Adding Parts

You can add parts to estimates and repair orders in a number of ways.

When the labor is added, the included parts are added automatically. You can see the labor and parts together in the Job-Based View.

Searching for Parts

When you click the Parts button in the ticket toolbar the add parts toolbar button.. The Edit Parts window opens in search mode. You need to search for a part before you can add it to the ticket.

Complete these steps:

  1. On the Edit Parts window, type part information in the following fields:
    • Part Number
    • Alternate Number - If checked, the alternate part number field is searched in addition to the Part Number field too.
    • Description - If any information has been entered in the Part Number field, that information is used to search instead of the description. Make sure the part number field is blank to search on description.
  1. Press the ENTER key.
  2. The Parts List opens displaying a list of matching parts in Inventory.

  1. To add a part from the list, either double-click on it or select it and click OK.
    • To view or edit the part record in Inventory first, click the Go to Inv button.
    • If the part you entered is not in the list, click the New Part button to add it to Inventory.
    • To exit the list without selecting a part, click the Cancel button.
  1. The fields on the Edit Parts window auto-populate from the part record in Inventory.

Default Search

By default, the system searches for matching text or numbers at the beginning of the Part Number or Description.

Wildcard Search

If the To Perform a Wildcard Search option is checked in Quick Parts, the system searches for matching text or numbers anywhere in the Part Number or Description here on the Edit Parts window.

NOTE: Wildcard searches take longer than standard searches because the search criteria is much broader.

Searching in Quick Parts First

If you are having trouble finding the part on the Edit Parts window, you can open Quick Parts from the main toolbar The quick parts toolbar button. and search for parts there. Search results in Quick Parts display more data about each part than the Parts List, which can help you find the exact part you need faster.

When you find the part there,

Enter and Add a New Part on the Fly

If you need to add a part on the fly, you can add the part just to the current estimate or repair order by entering its information on the Edit Parts window. Only use this option if do not need to track the part's usage.

Complete these steps:

  1. If the part you need does not exist in Inventory, the Parts List says "No Matches Found!"

  2. Click the New Part button to create the part for the estimate or repair order. The Edit Parts window opens in entry mode.
  3. Enter the part details in the fields.
  4. Click OK. The part appears on the ticket.

If you want to enter the part into Inventory, click the Search Inv button.

Editing Part Window

The Editing Part window

This section lists the various fields and options on the Edit Parts window.

It is important to remember that the fields and options that appear on this window when you open it depend on the settings in Configuration for parts, labor, payment, and repair orders.

Part Number

This is the part identification number selected by the shop to identify a specific part. This could also be the vendor part number, however, every part number must be unique. Duplicate part numbers can be used as long as the line codes are different.

This is a searchable field. Type in part number information and press the ENTER key. See Searching for Parts.

Description

This is the description of the part. The description is a searchable field. Type in description information and press the ENTER key. See Searching for Parts for more information about searching for parts.

Alternate Number

Check this field to identify the part number in the Part Number field as an alternate part number. Alternate number is useful to identify like parts that have different parts numbers or track old part numbers.

Check this field, enter a portion of the alternate number in the part number field, and press the Enter key.

Line Code

This is the part manufacturer’s line code; it can be used to group and sort Inventory Reports.

When duplicate part numbers are entered in Inventory, the line codes should be different so that the system treats them as separate parts. When posting parts from parts catalogs such as Epicor, line codes are also transferred to the repair order.

NOTE: If you are using online catalogs, you should turn on the prompt to update line codes in Inventory and History in Configuration (Configuration menu > Parts > PO Transfer and Other Parts Options > When Changing Existing Part's Line Codes).

To Order

Check this field to include

When posting parts from one of the online catalogs, this field is checked automatically .

Smart Pricing

This box is checked when the price was calculated using a smart pricing matrix.

The box is also checked automatically when new non-stock parts are added to the repair order.

Whether or not this box is checked, you can click the The question mark button. button to see matrix pricing details for the part.

If the box is not checked, you can check it to apply the default pricing matrix.

Oil Info Button

When you add oil parts in a oil group to an estimate or repair order, an Oil Info button appears on the Edit Part window. Click it to view or edit oil information.

Oil information prints on estimates, work orders, and repair orders.

Tire Info Button

When you add tires in a Tire Group (tire group) to an estimate or repair order, an Tire Info button appears on the Edit Part window.

The button is red when DOT information is required for each tire. You cannot finalize the repair order until the DOT numbers are entered. Tire information prints on estimates, work orders, and repair orders automatically.

For more information, see Tire Parts on Tickets.

Quantity

This is the quantity of the part to be used on this particular repair order. Enter the appropriate quantity.

Cost/Unit

This is the average cost of the part being installed.

Level

Select the appropriate pricing level for this customer. Retail is the default, but you can click Edit Customer to change it. The pricing multiplier for the selected level is used to calculate the price the customer is charged.

Click the Price Calc button at the bottom of the screen to calculate the price the customer is charged.

Price/Unit

This is the charge to the customer per unit for this part. This charge may be entered manually, or calculated. To calculate the price, click the Price Calc at the bottom of the screen. If the part is selected from inventory, this information is automatically entered.

Extended

R.O. Writer calculates this field. The value is the quantity times the price per unit. A change in either the quantity field or the Price/Unit field will cause this field to be recalculated.

Margin

R.O. Writer calculates this field. This is the gross profit margin for the part. This is calculated by dividing the margin (selling price minus cost) by the selling price.

Menu

Select this item if you want to include this part as a Menu Jobs, which means the total price to the customer is in the labor operation. As a result, the price for the part changes to "0.00" and replaced by "Menu" in the Parts column.

The part prints on the repair order only if the Print Menu Parts option is selected in Configuration.

No Fees

Select this item if you do not wish supply fees to be calculated on the price of this part (see Taxes and Fees).

Taxable

Select this option if sales tax is to be added to the extended price of this part. Sales tax is applied at the configured rate (see Taxes and Fees).

PST Tax and GST Tax

These options appear only if the GST/PST Taxes option is selected in the International Options Configuration setting. GST and PST are Canadian taxes .

See GST/PST on the Editing Parts Window.

Source

Select whether this part is a stock (The part was obtained from the shelf and already in inventory.) or a non-stock part (The part was purchased outside just for this vehicle.). If these options are grayed out, the option ALWAYS was selected in the Configuration module under R.O. Options for status adjustments. The system in that case will select non-stock when there are no parts on hand.

Invoice #

This is the invoice number from the supplier of the part. This field is used if

Post to AP Button

This button appears instead of a data entry field if

This button remains red and the part remains red on the Parts/Labor tab until you post an accounts payable invoice for the part. You cannot finalize the repair order until the part has been posted.

Click this button to post the part to Accounts Payable. This serves the same function as clicking the Post AP button in the toolbar. Follow the instructions for posting invoices by detail.

NOTE: Once the Post Accounts Payable Invoice window opens, you will no have no access to the Edit Parts window. Therefore, make a note of the supplier and part before clicking the Post to AP button.

When an accounts payable invoice has been posted, the Invoice # field displays the invoice number grayed out.

After a part has been posted to Accounts Payable, the following fields are disabled:

NOTE: These fields remain disabled even if a part's price lock has been overridden.

Package

There is a field on the part screen called package add, if you wish to charge an additional amount per quantity for a specific part. This only works when the job has a package price. The additional “package add” amount is added to the total package price.

See Package Adds on Parts for more information.

Supplier

Select the appropriate supplier from the dropdown list. If the appropriate supplier is not in the list, click the "+" and add the correct supplier (see Parts Suppliers). If parts are posted using the Accounts Payable module, the supplier will automatically be entered here.

Department

Select the appropriate parts department from the dropdown list. If the appropriate parts department is not in the list, click the "+" and add the correct part department.

NOTE: Changing the parts department on a part with a core charge would change or remove the core if the department it was changed to was part of a parts department group that had a different core amount or no core set up. A prompt warns you that the core will be changed or removed.

Technician

Select the technician who installed the part from the dropdown list. If the appropriate technician is not in the list, click the "+" and add the correct technician.

Fee/Type

If there is an additional fee charged in conjunction with this part, select the appropriate fee type from the dropdown list, and enter the amount of the fee.

Part fees are set up in Configuration in Configuration menu > Parts > Other Taxes and Fees.

Warranty

Select this option indicates that you are using the warranty for this part. Because customers are not charged for warrantied parts and services, the dollar amounts are zeroed out. After the repair order is finalized, this part is included in the Warranty Parts Report.

You can use this option even if the part does not have a warranty set up for it in the Inventory module.

Declined by Customer

Select this option to signify that the part was recommended for replacement, but the customer chose not to have it replaced. The parts description will appear on the repair order, but will shown declined. This is useful to document unsafe parts that need replacement when the customer chooses not to replace them. This could possibly limit liability in case of some accident involving this customer and vehicle.

Returned

When a part is purchased from outside for this specific vehicle and posted through Accounts Payable and the part needs to be returned to the supplier, it is necessary to have the ability to track that part. When was it returned to the supplier and when was the credit received so it can be posted in Accounts Payable.

Core Received with Sale

Check the Core Received With Sale box to receive the core in core returns in Inventory and not charge the customer for it. See Core Sales Tax Options for information on how to handle sales tax when receiving cores.

Core Credit

When a customer brings a core back, add the part to a new repair order and check the core credit box. This changes the part to a non-stock part with a 0.00 price and creates a credit repair order for the core return. The part will not reduce the inventory on hand and the core is received in core returns.

Why Replaced

If it is desirable to track why the part was replaced, select the appropriate reason from the dropdown list. The reasons in this list are created in Configuration module > Configuration menu > Parts > Reasons for Replacement.

Job

This option is only available when using the job based view. Select from existing labor operations on the repair order from the dropdown list in which this part is used. If the job is selected before the Part button is selected to add the part, the part will already be assigned to the selected job.

Why Returned

When an outside purchase part is marked as returned, select a return reason.

Price Calc Button

The parts price calculator may be used at any time to calculate the unit price that charged for a particular part by clicking the Price Calc button.

If the cost, or the shop’s cost for a part is entered, the parts price calculator will compute what needs to be charged for this part in order to make the minimum profit margin. The profit margin, the multiplier, or the price per unit may be changed, and the other two fields are adjusted accordingly.

When using smart pricing, the Price Calc button will default to using smart pricing. If any of the values are changed, the price is recalculated and the Smart Pricing box is unchecked when the part is saved on the ticket. To recalculate based on smart pricing, check the Smart pricing box.

If the customer has a different price level or an alternate price level for the part itself is selected, the price will not automatically change to that price level.

To recalculate using a different price level for non-stock parts, re-select the price level using the dropdown list or you may need to uncheck the Smart Pricing box and click the Price Calc button. For stock parts, you can re-select the price level using the Level dropdown list. This pulls the price level already stored for that part in inventory.

Also displayed by the calculator is the unit cost of the part, the price level, the parts department, the cost multiplier for the selected department, and the minimum margin. If the price is adjusted below the minimum margin, a warning message is displayed.

Selecting OK saves the part and returns to the repair order. Selecting the Next button saves the part and displays a blank Edit Part window where you can enter the new part with the same technician that was entered on the previous part already selected.

See Non-Stock Parts Pricing for detailed information on pricing non-stock parts.

Stores Button

If you are using R.O. Writer in several shops and the Central Office module and have configured multiple databases, you can click the Stores button to check the local inventory in your other locations.

If the parts are available from other store locations, the store number and the quantity available display. This information is only correct as of the last "round trip" Central Office Transmission (i.e., stores transmit, central office transmits, and the stores transmit again, etc.).

Override Button

The price of a part (and related fields) can be locked on estimates and repair orders. If the price for a part is locked or locked with price minimum, an Override button appears on this window.

Click the Override button to re-activate locked fields. The Override button is usually password-protected.

See Price Locking Parts for more information.

Modifying Prices and Labor Times

If you need to modify price and labor times, you need to enter those numbers in the appropriate fields. Numbers are entered from the right side of the field. For example, entering "1" displays "0.01".

After all the details are entered, click OK. These changes apply only to the part on the current estimate or repair order.

NOTE: Pricing information for parts can be locked, which means that the pricing information cannot be modified. If so, an Override Button appears at the bottom of the window. See Price Locking Parts for more information.

Updating Part Changes to Inventory

Parts added from Inventory can be modified. By default, those modifications apply only to the part on the estimate or repair order and do not affect the part's information in Inventory.

There is an option in the Configuration module that allows you to change the master file of a part from estimates and repair orders. If the Configuration menu > Repair Order > R.O. Options > Miscellaneous > Allow On-the-Fly Changes to Parts and Labor Files is checked, a prompt appears when a part has been edited on an estimate or repair order.