eBay's compatibility checker is never more accurate than the catalogue behind it. Manufacturers regularly supersede part numbers, so the checker may say that a part does not fit when it fits your vehicle perfectly, or the opposite.
There is a second limit worth knowing. The compatibility checker matches against a standard catalogue by make, model and year. It does not ask for your VIN, it does not cross-reference it, and it does not read it at all. Enter your registration number and it will identify the mechanical side of your car, often in real detail - the exact engine code, engine size, power output, drivetrain and body generation - which is why it is usually reliable for mechanical and engine-bay parts, where the model and the year are enough to decide the answer. But it stays completely silent on the things that decide many cosmetic and body parts: your trim level, your factory options and packages (a fuel-economy version, a sport pack, a styling pack), and your paint colour code. So two cars of the same model, year and engine can still take completely different bumpers, grilles, spoilers, side skirts, mirror caps or light units depending on the trim (for example M Sport versus SE, S line versus standard, R-Line, ST-Line) - and the compatibility checker will still show a green message saying that the part fits your vehicle, because trim, options and paint are simply not things that it reports.
This is exactly what a VIN check catches. Your VIN (also called the chassis number) is the key to your car's factory build record - the exact trim, options and paint colour code included - so we can confirm the part is right for your specific car, not just the right model and year. If a cosmetic part comes painted, the paint colour code matters too. You will find it on a sticker inside the door opening, or under the bonnet. Send it to us together with your VIN and we will advise you before you buy.
No VIN to hand? Then it is important to be realistic about what you can still check. Without your VIN, neither we nor the compatibility checker can actually see your car. The compatibility checker is only a general guide to point you in the right direction, never the definitive answer. In that case the one check that is worth doing is a visual one: compare the part in our photos against the one you are removing, and make sure that it looks exactly the same - same shape, same mounting points and brackets, same connectors, same number of sensors. If it does not match your old part in the photos, it is not the right part, whatever the compatibility checker says. Never rely on the compatibility checker alone.
Here is something most buyers do not realise. In the UK and Europe, vehicle manufacturers are only obliged to make parts data available to the trade, and not to you, the owner. That data includes part numbers, replacement numbers and build-specification information. The system still assumes that you will hand your car to a garage and never ask what was fitted. But today you buy your own parts online, without access to the very information that you need in order to buy them correctly. We do not think that is fair.
So treat us as your own parts department, free of charge. Send us a message with your full 17-character VIN, and tell us what you need, and we will check the correct part number against your vehicle's factory build record. We will do this for this part, or for any other part you are looking for, whether we stock it or not. If we have it, we will point you to the right item on our shop. If we do not have it, you will at least know exactly what to search for. Available to buyers in every country.
Not sure what a VIN is, or where to find yours? Your VIN (Vehicle Identification Number, also called the chassis number) is a unique 17-character code that identifies your exact vehicle and how it was built at the factory - think of it as the car's fingerprint. It is not the same as your registration number: a number plate can be changed or transferred between cars, but the VIN never changes and belongs to that one vehicle for life - which is why we work from the VIN, not the registration number. You will usually find yours in one of three places: through the small window at the base of the windscreen (typically the driver's side), on a small metal plate showing the VIN, under the bonnet or in a door frame, or printed on your V5C document, the UK vehicle registration certificate.
AND WE TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR OUR ANSWER. Normally, if a part is returned because it does not fit, the buyer pays the return postage, which on large items can be expensive. But if you sent us your VIN by eBay message before buying, and we confirmed in writing that this part fits your vehicle, and it then turns out that we were wrong, then we will pay the return postage ourselves and refund you in full. Our mistake, and we pay for it. That is how confident we are when we have checked your VIN properly, and it is why it is always worth sending us the VIN first.
Two things so we can help you properly:
1. Send your VIN typed out as text, not just a photo. We have to copy it into several independent trade systems, and a typed VIN avoids the misreads (and delays) that come from working off a picture. By all means attach a photo of the VIN plate as well, but please type the 17 characters into the message.
2. Send us your VIN before you buy, and we will confirm whether it fits. This usually takes only a few minutes. At our busiest times you will have the answer by the early evening of the same working day. Every VIN is checked by hand against the actual part, so if you do wait a little longer, it is because we are being careful, not slow.
If you buy without a VIN check, making sure the part is compatible is your own responsibility. Please make certain before you buy. The part numbers shown in the photos are the final word.
Or use the Message button at the top of this page.
