Built like a parts database,
not a search box.
Most parts marketplaces are listing pages with a filter bar. Parts Resolve is a structured cross-reference graph with cited evidence, DVLA-verified vehicle data and fitment precision down to the VIN breakpoint.
Listings vs. a real catalogue.
What other sites have
- A flat list of part listings
- Make / model / year dropdowns
- Exact-match part-number search
- One ranking, mixed sources
- No source for compatibility claims
- Manual catalogue ingestion
What Parts Resolve adds on top
- A part-number graph with relation types and confidence
- DVLA-verified VRM lookup with history snapshots
- Fuzzy + phonetic search with confidence scores
- OEM anchor / equivalents / aftermarket / used as separate blocks
- Cited evidence attached to every cross-reference
- VIN, gearbox and steering-side breakpoints on every fitment
- Public REST API with per-key auth and OpenAPI docs
Eight things no other UK parts site does.
All of these are live in the platform — not roadmap, not vapourware. Each card names the underlying data so you can verify it via our API.
A real cross-vehicle part-number graph
Most parts sites are flat lists of listings. We model parts as a graph: every part number sits in a canonical group, with links between OEM, aftermarket, brand-equivalent and superseded numbers — each link tagged with a relation type, a confidence score and a reason.
When you search a number, we resolve it to its group, then surface every other number in that group plus every supplier holding any of them. That is how a Mondeo MAP sensor and a Transit MAP sensor end up on the same screen.
- One search finds every equivalent part number
- OEM, aftermarket and superseded numbers grouped together
- Every match comes with a confidence score
eBay Motors, Euro Car Parts, GSF, Autodoc — none publish a true cross-reference graph. They list parts; we connect them.
Every cross-reference cites its source
A claim that two part numbers are equivalent is only as good as the evidence behind it. Every link in our graph can be attached to one or more evidence assets — manufacturer URLs, screenshots, catalogue pages — with a snippet showing the exact line that proved it.
When the API returns a match, the evidence travels with it. You can audit any cross-reference back to the document it came from.
- A source link on every cross-reference
- Screenshots and catalogue snippets attached
- Auditable back to the original document
No mainstream parts marketplace shows you why a part is claimed to fit. We make the proof first-class data.
DVLA-backed VRM lookup, with history
Type a UK number plate. We hit the DVLA Vehicle Enquiry Service in real time and return the canonical record — make, model, year, fuel, engine capacity, MOT status, tax status, CO2, Euro status, wheelplan and more — then cache it for 24 hours and snapshot every fetch for history.
Fitment is computed from this verified vehicle data, not from user-typed make/model strings. That is why the offers shown are actually the right offers.
- Type a number plate, get the real vehicle
- Make, model, year, engine, fuel — direct from DVLA
- Cached for 24 hours, with a full lookup history
Most marketplaces ask you to pick a make/model from a dropdown. We start from the plate and let DVLA tell us the truth.
VIN breakpoints, gearbox codes and steering side
A 3-Series brake disc on a chassis built before VIN BA572061 is not the same as one built after it. Most sites ignore this — you order, you fit, it does not match, you return. We parse VIN breakpoints, gearbox codes (ZF 6HP26, DSG, PDK, DCT, S-Tronic, etc.) and LHD/RHD straight out of listing text and store them on the fitment row.
When you ask for a part for your specific car, we filter offers by every breakpoint we know about — so the cheapest match is also the right match.
- Filters by VIN build-date breakpoints
- Knows the gearbox code (DSG, ZF, PDK, S-Tronic…)
- Splits left- and right-hand drive correctly
This is the most common reason parts go back. Solving it is, in our own code, literally labelled "the killer features that beat 90% of parts sites."
Fuzzy part-number matching with confidence scores
Mistyped a digit? Missed a hyphen? Read it off a greasy invoice with a 0 that might be an O? We normalise, then run trigram similarity (on Postgres, via pg_trgm) plus soundex boosting — and fall back to Levenshtein on smaller deployments. Every result comes back with a 0–100 confidence score.
You see exact matches first, then near-misses, then phonetic neighbours — never just a "no results" wall.
- Forgives typos, missing hyphens and 0-vs-O mix-ups
- Phonetic matching for numbers read off greasy invoices
- Confidence score on every result, never a dead-end
Most parts sites do exact-string lookup. Type one character wrong and you get nothing. We assume the human in front of the keyboard is in a workshop, not a search bar.
OEM anchor, equivalents, aftermarket and used — in one view
Every search returns four named blocks: the cheapest new OEM/dealer offer (the "anchor"), other OEM equivalents, aftermarket brands (Bosch, Valeo, Brembo, Febi, etc.), and used / breaker stock. Each row carries condition, warranty, lead time, supplier trust score and total cost (price + shipping).
You always know the dealer benchmark and the cheapest legitimate alternative on the same screen — no guessing whether you missed a better deal.
- Dealer price shown as the benchmark
- OEM equivalents and aftermarket brands side-by-side
- Used and breaker stock kept in its own block
- Total cost includes shipping and lead time
Marketplaces blur all sources into one ranking. We keep them separate so you can compare like with like.
Public REST API the rest of the trade can build on
The same data that powers the buyer experience is exposed as a REST API: resolve a part number, look up a VRM, fetch fitments, query offers by group, batch-resolve up to 100 at a time. Per-key auth, throttling, OpenAPI spec, sandbox and SDKs.
Garage management systems, fleet apps and parts wholesalers can plug Parts Resolve straight in — no scraping, no spreadsheets.
- Plug Parts Resolve into your garage software or website
- Resolve part numbers, look up plates, check fitment
- Per-account API keys, sandbox and full documentation
Mainstream parts marketplaces guard their data. We document ours and put a key on it.
The same data, in JSON.
Every claim on this page is something you can read out of our API. Confidence scores on matches. Evidence URLs on cross-references. Supplier types on offers. VIN breakpoints on fitments. Nothing here is marketing.
Read the API docs{
"part_item": {
"id": 1284,
"display_name": "MAP Sensor — Ford 2.0 TDCi",
"part_type": { "slug": "map-sensor", "name": "MAP Sensor" }
},
"part_numbers": [
{ "number_type": "manufacturer", "brand": "Bosch", "value_norm": "0281002937" },
{ "number_type": "oem", "brand": "Ford", "value_norm": "1S7A9F479AB" },
{ "number_type": "oem", "brand": "Ford", "value_norm": "3M5A9F479AB" }
],
"matches": [
{ "value_norm": "1S7A9F479AB", "confidence": 100 },
{ "value_norm": "3M5A9F479AB", "confidence": 92 }
],
"evidence": [
{
"source_url": "https://etka.example/part/1S7A-9F479-AB",
"snippet": "Reference OE/OEM Number: 1S7A 9F479 AB; 3M5A 9F479 AB"
}
]
}Try it on the next part you actually need.
Free to join. Search a part number or a VRM and see every cross-reference, every donor vehicle and every supplier — with the cheapest match on top.