A lot of times in the GM service manual or owners manual I see references to supplies and tools and parts that people would usually buy off the shelf as generic items rather than GM items. For instance:

"Apply GM P/N 1052196 or equivalent brake lubricant to the adjuster screw threads"

So how does a person know what is equivalent to GM P/N 1052196, /for example/?

Is there a table somewhere that would tell somebody the common names of these GM items?

Thanks.

P.*. What is equivalent GM P/N 1052196 anyway?

Synthetic brake caliper grease I believe.

Depending on what it is.. some of the stuff is a J tool for example and in most cases you can buy an equivalent if you search for tools for that type of job.

Other stuff like goops and fluids..well those can be based on opinion. For example when something says blue rtv, red rtv, black rtv. Those are usually blue for water areas, black for oil etc etc. Permatex Ultra Copper is great for any RTV application in a motor. It works well for all fluids, therefore there'* one RTV in my box.