Guides for parts professionals
Plain-English explainers on EPC catalogs, VINs, OEM parts and choosing the right tools.
What is an EPC (Electronic Parts Catalog)?
An EPC is the manufacturer's own parts database. Learn what it contains, how VIN lookup works, who uses it, and why it beats aftermarket cross-references.
Read guideHow to Read a VIN (Vehicle Identification Number)
A VIN is a 17-character code that identifies a vehicle exactly. Learn what each section means (WMI, VDS, VIS), the check digit, and how EPCs use it.
Read guideOEM vs Aftermarket Parts: What's the Difference?
OEM, genuine, OE-quality and aftermarket parts are not the same thing. Understand the differences and how to identify the right part either way using an EPC.
Read guideWhat is a Parts Supersession (and Why It Matters)
A supersession is when a manufacturer replaces one part number with a newer one. Learn how chains work and how to order the part the factory ships today.
Read guideHow to Choose an Online Parts Catalog
Comparing online EPC platforms? The criteria that matter: brand coverage, VIN accuracy, supersessions, pricing, device support — and the red flags to avoid.
Read guideEPC Catalogs for Chinese Car Brands: Chery, Geely, BYD, GWM
Chinese brands are growing fast worldwide. Learn the parts catalogs for Chery, Geely, BYD and Great Wall/Haval, and how to identify their parts by VIN.
Read guideChinese Car Parts by VIN: Which Catalog Covers Which Badge
Omoda, Jaecoo, Haval, Denza and Zeekr resolve to five parts catalogs. The badge-to-group map, VIN and part number formats, and the brands nobody covers yet.
Read guideETKA Explained: The VW Group Parts Catalog
ETKA is the official electronic parts catalog for the VW Group: VW, Audi, Skoda, SEAT and Cupra. Learn what it covers and how to access it online by VIN.
Read guideNissan FAST Explained: Nissan and Infiniti Parts by VIN
Nissan FAST is the factory parts catalog for Nissan and Infiniti. How to read its 5-5 part numbers, and what to do when a JDM import has no 17-character VIN.
Read guideService Box Explained: Peugeot, Citroën and DS Parts by VIN
Service Box is the PSA parts catalog behind Peugeot, Citroen and DS. How its grouped part numbers work and why the VIN matters on shared platforms.
Read guideToyota EPC Explained: Toyota and Lexus Parts by VIN
Toyota EPC is the factory parts catalog for Toyota and Lexus. How its 5-5 numbers work, why regional builds differ, and what to do with a frame number.
Read guideMercedes EPC and Xentry Explained: Parts by FIN
Mercedes-Benz publishes its parts catalog through Xentry. How to read an A-number, what a FIN is, and why equipment codes decide which part fits.
Read guidePorsche PET Explained: Porsche Parts by VIN
Porsche PET is the factory parts catalog for Porsche. Why it is separate from ETKA, how the eleven-digit numbers decode, and what the model series tells you.
Read guideJaguar and Land Rover Parts by VIN: Reading JLR Numbers
Jaguar and Land Rover share one parts system through JLR TOPIx. How to tell an LR number from a Jaguar one, and why the VIN decides on these cars.
Read guideSubaru FAST Explained: Subaru Parts by VIN
Subaru FAST is the factory parts catalog for Subaru. How its numbers decode, why the generation letters matter, and how it differs from Nissan FAST.
Read guideSuzuki EPC Explained: Suzuki Parts by VIN
Suzuki EPC is the factory parts catalog for Suzuki. How the model code inside a part number works, and why market differences matter on these cars.
Read guideMitsubishi ASA Explained: Mitsubishi Parts by VIN
Mitsubishi ASA is the after-sales portal carrying Mitsubishi parts data. How the numbers decode and what the Nissan alliance changed for newer models.
Read guideMobis EPC and Snap-on EPC: Hyundai, Kia & Genesis
Why the Hyundai, Kia and Genesis parts catalog is called Mobis EPC but opens as Snap-on EPC, what it covers, and how to look up genuine Korean OEM parts by VIN.
Read guideMicrocat Explained: Ford's Electronic Parts Catalog
Microcat is the EPC platform used by Ford and other brands. Learn what Microcat is, what it covers, how it decodes a VIN, and how to access Ford parts data online.
Read guideDialogys Online: Renault and Dacia Parts by VIN, Explained
What Dialogys is, why it holds repair data as well as parts, how Renault ten-digit numbers read, why Dacia runs on them, and why old discs stop answering.
Read guideRenault Engine Codes Explained: K9K, K4M, H4M and What They Mean for a Parts Lookup
Renault engine codes decoded character by character, from K9K and K4M to H4M and R9M, plus why the three digit suffix on the end decides which parts fit.
Read guideRenault Van Parts by VIN: Master, Trafic and Kangoo for Workshops and Fleets
Master, Trafic and Kangoo parts by VIN: FWD vs RWD, M9T suffixes, body codes, badge overlaps and the fleet workflow that stops wrong orders.
Read guideRenault Labour Times and Repair Data: What the Parts Plate Leaves Off
How Renault labour times work in Dialogys, and where book time stops being honest once a van is ten years old and the bolts are seized.
Read guideDacia Parts by VIN: Working the Renault Group Catalogue for Duster, Sandero, Logan, Jogger and Spring
Most Dacia parts carry Renault Group references. A working guide to where that sharing holds and where it genuinely stops.
Read guideRenault CLIP vs Dialogys: Which Tool Does Which Job, and Why You Probably Need Both
Renault CAN Clip codes modules but cannot give you a part number. Dialogys gives references but cannot talk to the car. What each does, and the jobs that need both.
Read guideCar Parts by Registration Number: What a Number Plate Actually Gets You
A plate is a key to a registry, not a specification. What a registration lookup returns, where it breaks, and how to get from a plate to the right part number.
Read guidePart Number Interchange: When One Number Really Fits Another Car
Interchange means three different things and only one is the manufacturer speaking. How to tell them apart, and how to check before the part reaches the invoice.
Read guideHonda EPC: Reading Honda and Acura Part Numbers and Finding Parts by VIN
What the Honda parts catalog covers, how the three-block part number reads, why the middle code decides fitment, and where Acura fits into the same data.
Read guideBMW ETK: Reading BMW Part Numbers and Finding Parts by VIN
How the 11-digit BMW number is built, what the main group tells you at a glance, why option codes decide fitment, and how to identify a loose part with no car.
Read guideAmerican Cars: Finding Parts by VIN for Ford, GM and Mopar
How Ford and Mopar number their parts, what the revision suffix is telling you, and why a VIN matters more than a model year on trucks built across several plants.
Read guideHow to Find a Genuine Car Part Number
The reliable way to find a genuine OEM part number is by VIN through an EPC. Here is the step-by-step, plus the mistakes that cause wrong-part returns.
Read guideVIN vs Chassis (Frame) Number: What's the Difference?
VIN vs chassis/frame number: the difference, where each appears, why Japanese-market cars are special, and which one EPCs use to identify parts.
Read guideEPC Catalogs for Electric Vehicles (Tesla, BYD & More)
EVs need different parts data: high-voltage modules, inverters and thermal loops. See how EPC catalogs cover EVs like Tesla and BYD, by VIN.
Read guideEVs Out of Warranty: What Reaches an Independent Workshop Now
The first mass-market EVs have run out their last warranty. What actually crosses an independent counter, and why there is no aftermarket to fall back on.
Read guideHow to Cut Wrong-Part Returns in Your Workshop
Wrong-part returns quietly eat workshop margin. Here are the real causes, the true cost of each return, and how VIN-accurate identification removes most of them.
Read guideOnline vs Installed EPC Software: Which Is Right for You?
Should you use browser-based EPC access or installed dealer software? Compare cost, updates, devices, brand coverage and new-model data for your workshop.
Read guideAuto Parts Glossary: Key Terms Explained
A plain-English glossary of auto parts and catalog terms: EPC, VIN, OEM, supersession, OE-quality, fitment and more, for parts professionals and buyers.
Read guideTesla EPC Explained: What the Catalog Gives You, and Where It Stops
Tesla publishes its parts catalog free at parts.tesla.com. What a model browse returns, what the login actually gates, and where a shop still gets stuck.
Read guideVolvo VIDA for an Independent Workshop: The Parts-Only Path
Volvo sells VIDA to independents in packages, one of them parts only. What each carries, where coverage starts on older cars, and how to read the eight-digit number.
Read guideMopar Parts by VIN: Ram, Dodge, Jeep and Chrysler
Ram sold two different 1500s at once and Jeep sold two different 2018 Wranglers. Why the VIN, not the model year, decides which Mopar number you order.
Read guideSsangYong Is Now KGM: What That Means When You Order Parts
The badge changed and the VIN did not. What the KG Mobility rename means at a parts counter when your paperwork and the catalog use different names.
Read guideETKA vs ElsaWin: Which VW Group System Do You Actually Need?
ETKA finds the part number by VIN; ElsaWin holds the repair and wiring documentation. What each VW Group system does, where they overlap, and which one your job needs.
Read guideWhich Brands ETKA Covers, and What Every Other Make Uses Instead
ETKA is the Volkswagen Group catalog: VW, Audi, Skoda, SEAT and Cupra. If you searched ETKA for a BMW, Mercedes, Renault or Chevrolet, here is the system you need.
Read guideGearbox Code by VIN: Identifying the Transmission Actually Fitted
Two cars with the same engine and year can carry different gearboxes. How to resolve the transmission actually fitted from the VIN, and read the code off the casing.
Read guideThe Mercedes Data Card and SA Codes: Reading the Build from a VIN
What a Mercedes data card holds, what an SA code is, why static code tables fail, and how to resolve the build and the right part from the FIN.
Read guideePER: The Catalog Behind Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Lancia Parts
ePER is the parts catalog behind Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Lancia. What it holds, how a VIN lookup runs in it, and which catalog a Ducato-based van actually needs.
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