Asking for a part so somebody can actually find it

This channel is for "I need this, does anybody have one or know where it is". Most requests here go unanswered for one reason: they cannot be answered without three rounds of questions first. This is what to put in the first post.

The five things

1. The VIN. Not the model name. A VIN pins the year, the plant, the engine and the trim, and on a US car those four decide the part far more often than the badge does. If you do not want the full VIN public, post the first 11 characters — that carries everything except the serial.

2. The number off the broken part. Cast, etched or on a label. Photograph the number, not the part. This is the single highest-value line in the post: with it somebody can cross-reference in thirty seconds, and without it they are guessing from your description.

3. Where you are. A part in the next province is a courier. A part in another country is customs, VAT and three weeks. "I am in Romania, the car is in Constanța" changes which answers are useful.

4. New or used, and why. Those are different requests. If the part is a wear item, say so and somebody will tell you not to buy it used.

5. What you have already tried. The catalogues you searched and what came back. It stops four people repeating the search you already did.

A photo of the number beats a photo of the part

The part tells somebody what it is. The number tells them which one it is. On a US import those are frequently different questions, because the same-named European car often takes a different part.

If the part is too destroyed to read, the VIN through a dealer's parts desk gets you the carmaker's number — and that works for a US-market car, because the VIN is the VIN.

Two checks worth sixty seconds before you ask

Is it on the do-not-reuse list? Airbags and everything in the system, seat belt assemblies, seats with anchorages or bags, steering locks, immobilisers and most emission after-treatment may not be fitted second-hand in the EU. The list is quoted in full here, from the annex that sets it. Asking for a used airbag module in this channel will get you that link rather than a part.

Is it cheaper new? Filters, friction material, fluids, belts and bushes usually are, once freight is in the number.

Attach the car

If the lot is on SalvageAlert, paste the link. The post gets a card with the year, make, model, damage and photo, and it keeps working after the auction takes its own listing down. Somebody who can see the car can often see the part you actually need rather than the one you asked for.

And come back

The post that makes this channel worth reading is the one that says what was found, where, and what it cost. A thread ending in "found it, thanks" helps nobody. The same thread ending "a yard in Ontario had it, $180, the interchange number matched a 2017" is the one the next person finds.

Sources

Verified 2026-09-22. Rates, fees and legal requirements change. Check the sources before acting on a number here.