How to look up Bentley parts by VIN
The routine is the same on a Continental GT, a Flying Spur or a Bentayga.
- 1. Read the 17-character VIN off the car or its registration papers. A Bentley VIN starts with SCB. The free decoder at /vin-decoder/ reads basic structure, including maker, country of build and model year, before you buy access.
- 2. Open the Bentley catalog on VINsearch and enter the VIN.
- 3. Check the vehicle record, engine, equipment and part application before choosing a diagram.
- 4. Open the assembly group you need, such as engine, brakes, body or electrical, and find the part on the exploded diagram.
- 5. Read the complete genuine part number and follow supersessions with their conditions to the current Bentley reference.
- 6. Hold that number against the old part or its label before you order. A mismatch found here costs nothing.
What a Bentley shares with Porsche, Audi and Volkswagen
Volkswagen bought Bentley from Vickers in 1998, and the Continental GT, the Flying Spur and the Bentayga are all built on group platforms. The first two Continental GT generations, 2003 to 2018, sit on the D1 platform of the Volkswagen Phaeton. The third and fourth, from 2018, and the Flying Spur built since 2019 use MSB, the platform of the Porsche Panamera. The Bentayga, in production since December 2015, is on MLB Evo with the Audi Q7 and Q8, the Porsche Cayenne and the Lamborghini Urus.
It shows in the engine bay first. The W12 oil filter, 07C 115 562 E, is one genuine part for a W12 Continental, a W12 Audi A8 and a W12 Phaeton. Body panels, lamps, trim and the cabin stay Bentley’s own.
So a number on a Bentley diagram may have started life on another badge, and that does not make it wrong. The VIN decides whether it belongs on the car you are working on.
Reading a Bentley part number
Bentley numbers follow the Volkswagen Group layout: three blocks of three characters, sometimes with an index letter after them. The first block names the car line or engine. The first digit of the middle block is the main group, 1 for engine and cooling through to 8 for body and 9 for electrical. The last block identifies the part.
The air filters on a 4.0 V8 Continental GT show how it reads. 3W0 129 319 is the left element and 3W0 129 320 the right, because where left and right parts differ the group gives the left one an odd last digit. The 1 in 129 puts both in the engine group. A letter at the end, as in 07C 115 562 E, marks a revision, which is why the number on an old invoice may be one step behind the catalog.
One Continental GT name, four generations
Bentley has kept the Continental GT name since 2003 while the car underneath changed twice. The first generation ran to 2011 and the second to 2018, both on the Phaeton’s D1 platform. The third moved to the Panamera’s MSB in 2018, and the fourth arrived in 2024. Parts for one platform are not a safe guess for the other, and a registration year can sit either side of a changeover.
Engines split the range again. Through the second and third generations the Continental GT came with a 6.0 W12 or a 4.0 V8, and the service parts differ. The V8 kit for a 2012 to 2018 GT or GTC, filters 3W0 129 319, 3W0 129 320 and 079 198 405 D, will not fit a W12. A Bentayga has been sold with four engines: W12, petrol V8, diesel V8 and a V6 plug-in hybrid. The VIN carries the engine, and that is why the lookup starts there.
Common Bentley nameplates
These nameplates help you find the right vehicle family. Confirm the exact model, market and production period against the active catalog before quoting a part:
| Model | Production years |
|---|---|
| Bentley Continental GT | — |
| Bentley Bentayga | — |
| Bentley Flying Spur | — |
Frequently asked questions
What is Bentley EPC?
The electronic parts catalog for genuine Bentley parts: exploded diagrams, part numbers and supersessions, found by VIN. VINsearch opens it in the browser under the system name Bentley Portal, with nothing to install and no dealer account.
How do I look up Bentley parts by VIN?
Enter the 17-character VIN, which starts with SCB, in the Bentley catalog on VINsearch. Check the vehicle record, equipment and part application, open the assembly group, and read the genuine number with its supersession conditions. Compare it with the old part before you order.
Do Bentley parts fit Audi, Porsche or Volkswagen cars?
Some do. The Bentayga shares MLB Evo with the Audi Q7 and Porsche Cayenne, the Continental GT from 2018 shares MSB with the Panamera, and the W12 oil filter 07C 115 562 E also fits the W12 Audi A8 and Volkswagen Phaeton. Body, trim and interior parts are Bentley’s own, so check each number against the VIN of the car it is going on.
What does a Bentley part number look like?
Volkswagen Group format: three blocks of three characters, such as 3W0 129 319, sometimes with an index letter after them. The first block is the car line or engine and the first digit of the middle block the main group. Where left and right parts differ, an odd last digit marks the left one.
Which Continental GT do I have?
Decode the VIN. The first two generations, 2003 to 2018, share the Volkswagen Phaeton’s platform, and the cars from 2018 on share the Porsche Panamera’s. Check the generation and engine selected in the catalog before opening the diagrams.
How much does it cost?
A Day Pass is $5, a month $50 and a year $500. Every plan opens all 53 catalogs, with no per-search fees.