Used BMW 3 Series Radiator

No — the E46 (1998–2006) and E90 (2006–2013) are completely different generations with different engine families, cooling system layouts, and mounting points, so a radiator from one will not cross to the other. Always match the radiator to the correct generation and then to the specific engine code shown on your V5 or a VIN check. Confirm fitment with the breaker against your registration before buying.

The E90 generation ran from 2006 to 2013, with a facelift in 2008, and in most cases radiators within the same engine code carry across that facelift boundary because the core cooling architecture was not redesigned. However, ancillary bracket positions and mounting details can vary mid-production, so name the boundary to the breaker and ask them to confirm against your exact registration and engine code rather than assuming a straight swap.

For the radiator itself, trim level — whether SE, Sport, M Sport, or M Sport Plus — does not affect fitment; what matters is the engine code, fuel type, and whether the car has an automatic or manual gearbox. An M Sport may have a slightly different front bumper or cooling duct arrangement, but the core radiator unit follows the engine, not the badge. Tell the breaker your engine code and gearbox type and they can match the correct unit regardless of trim.

A 2012 car sits in the E90 generation (which ended production around 2013 in the UK), while a 2015 car is an F30 (2011–2019, facelift 2015), so these are different generations and the radiators are not interchangeable. Stick within the same generation and match on engine code — the F30 facelift arrived in 2015 and even within the F30 there can be detail differences across that point. Confirm against your registration with the breaker before purchasing.

Yes — the radiator is sized and plumbed to the specific engine, so a diesel unit (for example from an N47 engine) and a petrol unit (for example from an N52 or N55) are not simply interchangeable even within the same generation. Fuel type and the exact engine code on your V5 are the most useful details you can give a breaker, more so than the badge or model year alone. If you have an automatic gearbox the car may also carry a separate transmission cooler integrated into or alongside the radiator, so tell the breaker your gearbox type as well.

Body style does not typically affect the radiator itself — the cooling system follows the engine code and generation, not whether the car is a Saloon, Touring, or Coupe. That said, confirm with the breaker against your registration, as mounting brackets or auxiliary cooling pipe routing can occasionally differ between body styles within the same engine family.