Just wondering if there was a decoder ring for the letters at the end of a part number, like AA vs AB? I know the even vs odd part numbers for the driver vs passenger sides of the car when the parts are installed as pairs or are side-specific, but do the letters mean a part number has been superceded or updated by changing the letters? For example, I'm looking for part number 5008621AA, but my searches online show only a 5008621AB available. Is the AB part number a newer/updated version of the AA part? And how many letter combinations for the last two characters of the part number are being used?
Thanks!
Part Number Question: Part number suffixes?
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francisrizzo
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You ask good questions. Here are the answers.
A part number ending in a even number is 99.9% of the time for the passenger side (right) side of the car, and odd would be be drivers side (left). I say 99% of the time because there are very rare cases when this isn't true.
The letters at the end of the part numbers is something Chrysler came up with in the late 90s to give them more part number flexibility. The AA designation is the first step in a part number's life. Different things can happen at this point. The letters may never change, or they may change to the next level (i.e. AB, AC, ect). The tricky thing is that a part will either supercede to the next level letter code and be completly interchangable, supercede and not be interchangable, or a new level code will come out that has no bearing on the original part. The only way to know for sure what the case is with each number is to verify it with a dealer.
In your case, the original AA part level seems to have been replaced by the AB level. Again, only the dealer can tell you for sure, but I'm pretty sure that the AB is the replacement part.
As far as how many combos are being used, the AA, AB, ect is used for most replacement parts. I have seen the lettering go as high as "AS". They could be higher than that now since I've been out of the Chysler parts game for a couple of years now. I have seen them use different letter combos like BB for things like bulk tune up items. Again, there may be more now.
A part number ending in a even number is 99.9% of the time for the passenger side (right) side of the car, and odd would be be drivers side (left). I say 99% of the time because there are very rare cases when this isn't true.
The letters at the end of the part numbers is something Chrysler came up with in the late 90s to give them more part number flexibility. The AA designation is the first step in a part number's life. Different things can happen at this point. The letters may never change, or they may change to the next level (i.e. AB, AC, ect). The tricky thing is that a part will either supercede to the next level letter code and be completly interchangable, supercede and not be interchangable, or a new level code will come out that has no bearing on the original part. The only way to know for sure what the case is with each number is to verify it with a dealer.
In your case, the original AA part level seems to have been replaced by the AB level. Again, only the dealer can tell you for sure, but I'm pretty sure that the AB is the replacement part.
As far as how many combos are being used, the AA, AB, ect is used for most replacement parts. I have seen the lettering go as high as "AS". They could be higher than that now since I've been out of the Chysler parts game for a couple of years now. I have seen them use different letter combos like BB for things like bulk tune up items. Again, there may be more now.
If I could just figure out how to meld the Outback and the Neon into one car...
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occasional demons
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Danteneon wrote:The tricky thing is that a part will either supercede to the next level letter code and be completly interchangable, supercede and not be interchangable, or a new level code will come out that has no bearing on the original part. The only way to know for sure what the case is with each number is to verify it with a dealer.
This. I have run across stuff with the same numbers, but different suffix letters. Mainly it is on model year specific stuff, that may or may not interchange. Such as when they make running changes in the middle of the year. Like John said, it is always best to verify with a Mopar parts person before purchasing/ordering.
When I give PN's I try my best to get the right ones, but it is not always the case. I have never worked at a car dealer, so there are certainly things I don't know what to double check for.
Most times, if I am not 100% positive, I will say so.
Bill
1999 neon coupe 2.4 swap
2021 Forester
2000 Neon MTX swap with '02 R/T PCMOlha Koba, a psychologist in Kyiv, said that “anger and hate in this situation is a normal reaction and important to validate.” But it is important to channel it into something useful, she said, such as making incendiary bombs out of empty bottles.
1999 neon coupe 2.4 swap
2021 Forester