How do you do a stocktake of car parts?

Stop issuing and receiving parts at a cut-off time, post every open delivery and parts issue, then count shelf by shelf and record what is physically in each location. Compare the counts with the system, recount large variances, record the reason for every adjustment, and write down damaged or obsolete parts.

How often should a dealership count its parts inventory?

Run a full physical count at least once a year and cycle-count in between: high-value and fast-moving parts monthly, the rest quarterly, so every location is counted several times a year.

What is a good parts stock accuracy?

Aim for 95% or more of counted lines matching the system without adjustment. Lower accuracy usually means parts are used without being recorded against a vehicle or a sale.

Which app tracks auto parts inventory for a car dealer?

Car Dealer Tracker tracks parts, batches, stock levels, suppliers, purchase cost, part sales, and margin beside the dealership's vehicles in the same app as its vehicles, expenses, and profit, on iPhone, iPad, Android, and the web.

Car parts stocktake: how to run a physical parts inventory count

A parts stocktake (a physical inventory count) compares what the system says you own with what is actually on the shelves. For a car dealer or a small workshop the difference is real money: missing parts are paid for twice, dead stock ties up cash, and a wrong count makes every repair estimate and vehicle profit number wrong. This guide shows how to run a count in a day, reconcile it, and keep the parts inventory accurate until the next one.

Why a parts stocktake matters for a dealership

Parts sit between two parts of the business: they are bought as inventory, then consumed by reconditioning or sold over the counter. When the count drifts, both sides suffer. Reconditioning costs on a vehicle look lower than they were because a part was taken without being recorded, and parts margin looks higher because shrinkage never reaches the books.

A regular physical inventory count closes that gap. It also surfaces slow-moving parts that should be returned, sold, or written down while they still have value.

Prepare the count before anyone touches a shelf

Most of the errors in a stocktake are made before counting starts. Spend an hour on preparation and the count itself becomes routine.

Pick a cut-off time and stop issuing and receiving parts until the count is finished
Post every open delivery, return, and parts issue to a vehicle or sale before the cut-off
Print or export the expected stock list by location, without quantities if you want a blind count
Label every shelf, bin, and storage area so each part has exactly one location
Split the store into zones and assign two people per zone: one counts, one records

Count by location, not by part number

Walk the store shelf by shelf and record what is physically there. Counting by location finds parts that are stored in the wrong place; counting from a part list only finds the parts you already expect.

Count each bin once, write the quantity immediately, and mark the bin as counted. Open boxes count by unit, not by box. Damaged or obsolete parts are counted and flagged separately so they can be written down instead of disappearing into the total.

Reconcile variances the same day

Compare the counted quantities with the system. Small variances on cheap consumables are normal; large variances on expensive parts need an explanation before the count is closed.

For every significant variance, check the obvious causes first: a delivery posted but not received, a part fitted to a vehicle but not recorded as an expense, a return sent back without a credit, or a part stored in a second location. Recount anything that still does not match. Only then adjust the system quantity and record the reason.

Recount every line where the value of the variance is above your threshold
Attach parts used in reconditioning to the vehicle, so its cost and profit stay correct
Record write-offs for damaged and obsolete stock with a reason
Keep the count sheet or export as evidence for the accountant

Measure stock accuracy and value

Two numbers tell you whether the parts inventory is under control. Stock accuracy is the share of counted lines that matched the system without adjustment; aim for 95% or better. Stock value is quantity times purchase cost for every line; compare it with the previous count and with monthly parts sales to see how many months of stock you are carrying.

Parts that have not moved for six or twelve months deserve a decision: return them to the supplier, sell them at cost, use them on your own vehicles, or write them down.

Keep the count accurate between stocktakes

An annual stocktake fixes the numbers once. Cycle counting keeps them right: count a small group of locations every week so every bin is counted several times a year, with the expensive and fast-moving parts counted most often.

The habit that matters most is recording a part at the moment it is used. When a mechanic takes a part for a vehicle, the part should leave stock and appear as an expense on that vehicle at the same time. A parts inventory tracker on a phone makes that a ten-second step at the shelf instead of a note that gets lost.

Count high-value and fast-moving parts monthly, the rest quarterly
Receive deliveries against the purchase record before parts go on the shelf
Issue parts to a vehicle or a sale, never 'to the workshop' in general
Review slow movers every quarter

How Car Dealer Tracker helps with parts inventory

Car Dealer Tracker keeps parts in the same app as your vehicles, expenses, and profit: stock levels, batches, suppliers, purchase cost, part sales, and margin. When a part goes into one of your own vehicles, record it as an expense on that vehicle so the vehicle's profit stays correct. The current stock list in the app is your expected list for the next count.