What is the difference between European and US cars

[Wojtek79]

I was at my local junkyard today, and in the staging lot they have an E30 waiting for the paperwork to clear before they put it out. I looked at it, and in the location where the vin sticker would normally go on the driver's B pillar there is a sticker that says something along the lines of "Clear for US Import" or something like that. I guess this means it is a euro car. The car is a 4 door sedan. It has metal bumpers, and it is pretty stripped as is already, Missing headlights, rear trunklid, driver door, hood. It has 14" basketveawes and has been hit in the passenger front fender causing the wheel to fold under the car. The roof was also cut out as if someone did not know how to remove the moonroof, so they just cut the whole thing out. If the car is european based on that "import" sticker, I wanted to ask which parts on it may be different? The first thing that came to my mind are headlight grills. Anything else?

[swimstarguy]

IIRC, some euro cars didn't have cats and the turn signals were in different spots as well. I can't recall if anything else is different.

Hope that helps.

[ublemaschine]

There are lighting differences, possibly no cats, there are euro metal bumpers that are different (metal but not diving boards), the interior instruments could be different depending on what options the car had, and cluster may be kph (may have had to be switched to mph for importing though.) Motor may have different displacement depending if it was a model not availible in the US.

[swimstarguy]

Originally Posted by ublemaschine

and cluster may be kph

Oh yeah... duh.

[Wojtek79]

I am hoping it will hit the yard within a week or so, so I will be keeping an eye out for it. Keep the suggestions coming.

[BigBumperNick]

Lemme take some pics...brb.

[DRTSRFR]

I believe all Euro cars have the battery in front rather than in the trunk.

There should also be a federalization sticker on the driver door piller.

What year is the car?

[BigBumperNick]

Camera died...so can only post what I have. No interior shots..
But mine is all in German pretty much, and in Kilometers and Liters. So I would check for that rofl.







Hope it helps.

[DRTSRFR]

Grabbed a pic of my '85...



Metal bumpers, ugly sidemarkers, no pop-out rear windows...

[tournesol]

Smaller radiator.

Ask me how I know.

[liquidgroove]

I believe US spec car has a impact bar welded inside the door, Euros do not.

Also, I believe US spec cars have more sound insulation materials put in.

[Camal Puddle]

Originally Posted by DRTSRFR

Grabbed a pic of my '85...



Metal bumpers, ugly sidemarkers, no pop-out rear windows...

I'm actually digging those metal euro bumpers. Not goofy huge like mine, but also a little larger than the plastic ones.

[ricerocket86]

Originally Posted by tournesol

Smaller radiator.

Ask me how I know.

U ever get an aluminum one?

[rem83]

Originally Posted by tournesol

Smaller radiator.

Ask me how I know.

Weird. The radiator in my 323i went bad, and I pulled one out of a junked US spec 325e, same size, fit perfectly. If it was any thicker, I didn't notice. It cools a lot better, but I think that's more due to the old radiator being shot than anything else.

When my euro was federalized in '85, it had door beams welded in, the ellipsoids were swapped for sealed beam headlights, they added reflectors / turn signals to the bumpers (this is also often done to the fenders), and they swapped speedometer for one with mph. The fuel economy gauge, and fuel level gauge are still in liters and liters / 100 km. Also, the car still has the rear fog lights.

Besides the euro bumpers, I think the front valence might be different as well, but not sure on that. I think euro cars are also more likely to have been ordered with cloth interior, but it's something that was available on US cars, just not very popular.

If the car is a 323i, it's also going to have a lot more mechanical differences than a euro version of a 318i, 325e(s) or 325i(s) - Bosch L-jetronic fuel injection, different head, block, distributor, etc... Should be pretty much all the same sheet metal, suspension and driveline bits, though.

[tournesol]

Originally Posted by ricerocket86

U ever get an aluminum one?

Hahah naah I bought the little plastic supports for a US spec model radiator and just installed the brand new oe radiator sitting in my garage. Cost me a whole $5.

Originally Posted by rem83

Weird. The radiator in my 323i went bad, and I pulled one out of a junked US spec 325e, same size, fit perfectly. If it was any thicker, I didn't notice. It cools a lot better, but I think that's more due to the old radiator being shot than anything else.

I'm not entirely sure but I think it might just be the +88 euro e30s that came from the factory with a smaller radiator. The US spec radiator will fit with no problem if you just have the smaller brackets to support it.


Very noticeable difference.


US driver side support vs Euro.


Perfect fit.

[albertron]

Originally Posted by DRTSRFR

Grabbed a pic of my '85...



Metal bumpers, ugly sidemarkers, no pop-out rear windows...

lol your sidemarkers were retrofitted, completely wrong position,

yes 323i's had no cats, and to the other guy that posted about radiators... depends on the country, mine has a bigger radiator than u guys in America,

[kishg]

Originally Posted by albertron

lol your sidemarkers were retrofitted, completely wrong position,

that's the federalization process when you bring an non US-Spec car to the US.

[tournesol]

Originally Posted by albertron

and to the other guy that posted about radiators... depends on the country, mine has a bigger radiator than u guys in America,

Yeah I was just comparing US radiators versus Euro. That makes sense, you guys probably need a bigger radiator.