If you've ever gone to order headlights and hit three near-identical listings for what's supposedly "your car," you're not losing your mind. Toyota, Ford and Holden all did the same thing to us: they kept a model name on the road for a decade-plus and quietly changed the front and rear end partway through. Same badge, different lights.
We see the fallout from this most weeks. Someone rings or messages us mid-checkout going "does this fit a 2013 Ranger" and the honest answer is: which 2013 Ranger? A 2013 could be a late PX MK1 or, technically, still be running the previous PK shape depending on when in the year it was built. Rego lookups don't split that hair. Neither does "my car is a 2013 model" as a sentence.
This is the actual reason BLCKLINE calls every order before it ships — it's not a sales gimmick, it's because "the internet" genuinely cannot tell your ute's variant from its number plate alone. Here's how to save yourself the back-and-forth and get it right the first time.
Why the registration lookup isn't enough
A vehicle registration search tells you make, model and year. It does not reliably tell you:
- Which sub-generation or facelift you've got (pre-facelift vs post-facelift, Series 1 vs Series 2, and so on)
- Which factory or country your vehicle was built in (relevant for a few Nissan Navara variants)
- Whether a running mid-year changeover means your "2011" is actually built on the old panel or the new one
We had this exact situation with a customer trying to order tailgate lights off a rego lookup — the search came back with the right make and model, but it couldn't confirm the specific light variant fitted to that vehicle. We ended up asking for extra details before we'd send it out. That's the system working as intended, but it's a slower way to do it than getting it right from your end first.
The one thing that never lies: your compliance plate. It's the metal plate riveted near the driver's door hinge (open the door and look at the pillar) listing your build date. That date — not your rego renewal year, not the year you bought it — is what actually determines your light shape.
Toyota Hilux: N70 and N80, and the facelift trap inside N70
The Hilux N70 ran from 2005 to 2015, which is a long time for a "single" generation — long enough that Toyota gave it a mid-life facelift in 2011. Pre-facelift (2005–2011) and post-facelift (2011–2015) Hilux N70s take different headlights and different tail lights, even though both are "an N70."
- 2005–2011 N70: Clear/Amber Headlights and OEM-style tail lights
- 2011–2015 N70 (post-facelift): OEM-style headlights and replacement tail lights
- N80 (2015 onward): we carry Sequential, Projector and DRL Projector options depending on the exact build year — see the full Hilux range
If your Hilux is a 2011 model, don't guess — that's the exact year the facelift landed. Check the compliance plate.
Ford Ranger PX: one tail light fits three generations, headlights don't
Here's a genuinely useful fact that cuts both ways: the Ranger PX MK1 (2011–2015), MK2 (2015–2018) and MK3 (2018–2021) all share the same rear-end shape, so our OEM-style tail lights for PX MK1/MK2/MK3 cover all three in one listing. Nice and simple.
Headlights are the opposite story — Ford reshaped the front end at each facelift, so MK1, MK2 and MK3 all need their own headlight:
- MK1 (2011–2015): Sequential indicator headlights
- MK2 (2015–2018): Projector headlights
- MK2/MK3 (2015–2021): ORION Sequential headlights or Projector LED sequential
If you're not sure whether your Ranger is a late MK1 or an early MK2 — completely normal, they overlap around 2015 — the tail lights are a safe bet either way. The headlights need a firmer date.
Holden Commodore VE/VF: Series 1 vs Series 2 is the split that trips people up
The VE Commodore had two "series" within the one generation (2006–2013), with the Series 2 facelift landing in 2010. Series 1 and Series 2 take different headlights — this is the single most common mix-up we see on Commodore orders.
- VE Series 1 (2006–2010): Black headlights or the BLACK Series Projector option
- VE Series 2 (2010–2013): BLACK Series Projector headlights or Crystal DRL LED Projector
- VE Series 1 & 2 (both, if you want sequential indicators): Sequential headlights — this one's built to suit both series
- Tail lights (VE/VF Ute, Series 1 & 2, 2006–2018): one shared OEM-style tail light listing covers the ute body across both series
VF (2013 onward) is a further facelift again with its own tail light shapes split by body — sedan Evoke/SV6/SS, sedan Calais/SSV, and wagon each get their own listing, so check which body style you've got before ordering.
The three-step check before you order
- Open the driver's door and find the compliance plate. That build date is the source of truth — not your rego renewal, not "the year I bought it."
- Check which facelift window your date falls in using the ranges above. If you're within a year of a changeover, don't guess.
- Still not sure? Call us or add it to your order notes. Every BLCKLINE order gets a fitment check before dispatch anyway — that's the Fitment First™ Guarantee — but starting from the right compliance date means less back-and-forth and a faster dispatch for you.
We'd rather spend two minutes confirming your build date up front than have you sending a "wrong part" return back to us later. It's a genuinely more annoying process for everyone involved, us included.
