The workshop reference
Buy with a clearer picture.
Understand the part number, check the evidence and compare the whole cost. A few useful principles behind OEM Seeker.
Repair guides
How to replace a cabin air filter
Replacing a cabin air filter step by step: when it is due, choosing the filter, finding and opening its housing, cleaning it, fitting the new filter the right way round, and the filters listed for your vehicle.
How to replace a car battery
Replacing a starter battery step by step: when it is due, choosing the right battery, disconnecting and removing the old one safely, fitting and connecting the new one, registering it where the vehicle requires that, and the batteries listed for your vehicle.
How to replace an engine air filter
Replacing an engine air filter step by step: when it is due, choosing the filter, opening the housing, cleaning it, fitting and seating the new filter, and the filters listed for your vehicle.
How to replace an ignition coil
Replacing an ignition coil step by step: the signs of a failing coil, confirming the fault, choosing the coil, removing the old one, fitting the new one, and the coils listed for your vehicle.
How to replace an oil filter
Replacing an engine oil filter step by step with the oil change it belongs to: choosing the filter, draining the oil, changing a spin-on filter or a filter insert, refilling, checking for leaks, and the filters listed for your vehicle.
How to replace a V-ribbed belt
Replacing a V-ribbed belt step by step: when it is due, choosing the right belt, recording its routing, releasing the tensioner, checking the pulleys, fitting and tensioning the new belt, and the belts listed for your vehicle.
How to replace brake discs
Replacing brake discs step by step: when they are due, choosing the right discs, removing the caliper and the old disc, cleaning the hub, fitting the new disc with new brake pads, testing the brake, and the discs listed for your vehicle.
How to replace brake pads
Replacing the brake pads of a disc brake step by step: when they are due, choosing the right brake pad set, removing the old pads, checking the disc and the caliper, pushing back the pistons, fitting the new pads, testing the brake, and the pads listed for your vehicle.
How to replace spark plugs
Changing the spark plugs of a petrol engine step by step: tools, removal, what the old plugs tell you, fitting and tightening the new ones, and the plugs listed for your vehicle.
How to replace the clutch of a manual transmission
Replacing the clutch of a manual transmission step by step: signs of a worn clutch, choosing the right clutch kit, separating the gearbox from the engine, checking the flywheel and the release mechanism, fitting and centring the new clutch, bleeding and testing, and the kits listed for your vehicle.
How to replace wiper blades
Replacing wiper blades step by step: when they are due, choosing the blades, the service position, protecting the windscreen, releasing the old blade from the arm, fitting the new one, and the blades listed for your vehicle.
Explained
How to find the OE number of a car part
Where to find the OE number of a car part: on the part itself, from a dealer of the make, on paperwork, or through the vehicle and the part numbers in a parts catalogue.
How to find your engine code
What an engine code is, why car parts depend on it, the places where it can be written on the engine, on the vehicle and in its documents, and how to use it to choose the right vehicle in a parts catalogue.
KBA number (HSN and TSN): what it is and where to find it
What the German KBA number is, what its two parts HSN and TSN mean, where they are written in the registration certificate, and what they do and do not tell you when you look for car parts.
OE, OEM and aftermarket parts: what the terms mean
What sellers mean by OE, OEM, genuine and aftermarket car parts, why the words are used loosely, and what to check before buying a part.
VIN decoder and VIN check: what a vehicle identification number tells you
What the characters of a vehicle identification number stand for, what records kept under a VIN can show, from mileage readings, damage and theft to finance, recalls and the original equipment, when a VIN check is worth it, and what it cannot prove.
What is an OE number?
What an OE number is, how it differs from a supplier's part number, why one number is written in several ways, and how to use it to find a part.
Two numbers. Different roles.
The vehicle maker’s OE number identifies its part reference. The part manufacturer’s product number identifies an article in that manufacturer’s catalogue.
A manufacturer cross-reference connects those numbers. It is useful evidence for research, but it does not automatically establish every vehicle application or supersession.
On a part page, “Aftermarket part numbers” lists the supplier articles that cross-reference the OE number, and “Related OE numbers” lists other OE numbers found on those same articles.
Read the fitment evidence.
- Start with the exact engine code and production date.
- Keep any chassis, gearbox, PR-code and other catalogue restrictions attached to the source.
- A product-to-vehicle link plus a product-to-OE link is an inferred connection to the OE number.
- Confirm the listing’s specification and fitment before buying.
Commission never decides what you see.
OEM Seeker may earn an affiliate commission when you buy through a partner link. The comparison has to earn that click by being useful.
A part page shows, for each marketplace we check, how many listings it has for the OE number and their price range, with a link to the marketplace’s own search. Commission rates never decide what is shown.
Every offer shows when it was last checked. Prices, stock and shipping change, so confirm them on the marketplace before buying.
Your browser. Your data.
OEM Seeker stores your selected vehicle in this browser’s local storage. No account is required, and nothing is sent to a marketplace.
Use “Clear saved vehicle” in the vehicle selector to remove the vehicle.
About OEM Seeker
OEM Seeker covers Volkswagen, Audi, Škoda, SEAT, CUPRA, BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce, Alpina, Renault, Citroën and Peugeot, including light commercial vehicles. Vehicles and part numbers come from aftermarket supplier catalogues, and some Volkswagen OE numbers also from Volkswagen Classic Parts, Volkswagen’s own parts shop.
OEM Seeker is independent. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the vehicle makers, parts brands or marketplaces it lists.
Search by OE numberHow the catalogue is compiled
The vehicles, the aftermarket part numbers and the OE numbers they cross-reference come from the public online catalogues of parts suppliers. A few vehicles are described from their manufacturer’s own publications instead, such as press releases and technical data sheets. Each supplier lists its parts for the vehicles of its own catalogue. We match those vehicles to ours by a shared vehicle key or by engine code, power and production dates, and keep each supplier’s restrictions with its part.
The vehicles shown for an OE number are inferred: an aftermarket part that lists the number is listed for them. Volkswagen Classic Parts adds Volkswagen numbers that no supplier lists, with the models its catalogue names them under; a model named there does not prove that a part fits a particular vehicle either.
A marketplace’s search for a number is repeated when its page is viewed and the last check is a few days old. Other shops’ prices come from their product feeds or catalogue. Catalogue data can contain errors: if you find one, please tell us.
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