a KX delivery code, Hmmmm..

Sun Nov 09, 2008 1:44 pm

TheShane wrote: I'm having trouble finding a few of my codes and I was wondering if anyone could help. Here is the plate with the codes I need in bold. Any other information would be appreciated.

82 131 414

E9D577 D50 227 246 560

21 2 7320 UW 2218 63

Here is what I have:

82- 1978
131 414 -Serial Number

E9D577- Panama Brown(bottom), Dakota Beige(top), Canyon Brown Leatherette(interior)
D50- ???
227- Detachable Headrest
246- ???
560- Steel Sliding Roof

21 2- May/30/1978
7320- Temp Serial Number
UW- ???
2218- Microbus, LHD, Sliding door right, Seven seater
63- Engine/Trans, 2000cc, Automatic Transmission

I found:
UW - U.S.A., Washington D.C.
D50- series of codes
-012 - exhaust emmission control installation and speedometer in miles
-067 - 12V 54A battery instead of standard 12V 45A battery
-102 - rear window heating
-508 - sliding window in sliding door and in the opposite side panel of the pass compt.

I still cant find 246

Sun Nov 09, 2008 1:49 pm

busdaddy wrote: Just to complicate things further I looked at a 1978 Canadian Westfalia with a KX delivery code, Hmmmm..

Destination code KX is for 'Canada-tourists'.

This bus was probably for a Canadian customer that picked his bus up in Germany at the Westfalia factory, travelled accross Europe and then had it shipped to Canada. It is called 'Tourist Delivery'.

See also this brochure from 1973:

follow this link for the brochure: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/lit/73touristdelivery.php

Sun Nov 09, 2008 2:02 pm

TheShane wrote: (...)I found UW, its U.S.A., Washington D.C. But I still cant find D50 or 246

D50 stands for:
012 - Exhaust emission control installation and speedometer in miles instead of Kilometers
067 - 12 V 54 A battery instead of standard 12 V 45 A battery
102 - Rear window heating
508 - One sliding window in sliding door and one in the opposite side panel of the passenger compartment

M246 = Windshield free from import-duty for USA
So perhaps the original windshield was made by a US-manufacturer?

Sun Nov 09, 2008 2:06 pm

molenari,

Thank you. The windshield code doesnt really make sense but your interpretation seems pretty logical to me so I'll take it. Thank you for your help.

-Shane

Sun Nov 09, 2008 7:03 pm

a little help please
68 double cab

was it imported to New Orleans?

according to the owners manual it was sold on 6-24-68 at Ken Mackey Volkswagen inc in Auburn Alabama
this is from the customer Id card in the front cover

Mon Nov 10, 2008 8:21 pm

dwill49965 wrote: marco_s wrote: just wondering if i could get some help on my m code don't know that much so any info will be useful. :idea: sorry pic isn't that good..

Its a '68. Top line looks like

09 5 E - date code: 9 May, 1968 E means built in Emden, Germany

21 - engine/tranny - 1600, 4 spd manual

425 - group code for '68 consisting of:

020- speedo and odometer in miles
089- laminated windscreen glass
507 - Vent windows in cabin doors
511- padded dashboard and dashboard lid
524- Canada and USA specs

508 - vent window in sliding door and in all windows opposite sliding door in the pass compt (three windows in total)

525 - seatbelts for USA and Canada

UJ - destination code: USA, Jacksonville
2211 - Microbus. LHD, sliding door right, Seven seater arrangement 2-2-3
522552 - paint code - Neptune Blue L50K

8155988 - 8 is 1968, rest is chassis number

All information taken from "VW Transporter and Microbus Specification Guide 1967-1979" by Vincent Molenaar and Alexander Prinz, The Crowood Press Ltd, 2005.
Thanks for the info dwill49965 now i know a little bit of more of history on my ride. :D

molenari wrote: marco_s wrote: just wondering if i could get some help on my m code don't know that much so any info will be useful. :idea: sorry pic isn't that good..

:!: Thanks for posting that pic:!:
Now I finally know for sure what colour code 522552 stands for! I always knew it was some sort of blue, but now I know it is Neptune blue with a Cloud White roof. (because of the paint sticker that is still in your bus, but was missing in all the other buses I spotted with this code)

522552 stands for:

5: special paint instruction (Sonderlackierung in German). Both Neptune Blue and Cloud White were regular VW colours. But for some reason all US-buses of modelyear 1968 have a special paint code meaning that something about the paint job was different...I have no idea what. It could be the type of paint, or a small piece of the car being in a different colour....like the wheels, the VW logo or whatever...
22: the special paint instruction was applied to a VW type 22 (= VW Microbus)
552: number of the special paint instruction: Neptune Blue L50K with Cloud White L581 roof
Just wondering if that special paint code might include the trim becuase my ride has the trim of a deluxes, is a microbus the same as a deluxes?

Tue Nov 11, 2008 9:56 am

marco_s wrote: Just wondering if that special paint code might include the trim becuase my ride has the trim of a deluxes, is a microbus the same as a deluxes?

No, the paintcode only tells the details on the paint. The deluxe trim would be included in either the model code (in this case the bus is a type 22, so without trim) or in the m-codes.

Your bus has US-specs. for some reason all US-delivered microbuses had deluxe trim.

A deluxe bus is a type 24. I have never seen a US-deliverd type 24 so far. So I guess they don't exsist.

A type 24 is very recogniseable by the jailbars on the rear hatch and the rubber trim on the bumpers (only for buse with early-type bumpers)

Yours,

Vincent

Tue Nov 11, 2008 10:36 am

TheShane wrote: molenari,

Thank you. The windshield code doesnt really make sense but your interpretation seems pretty logical to me so I'll take it. Thank you for your help.

-Shane

Well, there are more strange codes. Like a code for tax-free tires and a tax-free battery. I suppose these all have to do with the company manufacturing these items being inside the country where the car was exported to.

Wed Nov 12, 2008 1:30 pm

tom62 wrote: a little help please
68 double cab

was it imported to New Orleans?

according to the owners manual it was sold on 6-24-68 at Ken Mackey Volkswagen inc in Auburn Alabama
this is from the customer Id card in the front cover

Yes: UO stands fro 'USA, New Orleans'.

So it seems your car is built on the 23rd of November 1967 (1st line on the plate). This car took a long time to reach it's first owner.
...but on the other hand. Most of my buses are original Dutch and there was also often 6 months between build-date and 1st registration date...and we are next to Germany....

Wed Nov 12, 2008 4:10 pm

Thanks, Vincent

Thursday Nov 24 1967, it was built on Thanksgiving day! (the USA holiday)

Hope this doesn't make it a turkey!!

Thu Nov 13, 2008 10:18 am

with the help of the m-codes page in the technical section

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/info/mcodest2.php

i think i've figured out most of the plate on my 71 Westy.

however, i just have a couple of questions on 697 in the second line and 7610 in the last line....

any help would be appreciated and if you notice any mistakes, please let me know,

thanks,

--Steve

Thu Nov 13, 2008 3:59 pm

stevespeirs wrote: however, i just have a couple of questions on 697 in the second line and 7610 in the last line....

697 Fitted with Continental manufactured tyres

7610 - is a production planning number (temporary serial number)

Sat Nov 15, 2008 2:16 pm

what a thread...

mine is a 1978 riviera, born as a kombi. Tell me if I'm wrong with anything:

82 072 379
500
P4P477 D51 227 235 246
01 1 7452 UP 2316 61

8# ### ### - 1978 production year
500 -Full width partition with two-seat passenger seat
P4P4 - sage green L63H
77 - leatherette, canyon brown

D51 - group of codes for USA
012 - Exhaust emission control installation and spedometer in miles
067 - 12v 54A battery instead of standard 12v 45A
102 - Rear window heating
148 - With hinged rear seat backrest
508 - Ventilation window in sliding door and in windows opposite sliding door in the passenger compartment

227 - detachable headrests
235 - Seats with mountings for headrest in passenger compartment (removed for the camper interior)
246 - windshield fee thing for USA

01 1 - first day of first week of 1978 (January 2nd, 1978. came out with a hangover...)

UP - USA, Portland

2316 - type 2, kombi, LHD, sliding door right, Seat arrangement 2-0-3
61 - 2.0L 70hp, Manual

Questions:
#500 is for a full width partition. But the bus is a walkthrough, with two bucket seats. how come?
#508 - is it for 3 sliding windows in total (door + 2) or for two in total (door + 1) ? I have only 2 sliding windows- the door's window and the opposite panel window.

Asaf.

Sat Nov 15, 2008 2:52 pm

asafk wrote: (...)
82 072 379
500
P4P477 D51 227 235 246
01 1 7452 UP 2316 61
(...)
D51 - group of codes for USA
012 - Exhaust emission control installation and spedometer in miles
067 - 12v 54A battery instead of standard 12v 45A
102 - Rear window heating
148 - With hinged rear seat backrest
508 - Ventilation window in sliding door and in windows opposite sliding door in the passenger compartment
227 - detachable headrests
235 - Seats with mountings for headrest in passenger compartment (removed for the camper interior)
246 - windshield fee thing for USA
(...)

Questions:
#500 is for a full width partition. But the bus is a walkthrough, with two bucket seats. how come?
#508 - is it for 3 sliding windows in total (door + 2) or for two in total (door + 1) ? I have only 2 sliding windows- the door's window and the opposite panel window.

Hi Asaf,

Your bus is a 1978-model. The translation for the D51 code that you read is for a 1976-model. For 1978 models D51 stands for:
012 - Exhaust emission control installation and speedometer in miles instead of Kilometers
067 - 12 V 54 A battery instead of standard 12 V 45 A battery
102 - Rear window heating
206 - Inner rearviewmirror, anti dazzle

The M-plate of a 1978 bus is in a very nasty place to read it. So I am afraid you missread the 500-code. I guess it is 508 ;-)

Which brings us to the next subject: M508. On 1968-1977 models this means the bus has three ventilation windows in the back. On 1978-1979 models these windows didn't exsist anymore (at least on buses and kombis). For 1978-1979 models M508 stands for the two sliding windows.

Sat Nov 15, 2008 2:56 pm

Cheers.
That explains it. I will double check the #500 issue- I copied the plate with a pencil (no other way to see it), so I may be wrong.

Thanks,
Asaf.

Sat Nov 15, 2008 4:41 pm

asafk wrote: Cheers.
That explains it. I will double check the #500 issue- I copied the plate with a pencil (no other way to see it), so I may be wrong.

That is indeed a good way to do it. You can also try a small mirror to look at the codes.

Sun Nov 16, 2008 12:17 am

Going crazy reading this thread...but it has been very helpful.

I figured out all the codes for my 1970 Westy, except one. The destination code is XH.

What I've gathered from this code is that it was part of the tourist delivery program and it was picked up in Holland, driven around Europe, then brought back to the US. Is that correct?

Thanks!