Compatible fuel tank 2005 Smart ForFour

Question

I just bought a 2005 Smart ForFour 1.5 CDI (70kw/95hp). Unfortunately the fuel tank is leaking but the previous owner agreed to pay for the repairs.

The problem now is that this part is no longer in production so I will have to find one second hand. On eBay there are quite a few but none of them are originally from my particular model. They do however all have the same part number, which is MR978279.

Would it be safe to assume that I can buy a tank with this number from a any diesel car on the same platform? Being either a Smart ForFor 1.5 CDI 70/90kw or a Mitsubishi Colt 1.5 DID? They all carry the same part number...

UPDATE

I finally got the Mitsubishi tank installed and fits perfectly. So this is a viable solution.

Answer 1

TL DR: Yes.

As long as you've done your homework and the part numbers are the same, the tank should be the same. Manufacturers use the same platform, and therefore the same parts, over multiple vehicles. This saves a lot of engineering and production costs. It's a lot cheaper to produce one gas tank instead of two. Then when quantity goes up, the cost of manufacture goes down. Makes good sense and most every car manufacturer prescribes to the philosophy.