Custom TecDoc parts matching app development
Appfront builds apps for automotive parts wholesalers, webshops, garages and service centres that sell or fit car parts: from registration number to vehicle type, from vehicle type to the parts that fit according to TecDoc, and your own items and stock matched to the catalogue using OE and cross-reference numbers. So the counter, the webshop and the workshop all find the same part, and fewer parts come back because they don't fit.
What is a TecDoc parts matching app?
TecDoc is the aftermarket catalogue: parts manufacturers supply their items with the vehicles they fit, along with OE and cross-reference numbers. Anyone selling or fitting parts wants to use that information: find the right brake pad from a registration number, and know whether they have that pad in stock. A TecDoc parts matching app connects the catalogue to your items, your stock and your sales channels.
Without such an integration, the counter employee looks up on one screen which part fits, then checks on another screen whether it is in stock, under a different number. The webshop shows parts without vehicle data, or with data that is wrong. Items under your own brand, or from a supplier not in the catalogue, cannot be found by registration number. And every part that comes back because it doesn't fit costs a shipment, a handling step and a customer.
We build custom solutions because the matching must suit your items and systems: which suppliers and brands you stock and how their numbers are structured, which items are not in the catalogue, which ERP, webshop, till or workshop software you use, and how you obtain the TecDoc data. Using TecDoc data requires a licence from TecAlliance; the app works with the data you are entitled to use.
Registration number to part
A registration number converted to the vehicle type, with the parts that the catalogue says fit, grouped by part category, along with the characteristics to choose from.
Your items matched
Link your items and those of your suppliers to the catalogue via article, OE and comparison numbers, with a worklist for anything that doesn't match automatically.
One search result everywhere
Counter, webshop and workshop search the same matching and see stock and price straight away. A part that fits and is in stock appears at the top.
How we build your TecDoc parts matching app
We start with your article file: how many items, from which suppliers, how many are already linked to vehicles, and how many returns come from parts that don't fit.
Your suppliers and brands, your article file, how you source TecDoc data, and which ERP, webshop and till or workshop software you use.
Linking your items to the catalogue via article, OE and comparison numbers, and the worklist for items without a match.
Search by registration number, vehicle and part number, with stock and price per matched item, for counter and workshop.
Integration with your webshop, ERP and till, updating when new catalogue versions are released, reporting on searches and returns, and ongoing management afterwards.
What a TecDoc parts matching app actually does
The components below come up in almost every aftermarket business. Which ones you need depends on your channels and on how many of your own items you stock.
Registration number lookup
A registration number converted to make, model, engine and vehicle type, with a choice where several variants are possible.
Search by vehicle and number
Parts per vehicle and part category, or by OE number and cross-reference number, with the characteristics that determine which variant fits.
Item matching
Your own items and supplier items automatically linked to the catalogue, with a worklist and manual linking for anything that doesn't match.
Stock and price
For each matched item, your own stock, the stock held by suppliers and the price, so that the best available part appears at the top.
Channels
The same matching in your webshop, at the counter, in the till and in workshop software, via an interface.
Search and returns
Searches with no results, part categories without stock, and returns with the reason 'does not fit', per item and per supplier.
Who we build a TecDoc parts matching app for
The app is intended for businesses that want to find and sell parts by vehicle, and where the link with their own items is currently missing or done by hand.
Parts wholesalers
Many items from many suppliers, delivered to garages. Article matching and stock per match are the core.
Automotive parts webshops
Customers who search by registration plate. A correct plate lookup and accurate search results matter most.
Garages and chains
Ordering parts from the work order. Integration with workshop software and supplier stock is what's needed.
Remanufacturing and specialist businesses
In-house or remanufactured items that are not in the catalogue. Manual matching and cross-reference numbers are the core.
Test your idea first: a working prototype in 1 day
With OneDayBuild, we turn your idea into something tangible in one day for €1,150, so you can see whether further development is worth the investment. Decide to go ahead with the full build? Then we credit the full cost.
Explore OneDayBuild →Technology and integrations
This page is about matching parts to vehicles. For the workshop, see our page on garage management software; for parts for machinery and installations, our page on service parts software; and for lead times in damage repair, our page on parts lead times in damage repair. You can read about our approach on software development.
Why Appfront for your TecDoc parts matching app?
A part that doesn't fit costs more than it earned. That's what we build around: the catalogue linked to your own items, and the same answer everywhere to the question of what fits.
Fewer returns
The part sold is the part the catalogue says fits this vehicle. Returns with the reason "doesn't fit" become visible per item.
Your own stock first
A registration plate shows what you hold in stock at the top. The counter staff don't need to search across two screens.
Items not in the catalogue too
Own brands and refurbished items are linked by hand and are then just as findable as the rest.
Security and privacy for a TecDoc parts matching app
The app holds article data, purchase prices, stock and customer details from the sales channels. Access is set up by role: the counter and workshop search and sell, purchasing manages matching and prices. TecDoc data is only used within the terms of your licence.
The app runs in a European data centre, with encrypted storage and daily backups. Integrations with webshop, till and suppliers use their own keys, which can be revoked per integration.
Frequently asked questions about a TecDoc parts matching app
Questions parts businesses ask before getting started.
It converts a licence plate into a vehicle type, shows the parts that TecDoc says fit, links your own items and those of your suppliers to the catalogue via article, OE and comparison numbers, shows stock and price per match, and delivers the same search result to the counter, webshop and workshop.
Yes. TecDoc data is made available by TecAlliance under a licence, and the terms determine how you may use the data, for example in a webshop. The app works with the data you are entitled to; you arrange the licence directly with TecAlliance or through a partner.
Via a vehicle database that links the licence plate to a vehicle type in the catalogue. Sometimes several variants are possible, for example by engine or year of manufacture; the user then chooses based on the characteristics.
They go onto a worklist. Through OE or cross-reference numbers they can often still be matched, or a member of staff links them manually to the vehicles they fit. After that, they are just as searchable as the rest.
Yes, through an integration that the webshop calls when a search is made by licence plate or part number. The webshop then shows the same fitting parts with stock and price as the counter does.
Each time a new version of the catalogue is released, the links are checked again. Items whose link has changed or lapsed go onto the worklist.
Check that first. There are standard integrations with TecDoc for well-known webshops and ERP packages, and those are enough if you mainly sell catalogue items. Custom development makes sense if you have many proprietary or non-catalogued items, if several channels need to use the same matching, or if supplier stock needs to be taken into account.
Fewer parts returned because they don't fit?
Tell us how many items you stock, from which suppliers, how you source TecDoc data and through which channels you sell. We will show you what the matching, licence plate lookup and worklist look like.