Auto Parts Stock, Part Numbers and Vehicle Fitment Records Guide

A single part is often known by several numbers. The vehicle maker uses an OEM number. Aftermarket brands use their own. Distributors add a code of their own on the price list.

When each number sits on a separate line in a register, stock is split across entries. The same part looks out of stock under one number and available under another.

A single record carries all of them. The counter searches on whichever number the customer or the supplier gives.

Fitment records state which parts suit which vehicle. The entry holds a make, a model, a variant and a year range, and it points to the part.

One part can fit many vehicles. One vehicle takes many parts. Because the link runs both ways, the counter can start from the vehicle and list the parts, or start from the part and see where it fits.

Keep the variant and year, because a part for one engine or model year may not suit another.

Do not try to load every vehicle on the road. Begin with the makes and models your customers drive, and the parts you sell most.

Take the first entries from supplier catalogues and from what the counter already knows. Mark an entry as checked once someone has fitted the part or confirmed it with the supplier.

Extend the list as parts are added. Wrong-fit returns are a useful signal, since each one points to a fitment entry that needs a second look.

Quantity on hand should be held by rack and bin for every part. The counter then sees the shelf as well as the count, and alternate brands are listed beside the part asked for.

Counts are taken by rack. Differences are posted with a reason. Parts that have not sold for a long time are marked as slow or non-moving, which gives the owner a list to act on.

Reorder levels are set per part, and the stores team works from the list of parts that fall below them.

Decide which number is the main reference for each brand, how units are written, and who may change a fitment entry. These choices are the shop’s own and are hard to undo once bills depend on them.

A small shop selling a narrow range of one make may not need a fitment table. A counter can manage from experience.

The need grows with the range, the number of staff and the second counter or godown. If you want a second opinion, the free technology audit covers it.