Most of us have spent time searching on the Internet to find a replacement heavy duty truck part, usually when we need it right now. You can either search a specific website or try your luck on Google, Bing, Yahoo or some other online truck part search engine. Both approaches have value. A specific parts oriented website that allows you to search to the part number level may give you the information you are looking for quickly. Google and other search engines may give you multiple sources for a truck part.
But both channels have real drawbacks. If you find a part on a specific heavy duty truck parts oriented site, you don’t have the opportunity to get competitive pricing or availability. To get competitive pricing you need to search yet another part site. Also, the company might be an Internet-only company that ships from a long distance away when you need the part today. Search engines, as we all know may give a real part number or, just as likely, a serial number for a toaster (sometimes I think these folks must be having a good laugh at my expense).
There is another problem that will confound both; the part number you are using may not be the right part number for that site. For example, a D2 Governor can be found under all these legitimate part numbers: 0908160, 275491N, 275491X, AV275491, 275491RX, HDX275491X, R955275491, HA275491RX. And there are a lot more numbers (representing 17 brands), but you get the idea. You will get a different search result depending on which part you enter, and different sources depending on the brand.
So what’s the best way to search? There are a couple of options. You can search truck parts specific web sites that can have part numbers they carry. If you don’t find your part number, you can give them a call. There is the truck parts dealer website that has part information for your equipment. This is a good option for OEM truck parts, not as good for aftermarket parts. The game changer are sites like www.tractor-part.com and PartsRiver Part Search and which use powerful search technology, large databases of parts, and an extensive list of dealers and distributors. The search results are based on zip code, so you should find a seller near you. All three options have merit and I would love to hear what you have found to be the best option.