Auto parts shop software in Rawalpindi

The spare-parts roads of Saddar

Rawalpindi's parts trade sits in the cantonment. In Saddar, Adamjee Road starts at the five-road crossing, crosses Kashmir Road and runs towards the railway; beyond Kashmir Road it is lined with shops selling spare auto parts for almost every model running in Pakistan, and the old Chhota Bazar follows after them. Kashmir Road itself, which runs from the Mall Road to Murree Road, has its own market for automobile spare parts next to its clothing and tailoring shops.

A parts dealer here serves three kinds of buyer at once. Car and motorcycle owners come in with a broken part in a plastic bag. Mechanics from workshops across the city send a boy with a list and want it on their account. Other shops ring up for a part they do not have. Each of them describes the part differently: by the car and year, by a number on the old part, or just by what it does.

Most shops stock more than one grade of the same part. Genuine parts, local makes and used parts pulled from other vehicles sit on the same shelf at very different prices, and a customer who paid for genuine must not leave with local.

Many parts shops in the city also run a workshop or work closely with one. The vehicle stays for a day, labour and parts are added as the job goes on, and the bill has to include all of it when the owner comes to collect.

A day at a Rawalpindi parts counter

Finding the part. A customer says "Corolla brake pads". Each part lists the vehicles it fits by make, model and year, so the search finds the right pads, and a part number or OEM number finds it too. Common Pakistani cars and bikes are added in one click; anything missing can be typed in.

Grades. The part card shows whether it is genuine, local or used, with its brand, condition and warranty. The price on the bill follows the grade the customer chose.

The workshop. A car comes in for a noise in the suspension. Open a job card, assign a mechanic and set the promised time. Parts taken from the counter go straight onto the job, and labour is added when it is done. Each mechanic's open jobs, labour for the month and commission due show on his page.

Old parts back. When a customer hands in the old part, it comes off the bill as a trade-in, then goes back to the supplier or to scrap.

Bringing them back. Every vehicle is kept by number plate with its owner, visits, spending and service history. Oil changes due by date or meter, and insurance, token tax and fitness renewals, are listed and sent on WhatsApp in one click.

Questions from Rawalpindi parts dealers

Mechanics take parts on credit. Can I keep their accounts?

Yes. Each mechanic or workshop can be a customer with a khata, so parts taken on credit and payments made later stay on his account, with reminders on WhatsApp.

Can I find a part when the customer only has the old part number?

Yes. Search by the part number or an OEM or other number saved on the part card.

Does it work without internet?

Yes. Bills are made on the device and sync when the connection returns.

A workshop sends the same car every few months. Can I see what was done before?

Yes. Open the vehicle by its number plate. Every earlier job, the parts fitted, the mechanic who did the work and the money spent are listed, so the next diagnosis starts from the history instead of a guess.

Can a salesman change a part's price at the counter?

Changing the price on a part card needs the permission to edit products, so salesmen bill at the listed price unless you allow more. A discount above the counter limit needs the discount-override permission.

Is there more on this trade?

See the auto parts page, the Rawalpindi mobile shop page for the other Saddar trade, and Rawalpindi.