car parts/numbers not in owner's manual, where else do I look?

user1168934

Feel free to facepalm before answering


I am having a hard time finding out the correct parts to buy for my car. I thought the owner's manual is the natural place to look but it never seems to have the exact part number or anything.


For instance, right now I need to buy oil and oil filter. The owner's manual does not say what to look for. When I search online I get multiple matches. For instance, for oil I get 0W-20, 0W-30 and 5W-30. Similarly, when I search for oil filter I get two matches where outer diameter is different - very confused what to buy.



Am I looking in the wrong place. Is there a place where I can go and find the exact part needed?

foxy-stoat

The correct oil WILL be in the owners manual - the oil filter part number will not.

Call up a motor factors and give them your registration number, they will be able to sort you out.

user1168934

foxy-stoat wrote: »

The correct oil WILL be in the owners manual - the oil filter part number will not.

Call up a motor factors and give them your registration number, they will be able to sort you out.

Thanks for the replay. I have searched in the owner's manual, believe me it's not in there. It does have a diagram listing various oils - not sure how to interpret the diagram.


What is a "motor factors"? never heard the term.

jimbo6977

motor factor (plural motor factors)

(Britain, Ireland, chiefly plural) A retail supplier of car parts and accessories.

facade

The diagram in the handbook probably shows the recommended grades for different temperature ranges. There will be a band with the oil grade written in that stretches horizontally over a temperature axis.


Pick the one that suits the normal temperature range where you live.
If it unexpectedly gets a lot colder then you will have to stay in until the thaw.

Goudy

Quite often the owners manual will list all the oils for different markets/climates, cooler and warmer climates often need different grades.

They'll also list different oils for all the different engines available in that particular model.

So you don't always get a simple note in the manual telling you which you need, just a diagram against climate and engine type, particularly with vehicles that are sold globally.

There are online motor factors you could try, just enter the reg number should bring up all the options.
Eurocarparts and GSF are such sites and these two usually have local depots to collect from/return too.

Sites like Opie Oils work the same way for oil and filters, but they are mail order.

Quite often in a cars production run the manufacturers might swap out parts for later/better ones, so parts and part numbers can change for the same make and model from certain dates/chassis numbers.
If it's a really problem, you need to go to the dealers/main agents parts and service desk with you chassis number.

If you gave a clue to make, model, year and engine, you might get a bit more help.

user1168934

After a lot of advice, I decided to use 5W-30 in the end. Hopefully it will help someone reading this post in future.