How to photograph and measure a part for a quote
The rule: photos first, never the part
To quote a reproduction we need to understand the part, not possess it. Do not ship anything to get a quote - a handful of good photos and rough measurements are enough, and your original stays safely with you. If the project goes ahead and the sample is needed for engineering, that happens after you approve the quote, not before.
The photo checklist
Use daylight or bright even light, a plain background, and a ruler or tape measure lying next to the part in at least one shot. Then photograph: every face of the part (top, bottom, all sides); the mating faces - the surfaces that touch, plug into or clip onto other components - up close; any damage, from two angles; and the part number or any moulded markings if they exist. A modern phone camera is completely sufficient; sharpness matters more than resolution, so tap to focus and hold still.
The measurements that matter
Perfect measurement is our job later; at quote stage rough numbers scoped with a ruler or calipers are enough. Capture the overall envelope (length, width, height), the diameter of any holes or shafts the part fits, and one wall thickness if you can reach it. Millimetres, please. If you have calipers, two or three key dimensions written on a sketch or straight onto a photo help enormously; if you do not, the ruler-in-frame photos already carry scale.
Tell us where it lives
Context drives material choice and pricing, so include: the vehicle (make, model, year), where on the car the part sits, what it touches (fuel, coolant, sunlight, a hot manifold), how it failed, and how many you need. One sentence per item is plenty. 'Heater lever, 1985 W123, snapped at the pivot, need two' is a genuinely useful brief.
Broken or incomplete? Send it anyway
Do not clean up, glue or 'improve' a broken part before photographing - fragments laid out next to a ruler tell us more than a repaired lump. If sections are missing entirely, add photos of where the part mounts on the car and, if possible, of an intact example from another vehicle or an online listing. With that package we can usually quote within a couple of working days.
FAQ
Do I ever need to ship the original?
Only after a quote is approved, and only when the engineering genuinely needs the physical sample. Quoting never requires shipping.
I have no calipers - is a ruler enough?
Yes. Ruler-in-frame photos give us scale; precision measurement happens on our side during engineering.
Can I send a video instead?
A short video helps for mechanisms and moving parts - send it alongside the still photos, not instead of them.
Have a part you can't source?
Request a quoteRelated
Your project stays yours.
Every part we reverse-engineer and produce is confidential and exclusive to the client. We do not resell, share or reproduce a client's parts for anyone else unless the client explicitly authorises it. NDAs available on request.
Part numbers, vehicle names and model designations are manufacturer references used only to identify components. Replique Labs is an independent manufacturer and is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by any vehicle manufacturer.