Guide: questions about buying car parts
Businesses buying car parts tend to ask the same questions: which number do I need, what do OE and OEM mean, how does an order work? Here you will find short answers, sorted by topic. They describe how things work with us, for businesses that have an account with us or want to open one.
Part number, VIN and registration document
Finding the part number: how to get the right one
Where the part number is, what it looks like and why the registration document does not show it. Plus: what the VIN helps with and why the order goes by part number.
OE, OEM and parts from the independent market
OE, OEM and OE quality: the terms explained simply
What the abbreviations mean, how a genuine part differs from a part in OE quality and how to tell which one you are ordering.
Ordering
Ordering car parts: step by step
Who can order from us and how an order works in your account, from the search to the collection.
Prices
Prices: where you see them and what they depend on
Which price applies, why prices for the same part can differ and what to keep in mind with exchange parts and their deposit.
Spotting genuine parts
Genuine car parts: how to check what you buy
How to tell a genuine part of the vehicle make, what gives a counterfeit away and why a part in OE quality is not a fake.
Quality, brands and price
Good car parts: weighing quality against price
Which car parts are good, why genuine parts cost more and how to compare offers for the same number properly.
Where to buy car parts
Where to buy car parts: notes for businesses
Where businesses buy car parts, how to recognise a trustworthy online shop and how to order whole lists.
Cross-reference and superseding numbers
Part numbers: cross-references, successors, interchangeability
What cross-reference and superseding numbers mean, when parts are interchangeable and what applies when the make replaces a number.
Register once – after activation you see your prices and order directly online.
