HOWTO: Use the Toyota Parts system to find & order parts

EDIT: As of May 2023 Toyota has apparently stopped using PartSimple to fulfill their parts system, which made a large portion of this post worthless. I've had to modify this post to reflect that change, but I'm leaving the original content below the red text below just in case they move back, away from the new system.

If you're the type of person who buys parts directly from the dealership parts counter, I guarantee you're unnecessarily throwing money away .

Why?

Dealers will almost always charge you full MSRP on parts if you walk up to and/or call their parts counter to make orders!

Here's the thing ... you are NOT required to pay full MSRP for genuine OEM parts. EVER. You DO NOT need to (and should NEVER) resort scAmazon or fleaBay to get discounted OEM parts (b/c their rife with knockoffs). In fact, if your local dealer charges full MSRP at the counter and they participate in Toyota's national parts program, there's a solid chance you can pay the discounted price, then pick up at that exact same parts counter!

Mind you, not all dealership offer at the same discount rates, and some actually turn off all discounts on their dealership-specific Toyota Parts portal, but it remains a fact: The cheapest, safest way to get OEM parts - because we all know you absolutely CANNOT TRUST scAmazon or fleaBay for legitimate parts these days - is to leverage Toyota's national parts program.

While I wholeheartedly recommend using Toyota's system for parts ordering, after they changed their portal in 2023, I encourage folks to do their parts# investigations at another site, then carry the part number back to the Toyota Parts site. I explained how to hunt parts in great detail when I originally created this post, as seen in the pictures below which I'm leaving intact b/c some of that info is still valuable, but I'd recommend using another website to drill-down for the correct part number, then bring that part number back to the Toyota Parts site.

Info on using the EPC for parts drill-down is here:

• Visit this site: https://toyota-usa.epc-data.com/tundra/
• Plug your full VIN# into the search box and click SEARCH; this should return parts only applicable to your vehicle's factory config (cab type, drivetrain, colors etc.)
• Click on the parts grouping you want to investigate from the 4 options returned, i.e. 'Engine', 'Electrics', 'Body & Interior', 'Transmission' etc.
• In most cases you'll be given some high-level exploded diagrams ("Schemes"). Scroll down to find the exploded schematic with your area of interest, and click on it; if there's only one schematic showing, skip to the next step.
• In the final scheme you're reviewing, either (A) click on the reference number pointing at your part in the picture, noting that "RH" and "LH" refer to right-hand and left-hand parts, where applicable, or (B) click on the part description link to the right.
• Review any notes or details on the final parts page, especially if there are multiple part numbers; for example, with interior parts, you may find color designations like "MD GRAY", "OAK", or "FAWN" for the part color. Use your brain, some may be in shorthand.
• After you're confident you have the right part number, plug it into the https://autoparts.toyota.com system and check for local dealerships to see what the discounted pricing is, or just order it from McGeorge (now Ourisman) Toyota since they have some of the best online pricing nationally.
• Pro tip: If you need a sanity check, sometimes searching the part number in Google Images, and even in fleaBay will give you visual confirmation of the part. It may help to search for (A) the part number in quotations, or (B) removing any dashes from the part number, or (C) a combo of both A&B.
• See additional cost-saving notes about using the parts system.

If all else fails, or the price just seems too goddamn high for your palate, check out McGeorge (now Ourisman) Toyota's online storefront. They have some of the deepest parts discounts nationally, but note: They have three separate storefronts! Two of those DO NOT use the new Toyota Parts system, and all three will give you different discount levels! Be sure to give them your VIN also so they can confirm your part is correct.

Whatever you do, and I cannot stress this enough: DO NOT trust scAmazon or fleaBay or WallyWorld's websites for legitimate OEM parts. They're breeding grounds for fraud/counterfeiting these days. This is especially true for hot-ticket smaller items like spark plugs, coil packs, and anything electronic.

Good luck, happy hunting, hope this thread saves you a few bucks.

OTHER HELPFUL NOTES:

If you use the national parts system (https://autoparts.toyota.com) there's a couple of helpful things to know:

• Every dealer is able to (variably) increase/decrease/remove their own percentage of discount on Toyota's pricing. Some dealers are assholes and stick with MSRP, as if you walked up to the counter off the street. Most of the dealers in my area offer 10-20% off Toyota's listed MSRP, sometimes more.
• Toyota does periodic regional and national sales, adding an extra 15-30% off; currently, at the time of this reply, Toyota is offering 25% off, at least at southeastern USA dealers.
• When those periodic sales happen, the final discounted price DOES NOT show up until you reach the "checkout" page!! This has been confusing for some people in the past.
• Typically speaking, you'll get free shipping on orders over $75, which may be an incentive to some folks; you once needed to add coupon "FREESHIP" to get it, but lately, I've found dealers to be adding it automatically.
• I've noticed some participating dealerships have opted to remove the in-store pickup option, this is something World Toyota of Atlanta near me has chosen to do for some weird reason. Which sucks, because they have a higher discount than most other local dealers. But thanks to them choosing to do that, they've lost about $1,500 in parts purchases from me alone, and Marietta Toyota has benefitted as a result
• Some dealers also offer tax-free purchases, I've been using this specific one in Birmingham AL which won't charge tax unless you live in AL ... although I'll warn you, that specific dealership has another store in Decatur AL, and the parts manager at the Decatur store is an unscrupulous, inept piece of shit so I only order from the Birmingham location to avoid the problems that manager (Eric F) has caused for a couple of members on this forum.

[---- Original Post Follows, the below text refers to the old system, which Toyota no longer uses ----]

Toyota changes the way the system works occasionally, so while this information may be outdated in a year, the birds-eye, fundamental overview of what I'm showing should remain mostly valid. Companies tweak their web stuff periodically but don't normally change the entire user experience very often.

Why should you use this? OEM is king, and Toyota incentivizes ordering parts through their Parts website. They'll give you anywhere from 5% - 90% off the full MSRP price you'll be asked to pay ordering directly at the parts counter.

Why would they do that? Who knows! Toyota's the only OEM that does this ... they just happen to be the only one I've seen who lets you order online for pickup at any participating dealership. Unfortunately, not every dealership participates, and the discounts each participating dealership offers is wildly variable. Be sure to check every nearby dealership's price before you add things to your cart in the system ... many will offer deeper discounts than others. Some near me give you 5% off one part, while another gives me 35% off. It's wild!

Anyway, here's the breakdown on how to parts hunt, or to get part numbers from Toyota's exploded diagrams:

First, point your web browser at https://parts.toyota.com

Plug your VIN into the search box:

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When the search returns, you'll see the box next to the search should have the make/model of your truck and all its options pre-populated correctly:

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The easiest thing to do from that point, honestly, is to click on the year of your vehicle, which is displayed on a "you are here" style directory path above everything else on the results page, which will bounce you out of the Search Products mode:

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Doing that should put you into 'Category' mode, where you can select your parts using the boxes. "Body and Interior" has all sheet metal and interior bits and is where 90% of all things people ask about on here are found.

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Once you click on a category, scroll down into the list of assemblies to find the one that's the most logical "bucket" for your specific part, then click on the popout box to open up the exploded diagrams for that part. Like, in this case, if I were hunting for the armrest switches, you'd click on the popout for Armrest & Visor next...

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Now you'll find yourself in the exploded diagrams area. There's two important things to point out here. I'll number them here for sake of reference because they're critical to finding your part...

1. VIEW FULL SIZE: If your eyes suck like mine, this magnifies the size of the exploded diagram. First thing I click.
2. VIEW MORE IMAGES: Some assembly sections have multiple exploded diagrams, like engine stuff may have a V6 exploded and a V8 exploded, or for interior parts, different exploded for regular cab, access cab, double cab. This is probably the biggest 'gotcha' in the system.
3. PARTS LIST: Note the columns. Far-left column "#" corresponds to the numbers/letters shown in the exploded diagram (except for cases like bullet 5 in this list).
4. PINK BOXES: These boxes are almost never aligned correctly and don't always work, but they're supposed to be next to a part/part#, and if you click them, it jumps you to the exact part in the parts list. Or it doesn't. It's hit or miss, check points 5 and 6 for how to manually find the part.
5. ACTUAL PART NUMBER: Some items in the diagram are going to have the full-on Toyota part number listed instead of just a reference. This is common with bolts/fasteners and such. If the number shown in the exploded is more than 6-7 digits, or it's hyphenated, it's probably Toyota's actual part number. The shorter numbers/letters will virtually always be a reference to an item in the parts list.
6. PARTS LIST REFERENCE NUMBER: I drew a line to the column showing where this part is referenced. Like, if I scrolled down in the parts list for this photo, you'd eventually find "74210" as a number, and that'd be your part. Again, remember that different clicking different exploded diagram images will show you different

EDIT: Quick note to say, some items, like the two next to the number 6 in the diagram, have other info next to them in parenthesis, like the "(RH)" and "(LH)" you see which designates RIGHT HAND part or LEFT HAND part, depending on the side of the vehicle it's in. Sometimes other areas of the diagram may have designations like "DC", "AC", "RC" for the cab type the drawing or part pertains to. You may also see a number, which identifies the actual total quantity used, like, the diagram may show only one fastener attaching an oh-shit grab handle, but a "(2)" next to the actual part# in the diagram, there are actually 2 total fasteners required to install that part.

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About the PARTS LIST ... It does give you a brief summary of the part, the UCK/VCK numbers which tell you what chassis the part fits, etc. (sometimes there's more than one variation of the part). But generally speaking, you can click on the "PART NUMBER" in the list and it takes you to in-depth info:

EDIT: Also important to mention, the QUANTITY (QTY) column tells you the total number required for a new installation. Like, if this were a valve cover bolt, you may see "11" in the QTY. It has nothing to do with the quantity that will be added to your cart in their system:
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And for the in-depth info ... here are the critical tips I'd pass along which may help you shop. IF EVER IN QUESTION ABOUT WHETHER IT'S THE RIGHT PART, CALL YOUR LOCAL DEALERSHIP TO CONFIRM! I'm empowering you with knowledge, but I'm not responsible for you ordering the wrong damn part.

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Finally, after you click the "Shop Now" button for any dealership in the list on the parts detail page, you'll be shown the pickup price at that local dealership. As you see in the pic, each dealership may have a different price. Look at the picture above, note the MSRP price is $3.51 - that's what you'll pay if you go directly to the dealership parts counter, if not more. The Shop Now button will show you what the discounted parts price is for the dealership. In this case you save 26%, but I've seen as high as 60-70% off!:

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That's really all there is to it. Once you've done this a couple of times, it's easy. It's a lot to digest at first, and there's really no reason you can't just call the dealership directly, ask the parts guy to look it up, then submit the order online. The only catch is, if they order the part using the number they pull up, you get a refund if it's wrong in most cases. If you order the part with their part number, they may not be so forgiving.