Parts identification, done right
Practical articles on vehicle variants, factory equipment and OEM references. Check the conditions that decide whether a part fits before you send the order.
Articles 1–24 of 156. Search by model, catalog or part.
Fiat 500 and Panda parts in ePER: VIN, MVS and the right vehicle filters
Fiat ePER uses the vehicle record and active filters to narrow a parts search. Its official help describes VIN selection and the MVS/SINCOM identifiers returned with vehicle data. For a 500 or Panda, check those details…
Renault partsRenault Clio IV and V parts by VIN: using Dialogys for the right generation
To find a Clio IV or Clio V repair part, select the vehicle in Dialogys with its VIN and check the returned model and engine before opening the diagram. Clio V introduced the CMF-B platform in 2019. Similar exterior…
Toyota partsToyota Hilux parts by VIN: cab, engine and market checks that prevent a wrong order
For Toyota Hilux parts, start with the VIN or the frame identifier accepted by the relevant Toyota catalog. Check the returned model, cab, engine and market, then read the part number in that vehicle’s diagram. “Hilux…
Vauxhall partsVauxhall Corsa E or F parts: the letter changes the catalog path
“Corsa parts” is one of those requests that sounds complete until the vehicle is on the ramp. A Corsa E belongs to the older Opel/Vauxhall engineering line; a Corsa F belongs to the newer PSA-derived line. Stellantis…
DS partsDS 3 parts by VIN: which DS 3 is on the repair order?
A request for “DS 3 headlamp” leaves out the most useful detail. Is the car an earlier DS3 hatchback or the later DS 3 Crossback and DS 3 crossover? The shared name is a trap for search results. Service Box needs the VIN…
Dacia partsDacia Duster parts by VIN: why the generation belongs on the order
A Duster owner often knows the year and the part that failed. The parts desk needs one more piece: which Duster build is it? Dacia itself separates earlier Dusters from the new model in its accessory selector. In…
Suzuki partsSuzuki Swift Hybrid parts by VIN: the badge is only the beginning
“Swift Hybrid” sounds specific until two cars with the same badge need different components. Suzuki launched a new Swift generation in 2024, while market and equipment choices still shape the parts list. Read the VIN…
Suzuki partsSuzuki Jimny parts by VIN: three doors, five doors and one costly assumption
A five-door Jimny is recognisably a Jimny. It is also longer, has rear doors and uses different rear-space trim. When a supplier filters only by “Jimny”, the first photograph can look right while the body part is wrong.…
smart partssmart fortwo 451 or 453: the model code that saves a wrong parts order
Ask for “a fortwo door part” and a marketplace can show you a wall of convincing photographs. The Mercedes-Benz parts record asks a better question: is this a 451 or a 453, and what does the VIN say was fitted? The model…
Polestar partsPolestar 4 parts by VIN: make the vehicle record do the work
A Polestar 4 is easy to describe and hard to quote from a photograph. Body trim, glass and driver-assistance hardware can depend on the exact build. Use the VIN and type designation first; a nearby Polestar model is not…
Polestar partsPolestar 2 parts by VIN: the number, the variant and the job after fitting
A Polestar 2 quote can go wrong even when the part number is genuine. The car’s type designation, equipment and software requirements matter after the part leaves the box. Find the VIN, open its parts record in VIDA and…
Mitsubishi partsPajero, Montero or Shogun parts? First identify which Mitsubishi is in the bay
A UK Shogun, a Montero and a Pajero can lead to related Mitsubishi data, but their names cannot settle a parts order. Before opening a suspension or four-wheel-drive diagram, establish the VIN, market, generation and…
Mitsubishi partsMitsubishi Outlander PHEV parts by VIN: where a familiar name can mislead
An Outlander badge does not tell you which cooling circuit, electrical assembly or driveline part is on the car. For a PHEV, a plausible diagram can still be the wrong one. Start with the VIN, confirm the vehicle record…
Parts identificationWhen a car badge outlives its parts catalog: smart, Vauxhall and DS
The name on the tailgate is often the least specific thing you know about a car. A smart fortwo and a smart #3 come from different product eras. A Vauxhall Corsa can sit on General Motors or PSA engineering. DS 3 has…
Catalog dataWhich parts catalog covers Mitsubishi, Polestar, smart, Suzuki, Dacia, DS and Vauxhall?
A parts request often arrives as a badge and a model name. The catalog may live under a different name, or a newer car with the same badge may belong to a different parts system. These seven brands are a useful map of…
Parts sourcingAre Lincoln parts the same as Ford? Often, and Ford’s bulletins show where
Often, yes. Lincoln parts are the same as Ford parts on much of the hidden hardware, because the Navigator shares its platform with the Expedition, the Aviator with the Explorer and the Corsair with the Escape, and…
Parts sourcingAre Porsche parts the same as Audi and VW? Partly, and the number shows where
Partly. Porsche parts can be the same as Audi and VW parts on the Cayenne, Macan, Panamera and Taycan, which each share a platform with an Audi, a Volkswagen or a Bentley, and Porsche’s own recall papers list…
Parts sourcingAre Bentley parts the same as VW and Audi? Some are, down to the number
Partly. Bentley parts can be the same as VW and Audi parts where a platform or engine is shared. The Bentayga sits on MLB Evo with the Audi Q7 and Porsche Cayenne, and the Continental GT and Flying Spur on MSB with the…
Parts sourcingAre Ram and Dodge parts the same? Ram part lookup by VIN
Partly: a Ram pickup is the same truck line that was sold as the Dodge Ram until 2010, and today’s Rams share engines and Mopar part numbers with Dodge SUVs but not their bodies or chassis. A Ram part lookup by VIN runs…
Parts sourcingAre GMC and Chevrolet parts the same? GMC part lookup by VIN
Mostly, yes: a GMC Sierra, Yukon or Canyon shares its frame, powertrain and most mechanical parts with the Chevrolet Silverado, Tahoe or Colorado of the same generation, and a shared part carries one GM number on both…
Parts sourcingWrong parts delivered: what to check first and how to send them back
When wrong parts arrive, don’t fit them. Compare three numbers first: the one on the part or its label, the one on your order, and the one the carmaker’s catalog gives for your VIN. Which of the three disagrees tells you…
Parts terminologyWhat does OEM replacement mean? The label, the law and the part number
“OEM replacement” is a seller’s phrase with no fixed meaning. It can describe a genuine part, a part from the factory’s supplier, or an aftermarket part built to replace the original, and the words alone won’t tell you…
Parts terminologyOEM vs aftermarket packaging: identify car parts by the box and the part number
To identify OEM vs aftermarket car parts from the packaging, read whose brand and whose part number the label carries. A genuine box carries the carmaker’s logo and the carmaker’s number, an OE-supplier box carries the…
Parts sourcingCounterfeit airbags: how to verify a genuine original equipment replacement
You verify a genuine original equipment airbag replacement by its paper trail: a module ordered from the carmaker’s dealer under the part number for your VIN, fitted by a shop that hands you the invoice. You can’t verify…