How to find genuine OEM parts for your car online

Searching for genuine parts online can feel like wading through treacle. You want the real thing, the part that actually fits your car, but every listing seems to use a different word for it, half the prices look too cheap to be true, and the other half look like daylight robbery. Whether you drive a Fiat, a SEAT, a Nissan or a Jaguar, the truth is that finding the right genuine part is far more straightforward than it first looks.

Here's how to track down the correct OEM part for your car, and buy it online without second-guessing yourself.

First, the words on the box

Genuine, OEM, OE, aftermarket. They get thrown around as if they all mean the same thing, and they don't quite. In short, a genuine part carries the carmaker's own badge, an OEM or OE part is the same component from the firm that supplies the factory but without the badge and the markup, and aftermarket is everything made by third parties. If you want the full breakdown we've written one, but for the job of finding a part, the thing that really matters is pinning down exactly which component your car takes. That is where your VIN earns its keep.

Your VIN is the key

Your VIN, the seventeen character vehicle identification number, is the single most useful thing you have. It tells a parts catalogue exactly how your car left the factory, right down to the engine, trim and build date, and that is what separates the part that fits from the one that only nearly fits. You'll find it on a plate at the base of the windscreen, in the driver's door shut, and on your registration document. Dig it out before you start and the whole thing gets easier.

Look it up in the parts diagrams

This is the bit most people never discover. Every carmaker keeps an official parts catalogue built around exploded diagrams, those drawings that show a component along with everything around it and a part number against each piece. Feed in your VIN, find the assembly you're working on, and you can read off the exact OEM number for the part you need. It's the same reference a dealer uses behind the counter. Once you've got that number you're no longer guessing, you're hunting for one specific part.

Buying it online without overpaying

Here's where people leave money on the table. The main dealer will happily sell you a genuine part, but usually at full list price. That same part, or the identical OEM component minus the branded box, is very often online for a good deal less, because specialist suppliers buy through the proper channels and don't have a showroom to pay for. The trick is to buy from somewhere that shows you the OEM number, confirms the fit against your car, and backs it with a warranty and returns. If a listing can't tell you the part number or match it to your VIN, be careful, because cheap and wrong is the most expensive part of all.

Where we come in

This is exactly what SimpleSpares is built for. Search by part number, or browse by brand across Fiat, SEAT, Nissan, Jaguar, Land Rover and the rest of the major marques, match everything to your car by VIN so you get the correct fit first time, and have it shipped wherever you are in the world. We show you the options and the quality behind each one, so you can choose genuine, OEM or a solid alternative with your eyes open, rather than end up with a fake dressed as the real thing.