Parts in Pistonlog live on jobs — there's no separate inventory. You add them to a job on a jobcard, then track them through ordering and fitting on the Parts board. When something needs to go back, the returns flow takes it from Return Required through to Credit received.
Add a part to a job
Open a jobcard, go to the Jobs tab, and open the job you want to add to.
Click Add Part
Inside the job, click Add Part. A new part line appears.
Search the parts catalog or type a description
Click the search icon to pick from your parts catalog — parts you've used before. Selecting one auto-fills the description, supplier, and price. Or type a description from scratch.
Set quantity and sale price
Enter the quantity. Leave the Sale price blank to have Pistonlog calculate it automatically from your parts markup. Type a price to override it.
Who sees what
Technicians can add parts and update statuses, but they don't see the sale price or buy cost. Owners, Managers and Reception see both the sale price and the buy cost by default.
Track parts on the Parts board
The Parts board (click Parts in the sidebar) shows every part across all your jobcards in one list. Use it to manage ordering and spot what still needs to arrive.
Move a part through the ordering statuses by changing its Status inline:
- Pending — order not yet placed
- Missing — can't be located or sourced; excluded from the customer's invoice and printout
- Ordered — sent to supplier
- Arrived — in the workshop
- Fitted — on the vehicle
You can search by part, job, or jobcard reference, or filter by supplier or status to narrow the list down.
Handle a return
When a part is wrong, faulty, or not needed, set its status to Return Required from either the jobcard or the Parts board. Then log and track the return from the Parts board.
Set Return Required
Change the part's status to Return Required. This flags it for return and removes it from the customer's invoice and printout.
Log the return
A Log Return dialog opens (you can reopen it any time from the receipt icon next to the status). Enter a reason if you want one, and once you've physically sent the part back, set the Date Sent or click Mark Sent. The status moves to Return Sent.
Mark received by supplier
When the supplier confirms receipt, click Mark Received in the return dialog. This records the date on the return; the part's status doesn't change.
Record the credit
Once the credit comes through, click Mark Credited and enter the credit amount. The status moves to Credited.
Returns need their own permission
Logging and updating a return needs the Manage returns (returns.manage) permission. Owners, managers and reception have it by default; technicians don't, so a technician can set a part to Return Required but can't open Log Return or record the sent, received and credited milestones. Someone at the desk picks it up from the Parts board.
Chase stale returns
The Parts board flags any return sent more than 7 days ago with no credit recorded. Filter by Stale Returns to see them all in one view, so you know exactly what to chase with suppliers.
Jobcard total vs invoice total
A part marked for return is excluded from the customer's invoice and printout, but the live total on the jobcard screen still includes it until you invoice or print. If your screen total looks higher than the invoice, this is why.