Cheap Volkswagen Taro Bulkhead

The Volkswagen Taro was produced from 1989 to 1997, and it was essentially a rebadged Toyota HiLux built under a joint venture, so the production run is relatively short and there are no distinct named UK generations to separate. Because the bulkhead is a structural body panel tied closely to the cab style and wheelbase, the year of the donor vehicle does matter and you should confirm the exact match with the breaker against your registration before purchasing.

There was a mid-life update to the Taro range during its production run that may have involved pressing or structural changes to the cab bodywork, and the bulkhead sits right at the heart of that structure. We would not recommend assuming a pre-update and post-update bulkhead are interchangeable — confirm with the breaker against your registration number, as they can check the donor vehicle's exact specification against yours.

Engine choice — whether your Taro is petrol or diesel — has no bearing on bulkhead fitment, so you can disregard the donor vehicle's engine when searching. Trim level similarly does not change the bulkhead pressing, though there may be minor cosmetic differences such as trim clips or apertures depending on specification, so ask the breaker what is included with the panel.

The Taro was offered in different wheelbase configurations — standard and extra cab variants — and while the bulkhead is primarily a front cab structure, differences in cab layout between these body styles can affect how the panel fits and what surrounds it. Always confirm the cab style and wheelbase of the donor vehicle with the breaker against your own vehicle's registration to be sure.

The Taro was manufactured as a rebadged Toyota HiLux under a VW-Toyota joint venture, so there is a strong possibility of significant parts commonality between the two. However, whether a specific HiLux bulkhead from a given year and cab configuration directly interchanges with your Taro is something you must confirm with the breaker against both registrations, as panel differences between same-platform variants sold under different names fall outside what we can state as fact.

Yes, cab style is the first question to settle when sourcing a Taro bulkhead, because the single cab and extra cab configurations have different rear cab structures and the bulkhead is integral to that layout. Make sure the breaker confirms the cab style of their donor vehicle matches yours before agreeing to purchase.