While weighing my options for a transfer case, rebuild my self or buy a rebuilt one, I got under the car to snap a pic of the NV125 ID tag. To my surprise it didnt have a tag, but rather the info was etched into the case. Meaning I’ve got the LWX500, which I confirmed by running the info thru the inter-web.

This is surprising to me as I’ve thought I’ve had the nv125 for years, and in fact, RealOEM thinks this too when I pull up my vin number. I recall a transfer case leak decades ago that i had fixed, so maybe the shop just swapped the case out with another one they had in inventory? Who knows.

This does complicate things though. I know they are interchangeable, but it looks like a different input shaft must be installed in an NV125 case for it to fit in an e53 that originally had an LWX500. Cobra says both gearboxes are equally sturdy, but nv125 parts, while dwindling in supply, are still more readily available than lwx500 parts. Perhaps converting is the way to go then.

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Current
Original owner 2002 E53 X5 4.4i to 4.6i swap
2026 G80 M3 6 spd
2025 G06 X5 50e
Former
1972 Audi Fox
1986 Saab 900S
1996 BMW Z3
1998 BMW E36 M3 Sedan
2004 BMW E46 M3
2006 Audi A3 Quatro
1993 Mopar 318 Jeep Grand Cherokee
2015 V6 Jeep Grand Cherokee