S197 Understanding Wiring Harness Part Numbers

[Stangra]

As in...
I wish I had some understanding!

I need to replace my front wiring harness for 2014 Mustang GT, unfortunately these are discontinued parts so I think my best option is a used harness.

My harness has this number on it:

I'm guessing the first 2 rows are the part#. No idea what the large 3E, or the last row of characters mean, but I see used part numbers with variations.

I've reached out to a couple of dealers, provided the VIN and they tell me I need DR3Z-14290-EA.
Hmmm...

I'm looking on Ebay for each of these part #s and searching by application too, but I encounter
seemingly dozens of variations of part #s, all purportedly are correct.

I've heard it said that there's no such thing as a stupid question, just stupid people , at the risk of being labeled as such I gotta ask anyway!
What am I missing?

 

[mwjscn]

D=2013 (the model year for the part being new, for instance a 2012 uses a 2010 MY hood, so it still carries an 'A' designation.)
R3=Mustang Platform
Z=Parts Department (original parts have the original department code, hence the T, but over counter parts are all Z)
######=Part Number (often the same across platforms, hence why the DR3Z prefix is important)
Letter(s)=Variation Code (like if there is a base part, a GT part, or a Shelby part, certain option packs, etc)

Best way to confirm part numbers is to use the VIN of the car you're shopping for into parts.ford.com. eBay won't have as accurate a part fit confirmation, since their grid is at best Make, Model, Trim with no variances for options.

If you're looking for that specific part number on eBay, just ask the sellers for a picture of the harness tag and match it to yours. Most salvage yards on eBay already do this and include it on the listing, but if they don't have it on the listing just ask.

 

[Stangra]

D=2013 (the model year for the part being new, for instance a 2012 uses a 2010 MY hood, so it still carries an 'A' designation.)
R3=Mustang Platform
Z=Parts Department (original parts have the original department code, hence the T, but over counter parts are all Z)
######=Part Number (often the same across platforms, hence why the DR3Z prefix is important)
Letter(s)=Variation Code (like if there is a base part, a GT part, or a Shelby part, certain option packs, etc)

Best way to confirm part numbers is to use the VIN of the car you're shopping for into parts.ford.com. eBay won't have as accurate a part fit confirmation, since their grid is at best Make, Model, Trim with no variances for options.

If you're looking for that specific part number on eBay, just ask the sellers for a picture of the harness tag and match it to yours. Most salvage yards on eBay already do this and include it on the listing, but if they don't have it on the listing just ask.

This sounds pretty clear, and then...
I reached out to AutoNation Ford White Bear Lake inquiring about same and they responded;

"The engineering number (prefix and often suffix) on the harness is almost always different than the part number in the catalog and on the box. The correct number you'd want to order in the catalog is indeed DR3Z-14290-EA. This harness would most likely have the same DR3T14290EJ on the label."

If this is true I will source the p/n they attribute to my car. Just don't want to end up owning a non-returnable/incorrect part

 

[mwjscn]

The prefix will always be different when buying individual parts. As mentioned above, Z is the catalog code for Ford Service Parts. The tag or molded-in part number will have a different code for the 'Design Responsibility Center', such as Engine design, Chassis design, Electrical design, etc. The suffix is also why I heavily suggest cross-referencing what you find with your VIN on parts.ford.com. It's not an entirely transparent system, but you can find what you need with a pretty high degree of success if you follow through all the different confirmation avenues available to you online.