When Ordering Car Parts, Which Side is Left or Right?
âThe driverâs side is considered the left side, right?â Thatâs a question that many restorers have asked themselves time and time again. To be frank, it can be extremely confusing, as your right side if youâre looking at the car is the total opposite of your right side if youâre driving it. Years ago, auto manufacturers realized this and used to stamp an âLâ or an âRâ on the assembly portion of the headlights and taillights so that you wouldnât get confused, but there are so many components that differ from the left and ride side of a car, its easy to get one mixed up with the next. Dive in with us as we explore how to tell which side of the car is considered left and right, so the next time you order a part, you wonât be disappointed when you take it out of the box.
Itâs clear why some people get the âleft side and the right sideâ of the car very confusing. Simply referring to the âdriverâs sideâ and the âpassenger sideâ doesnât always suffice because in different parts of the world, the âdriverâs sideâ can be on either side of the car.
The âLeftâ is on the left and the âRightâ is on the right.
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To answer the troubling question we bring you a scenario:
Picture your dream car: it doesnât matter what it is, as long as it has four wheels and a steering wheel. Now imagine yourself getting inside and looking straight ahead. Now look to the left, see that? Thatâs considered the âLeftâ side of the car. Now look to the right. This side is considered the âRightâ side of the car.
If you stumbled into this blog because you needed to know which side was which, you might be after interior
arm rests. Or possibly, you are after tie rod ends. Whichever part you are after for whichever side you are working on, you can rest easy knowing we are here to support you along your journey!
So the next time you order
window seals, interior parts, or suspension or steering partsyou can order with the assurance that youâre purchasing the right part for the right side of the car (even if itâs on the left). For many parts like insulation and sound deadeners this distinction is not as important but for virtually everything else, it is critical to get right.
Now that weâve established which side is right and left, here are a few easy tips to remember when ordering your next part. These will keep you from making a blunder:
No matter what part of the world you are in, left is left and right is right. Regardless if youâre driving a classic left-hand-drive American muscle car or a classic right-hand drive Aston Martin, picture yourself sitting in the car and refer to the directions as such.
The next time you pick up the phone or go to your computer to order parts, make sure you donât fall into saying âdriverâs sideâ and âpassengerâs sideâ. Although these terms may help you when ordering from a local parts supplier, where all of the parts in stock are for left hand or right-hand drive vehicles, this may not be the case if you order from an international supplier. Because many classic vehicles were made in both left and right-hand variants, referring to the âdriverâs sideâ can be a roll of the dice, especially if the auto part supplier youâre purchasing from is based in another country. Trust us, nothing is worse waiting for weeks for the
classic car parts you desperately need to arrive and itâs for the wrong side of the vehicle.
At
Collectors Auto Supply, we encourage you to browse our inventory or give us a call. Here, we strive to get you the right part the first time, every time. Visit us to get started with your next part order.
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