How to identify your truck’s exact model and year

Why the exact model matters

Truck makers change cabs and panels between generations and facelifts, often without changing the model name. A door, grille or front panel from the wrong years can look right in a photo and still not fit. Two details settle it: the model as the maker names it, and the years the truck was built.

1. Your registration papers

The quickest place to start is the vehicle’s registration certificate (RC1). It records the make, the model or series name and the VIN, which South African papers also call the chassis number. The licence disc on the windscreen carries the VIN too.

Copy the VIN and the model name into your enquiry. There is no need to send a photo of the certificate itself, which also shows the owner’s details.

2. The VIN on the truck

Vehicles registered in South Africa since 1996 have a 17-character VIN, set out to the international ISO 3779 standard. On most trucks it is stamped into the chassis frame, often on one of the side rails, and repeated on a plate in the cab. Your owner’s manual shows the exact spots.

The VIN is built up in three parts:

Many makers put a year code in the 10th character, but not every truck maker does, so check the year on your papers as well.

3. The model name on the cab

The name on the cab is the one to quote. South African trucks often carry a local model name rather than the maker’s full code:

• Hino: numbers such as 815 or 915 on the 300 Series, and 1626 or 1627 on the 500 Series. Older Toyota Hino trucks carry names such as 13-236 or 15-258. See our Hino cab parts guide.
• Isuzu: a series code with a number, such as NPR 400, NQR 500, FTR 850 or FVR 900. See our Isuzu cab parts guide.
• Mitsubishi Fuso: names such as FE 7-136 or FK13-240.
• UD Trucks and Nissan: names such as Croner, UD 60 or UD 95.
• Mercedes-Benz, MAN and Iveco: range names such as Atego, Actros, TGM, TGS or Eurocargo, plus the numbers on the cab.

Many trucks also have an identification plate with the full model code, often on a door pillar or inside the cab. A photo of that plate is very useful with your enquiry.

4. The year: built, registered and listed

A truck can be built one year and first registered the next, and a facelift can arrive part-way through a year. The years on our listings are the years a part or cab fits, for example 2011 to 2015. If your truck sits close to the start or end of a range, send us the VIN and we’ll check.

5. Left or right?

Left and right are as seen from the driver’s seat, looking forward. On South African trucks the driver sits on the right, so the right-hand door is the driver’s door. Our listings show the side of every part that has one, and “pair” when you get both.

Send us these details

• the make and the model name on the cab, for example Isuzu FTR 850
• the year, and the VIN
• the part you need, which side, and a photo if you have one

WhatsApp them to 082 300 5322 or use the enquiry form. Not sure which part you need? Browse all truck parts by make, model and part type.