WOW - Parts Diagrams + Search Engine = Excellent!

[Wayne 962]

Works really well. This part fell off of my Boxster, I didn't know where it went. Just typed it into our search engine, and whalla!

996-573-711-00, it pointed me right to where it goes on the car:

http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/PartsLookup/search.cgi?command=show_page&Catalog_Name=986_USA_KATALOG&Illustration=813-25&Line_Item=22

-Wayne

[David E. Clark]

Nice. This will be really useful. Things are always falling off my car! Thanks.

[Bill Verburg]

I agree the way that part #s and diagrams can be searched is a tremendous advantage for your business.

very nice!

[ljowdy]

Wayne, I concur that the parts locater "search" engine works great but try doing a simple search for threads using just 3.2 and this is what you get

The search term you specified (3.2) is under the minimum word length (3) and therefore will not be found. Please make this term longer.
If this term contains a wildcard, please make this term more specific.

I know it's been discussed too many times but,
It can become very annoying when all you have is just a short keyword

[Porsche-O-Phile]

I also love the parts diagrams but I've come across a few times where the part highlighted does not necessarily match up with the one on the picture. Not sure if that's your DB though (could be a PET thing?)

Most of the time it works well enough to figure out which part it is that's needed though.

[Elombard]

Wow

I was going to shoot you an e-mail and suggest you look at the "K&K manufacturing" website. They do vintage Mercedes stuff. They have a similar system, not as nice as this though.

Hey - any time frame on the boxster - 996 book?

[RWebb]

You definitely have the most advanced system out there, Wayne! Maybe you can license it to Stoddards(!)

One simple improvement would be to add as keywords the words people (usually Americans) most often use to describe something - e.g. charcoal canister doesn't bring up what we expect. That could be added to the items.

You might even add a way for users to suggest additional search terms and then have somebody review the list before adding them (to keep out fubar and such).

[Walt Fricke]

Jeff

I think most (if not all) parts diagrams come from factory sources. And I think the factory did not necessarily update their drawings when they changed the design of a part. Even when the change was more than just increasing brake rotor thickness, for instance. They must figure the mechanic would look at the diagram, find the part that performed the function, and then would find the part number for that part which corresponded with the year/model of the car, since the printed manuals often list three or four different part numbers for the same part depending on what years the manual covers, etc. And then there are superceding parts, and on it goes.

More power to Wayne if he can improve on this, but there may be a limit at some point or he'd spend all his time having drawings done or pictures taken of the often small differences between parts. Though that would be nice.

Walt