Module 31 · Foundation · 8 min read

Building the services and parts catalogue

You will be able to: Create a service and a part with the right fields; Explain how a line becomes Labour, Service or Part in the detailed print; Use the starter catalogue safely.

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Everything on an estimate or invoice comes from the catalogue of services and parts. In Parts & services you press New part or service and choose a Type: Service or Part. The type is fixed once saved. If it is wrong, change it through the Advanced item master.

Service or part

  • A Service is sold by the hour or as a fixed job and keeps no stock. Its selling price is shown per hour.
  • A Part is a stock item. It has a cost price, and a reorder level: at or below that level the part is flagged for buying.
  • A Consumable is a shop supply such as a cloth, gloves, cleaner or tape. It is used on cars but never sold, so it stays off prices, estimates and invoices.

Useful fields

FieldWhy it matters
Name, Code, UnitLeave the code empty and the next number is used
Selling pricePer hour for a service; per unit for a part
Cost priceParts only; drives margin reports
TaxThe VAT code, normally the 5% standard rate
Standard time (hours)A job line starts with these hours; you can still change them
Fits vehiclesEmpty means all cars; otherwise the job lists parts that fit its car first
Next service after (km or months)Feeds the Reminders list
Warranty (months, days, km)Prints on the invoice

How a line is classified

Some customers want the inside detail of a bill separated into Services, Labour and Parts. The detailed print of the estimate and invoice does this from the item. A stock item is a Part. A sub-work item is Other. Any other line is Labour when its unit is an hour, or its item has a standard time, or the item is flagged as labour; otherwise it is a Service, such as a car wash or an inspection fee.

Three lines, three sectionsAn oil change bill has Engine oil 5 L at 36.00 = 180.00 (Part), Oil change labour 0.5 hour at 100.00 = 50.00 (Labour, because the unit is an hour), and Car wash at 20.00 (Service). The lines total 250.00, VAT is 12.50 and the customer pays 262.50. The detailed print shows three sections whose totals add up to the same bill.
TipUse Load starter catalogue on a new garage. It creates the common services and parts through the normal item screen, so VAT and units are right, and a service with ordinary labour starts at your labour rate. It never overwrites a code you already have, so loading it twice is safe. Then check your prices.

Try it in the demo

  1. Open the Garage demo at https://garage.zeyto.app and open Parts & services.
  2. Open one service and one part and compare the fields: price per hour and standard time against cost price and reorder level.
  3. Find the Fits vehicles field and read its hint.
Open the live demo

Public demo company, sign in as admin / demoAdmin123. Data refreshes nightly.

Key takeaways
  • Services keep no stock; parts do, and are flagged for buying at the reorder level.
  • Consumables are shop supplies that never appear on customer documents.
  • Hourly unit, a standard time or a labour flag makes a line Labour in the detailed print.
  • The starter catalogue is idempotent: existing codes are skipped, never overwritten.

Check yourself

5 questions on this lesson. Not timed, not the exam, and you can try again. Score 60% or more, and read the lesson, to complete it.

1. Which item type keeps stock and has a reorder level?

2. Why is a Consumable different from a Part?

3. An oil change bill has engine oil 180.00, labour 50.00 and a car wash 20.00. What is the total including 5% VAT?

4. In the detailed print, which line becomes Labour?

5. You load the starter catalogue a second time. What happens to items whose codes already exist?

Previous: The setup guide: company, VAT and labour ratesNext: Technicians, users and logins

Practice questions for this module · Printable study sheet