Equipment code questions

[Tony Francis]

Just had a look on the VIN decoder for my car, interesting but no great surprises given it’s extensive history.

Could anyone clarify a couple of the equipment codes however?
S818 Battery Master Switch, what is this? Is there a switch somewhere to isolate the battery?
S314 Door mirror, driver lock, heated. I know the heated door mirror operates automatically when the ignition is on but does this code mean that the driver door lock is heated as well? If it is then is this linked to the ignition like the mirrors? It would be more useful on a cold frosty morning if it worked before you opened the car!
S925 Dummy SALAPA. Is this actually a piece of equipment or just a dummy entry on the database?
Thanks in advance.

 

[Tony Francis]

Ok found out about the S818 Battery Switch, I see the question has been asked before!
Anyone know about the Heated Door Lock?

 

[Zephyr]

S925 is VERSANDSCHUTZPAKET (shipping protection) and it comes in many flavors 925 for sea cargo and 850 for train.
The S314 is generic for heated accessories where applicable meaning that in some E36s it even showed heated headlight washers even if they did not have them fitted.
I have put all the options somewhere in another thread but can not find it now.

 

[Zephyr]

And SALAPA stands for Sail Land Protection Applicable.

 

[Zephyr]

And it is Dummy because you can not option it on the list. It comes pre checked. As all the other non optionable codes such as S2Y0A Dummy-SALAPA (S3Y/S4Y etc) that specify regains of the world that the vehicle will be shipped to.
having owned 16 different bmw models for the last 30 years surely helps in deciphering these.
still can not understand how after all these I ended up with a Mazda, but whatever…

 

[Tony Francis]

Thanks that’s really helpful.
I have had 2 MX5s myself in the past, loved them!

 

[Zephyr]

Thanks that’s really helpful.
I have had 2 MX5s myself in the past, loved them!

Yeah. Pretty different experience than the BMW’s in terms of maintenance and ownership.
And imho pretty different owners in terms of arrogance also. We mx5 owners actually use the turn signals and most of us are polite to others.
Cheers.

 

[AntStark]

Careful @Zephyr …remember where you are . We obviously have better forums than the mx5 ones given you are still a regular on here

@Tony Francis What’s the answer to the battery switch..intrigued.

 

[andyglym]

Yeah. Pretty different experience than the BMW’s in terms of maintenance and ownership.
And imho pretty different owners in terms of arrogance also. We mx5 owners actually use the turn signals and most of us are polite to others.
Cheers.

Looked at a MK1 MX-5 back in the day, unfortunately it had dissolved by the time I got there

 

[t-tony]

Looked at a MK1 MX-5 back in the day, unfortunately it had dissolved by the time I got there

Couldn't have been my old one mate. I had replaced half of it!

Tony.

 

[Mint]

...What’s the answer to the battery switch..intrigued...

IIRC it was used to isolate the battery from the cars loom for transport from the factory and was removed at the dealership.

 

[Zephyr]

Careful @Zephyr …remember where you are . We obviously have better forums than the mx5 ones given you are still a regular on here

@Tony Francis What’s the answer to the battery switch..intrigued.

Just kidding. You know I do!

 

[Tony Francis]

Ant - what @Mint said. Odd that it’s listed on the build record though if it’s just a transport part then removed before the car goes to the customer. Germanic efficiency I suppose

@Zephyr haha! I had a MK2 1.8 and a MK3 2L, enjoyed both very much but really couldn’t be more different to the Z3 In almost every respect.

 

[TriumphZ3]

And imho pretty different owners in terms of arrogance also. We mx5 owners actually use the turn signals and most of us are polite to others.
Cheers.

Although: I've never been able to understand how you can buy a brand new MX5 today and take it to a 'Classic' show tomorrow... I wouldn't do that with the Z3 and it's 20 years older than most MX5s I've seen at shows recently, but local shows are full of MX5s and a lot of them almost brand new. Leave it for another 30 years, please!

Apologies to Tony for the thread hi-jack... I ran the VIN of my Z3 and have the S441 'smoker's package' which I presume is an ash tray and a lighter, but the wheels are listed as S271 BMW LA Wheel Z line - when I search for that none of the wheels shown match mine. (I need a wheel centre hence the interest) I also have, under safety features: S345 'Chrome line interieur' but this lists chrome centre to the steering wheel, mine is plain black.

 

[Zephyr]

Chrome Line interior is chrome rings around the instruments, chrome door handles and chrome light switch. (Most of them had the chrome switch anyway).
Your wheels have to be style 35 (LA stands for light aluminium).

p.s my MX5 is just one year old and it will outlast me for many decades. Decided to spend my money on gas and travels instead of doing repairs and maintenance. Nothing wrong with the Z’s, they are fantastic cars, just too old for what I need a roadster for.

 

[TriumphZ3]

p.s my MX5 is just one year old and it will outlast me for many decades. Decided to spend my money on gas and travels instead of doing repairs and maintenance.

More sensible than I ever was!! Someone once told me they suspect I get more out of working on my cars than I do driving them. Even the Z3 has a shopping list already. In all honesty I drove an MX5 once and reckoned if I did it again it would put me off my old cars forever. Enjoy it!