E12 interior vinyl colors

Post your E12 technical questions and comments here. Please, no off-topic posts.

Moderators: Mike W., Pierre

Post Reply
User avatar
Robert Bondi
Posts: 345
Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2009 12:33 am
Location: Austin, TX

E12 interior vinyl colors

Post by Robert Bondi »

My Euro 528 restoration car is in bad need of new seat covers. I followed Ebay listings to this source and even received a collection of vinyl samples that look great. I've got a tan-colored interior, but I'm just not sure which color it is among all the earth tones. I think I've got Pearl Beige as the best match. However, I'm confused when cross-referencing interior parts in Realoem and finding so few color names that match these at the link. My 530i has marineblau vinyl - not many blues and that color is in Realoem and in the list at this link, so no confusion there.

https://www.worlduph.com/samples/vinylBMW.htm#*

If I hit the internet with "pearl beige" I seem to turn up a lot of 80s BMW interiors, like the E28.

Anybody vouch for pearl beige as a E12 interior vinyl color?

Unlike paint, interior colors aren't labeled anywhere clearly that I've ever seen anywhere on the vehicle.
Robert
77 530i
77 Euro 528
User avatar
528i-1981
Posts: 557
Joined: Wed Feb 07, 2018 5:50 am
Location: Franklin, TN

Re: E12 interior vinyl colors

Post by 528i-1981 »

Robert, for what it's worth, the BMW "Color and Upholstery Selections" brochure (Rev 2/1980) only lists Beige 0007 as an upholstery color for leatherette. This brochure is for US-spec models. I think leatherette might be an upscale version of the standard vinyl.

I've had the same problem trying to locate upholstery specifications and sources. Everything else BMW is so well documented, the upholstery black hole is perplexing.
(oo=00=oo) Eric
1981 528i Manual
User avatar
Robert Bondi
Posts: 345
Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2009 12:33 am
Location: Austin, TX

Re: E12 interior vinyl colors

Post by Robert Bondi »

Thanks for the feedback. Since I'll be doing all the seats, matching the original isn't technically as critical.
I'm already deviating from the original since these seats are a mix of fabric and vinyl. The fabric is absolutely
torched, while vinyl is in much better shape. Seems to suggest that the vinyl is a bit more durable and is obviously
easier for maintenance cleaning.
Robert
77 530i
77 Euro 528
Post Reply