Common Gaps in an Automotive Wire Harness RFQ

An automotive wire harness RFQ often arrives with a photo, a connector family name, and a target quantity. That is enough to start a conversation. It is rarely enough to quote production work.

The delay is usually not commercial. It is missing technical control: which drawing revision is current, which connector series is approved, what temperature and vibration the route sees, how the harness is identified, and what inspection or PPAP evidence the customer expects.

This note is for overseas procurement and engineering teams preparing an automotive wire harness RFQ. It lists the gaps that most often send the review back for more information.

Drawing revision

If more than one drawing, wiring list, or 3D file is in circulation, the quotation has to assume which one is current. That assumption is a common source of later change. State the drawing number, revision, and date. If a wiring list or change notice is newer than the drawing, say which document governs the RFQ.

A photograph of a sample can help an early discussion. It does not replace a controlled revision. Branch points, wire colors, coverings, clip positions, and unused cavities need to be on the drawing or the list, not only in an email description.

If the design is still moving, label the open items. A preliminary review can proceed on an identified revision. A production quotation should not mix two revisions or treat a mark-up as released.

Connector series

"Automotive connector" is not a specification. The review needs the series, position count, keying, terminal part number, plating if known, and the mating counterpart. If a customer-approved source is required, write the manufacturer and the approved alternative rule.

Send the connector part numbers whenever they exist. If only a family name is known, say that the series is not yet frozen. A substitute that fits the schematic may still fail the housing, CPA, TPA, seal, or assembly sequence.

Also state unused positions, cavity plugs, and whether terminals are pre-assembled or supplied loose. Those details change both the bill of materials and the inspection plan. If the same interface is used on more than one branch, identify each end on the drawing.

Temperature

Cabin, engine bay, battery area, and underbody routes do not share the same thermal assumption. A missing temperature range forces the review to stop before wire insulation, seal material, and covering can be confirmed.

State the expected ambient range and any local heat source near the route. If a wire or cable type is already approved, send the specification. If it is not, describe flexing, oil, abrasion, and whether the harness is fixed or moving.

Temperature also affects identification and coverings. A print or tape that is acceptable in a cabin may not survive a hotter zone. If different branches see different temperatures, say so on the drawing or in the RFQ notes.

Vibration and mechanical load

Vibration, clip spacing, abrasion, and pull at the connector are part of the same question: how the harness is held and how it moves. If the RFQ does not describe the route, the quotation cannot distinguish a short cabin jumper from a long chassis run.

Include clip or fixture references when they exist. Note sharp edges, moving parts, and the direction the cable leaves each connector. If a vibration or mechanical test is required, name the method and whether it applies to the sample, the production lot, or both.

Do not leave strain relief implied. An overmold, boot, tape, or corrugated tube is a construction choice. If the protection method is still open, label it as open rather than assuming a factory default.

Labeling and identification

Automotive builds usually need more than a bag label. The RFQ should say what must appear on the harness: part number, revision, date or lot code, orientation marks, and any customer-specified label format.

State the label material and location if they are already defined. If wire markers, clips, or color codes carry the identification, write that down. Missing identification rules delay both packaging and the inspection checklist.

Also confirm language, barcode or 2D code requirements, and whether the same identification is needed on the carton. These items look commercial. They change the production record the factory has to keep.

PPAP and inspection scope

PPAP is a customer-defined evidence package, not a generic factory extra. If you need PPAP, state the level, the documents you expect, and the sample quantity. If you do not need PPAP, say what inspection records you do need.

Useful inspection notes include continuity and short testing, visual criteria, pull-force or crimp checks where they apply, dimensional checks on critical features, and the sampling plan. If a defect-rate target exists, define the defect and the measurement point. A number without a definition is not a quality clause.

Do not treat a quality-system name as a substitute for this scope. Certification and compliance claims should only be used after the applicable documents and their project scope are confirmed. If a specific system, audit, or submission is required, attach the requirement. If it is not required, do not leave it implied.

Sample approval and production release are different gates. State whether the first articles are for fit-check only, for a customer-defined submission, or for production release. That single line prevents the quotation from mixing prototype and series inspection work.

Close the gaps before the RFQ goes out

A complete automotive harness RFQ can still be short. It needs a controlled drawing revision, connector series and part numbers, temperature and vibration context, identification rules, quantity, and the inspection or PPAP evidence you actually require.

If an item is unknown, label it as unknown. The first review is meant to find those gaps, not to guess them. Application context for vehicle electronics is summarized on the automotive electronics page.

When the current revision is ready, send the drawing, connector part numbers, quantity, and open questions through the Request a Quote page. The next reply should be a list of missing technical items, not a quotation built on assumed conditions.