By Pablora Parts LLC parts specialists · Updated September 8, 2026 · Part of Order by part number
A part number turns a ten-minute fitment conversation into a one-minute quote. Many of the orders we take every week arrive with one, and they are the most accurate orders we ship. Here is where to find the number, what it looks like for each manufacturer, and what to do when it has been replaced by a newer one.
Five places the number lives
- On the part itself. Stamped into metal, cast into plastic, or on a sticker. Modules, sensors, pumps, mirrors and lamps almost always carry it. Clean the surface and photograph it.
- On a dealer estimate or repair invoice. Shops and dealers print the OEM number next to each line. That number is your shopping list.
- In the factory service manual or a VIN-based dealer catalog. Any dealer parts desk will read you the number for your VIN over the phone.
- On the box of an aftermarket part you bought before. Aftermarket numbers cross-reference to OEM numbers in both directions.
- On the module label. Electronic modules carry a hardware part number and often separate software numbers; the hardware number is the one that matters for a replacement.
What the numbers look like
Recognising the format tells you whether you have an OEM number or an aftermarket one, and often which part of the vehicle it belongs to.
- Ford and Lincoln: three groups like 9L5Z-18C581-A. The prefix encodes the year and vehicle line, the middle is the base part number, and the suffix letter changes when the part is revised.
- GM: an eight-digit number such as 15939191 or 24275871. Older parts have seven digits.
- Mopar (Ram, Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler): eight digits plus two letters, like 68249136AA. The letters advance, AA to AB to AC, with each revision.
- Toyota and Lexus: two groups, like 15330-22030 or 84306-0E010. The first group is the part type, the second the application.
- Honda and Acura: three groups such as 36160-P5M-L01, where the middle group is the engine or model family.
- Nissan and Infiniti: two groups like 23796-3TA4A.
- Mercedes-Benz: A followed by ten digits, like A2044700794. The first three digits after the A are the chassis or engine family.
Superseded numbers
Manufacturers replace a number when they revise the part, and the old number stops being listed. The Ford suffix letter, the Mopar AA/AB/AC, and Toyota's changed second group are all supersessions. Give us the number you have and we follow the chain to the current one. If you specifically want the original revision, a recycler may have it, and we can source that instead.
What a number cannot tell us
A part number identifies the part but not always the vehicle. Some numbers were used across several builds that are not interchangeable in practice, especially for radiators, mirrors and lighting. That is why we still ask for the VIN alongside the number. The number gets us to the part; the VIN confirms it belongs on your vehicle.
Found the number? Call and read it to a specialist, or put it in the notes of the request form with your VIN.
Questions we get about this
Photograph the part from both sides with a tape measure in the frame, and give us the VIN. A recycler or a dealer catalog can identify it visually in most cases.
For OEM parts, yes. For aftermarket parts the box carries the aftermarket brand's number, which cross-references to the OEM number. Either works for us.
Yes. Read us the line items or send a photo of the estimate. We quote each part, new or used, and you compare.