Everything you Ever wanted to know about VW part numbers

The Volkswagen and Audi part numbering system was created in the early 1930s by Dr. Ferdinand Porsche.  Ferdinand Porsche is best known for Founding Porsche as well as creating the original Beetle.  This Part numbering system will be found in use by many VWAG models including VW, Audi,Porsche, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Seat and Skoda.  While at first glance the part number just looks like a long string of numbers.  We will show you that there is much more to them.

Please note that while all the information you find is accurate every one of these rules has variations as there are many parts that cross multiple models and engines.  The rules stated cannot be taken as ALWAYS, but more most of the time.

With that being said the letter O will never be used in VW part numbers(recently there have been a few exceptions but you can ignore them).  The number 0 is what you should use.  Often when a VW or Audi parts professional might be reciting a part number for”1J0″ they might say ” One J O”. When they say what sounds like the letter O they mean the number 0.   With that out of the way we can move on to the part number.

The main portion of the VW part number consists of 9 digits.  This is 3 groups of 3 IE. ( XXX XXX XXX ).  As you can see in the illustration below the groups have different meanings.  The 1st group of 3 numbers represents the mode of vehicle or engine the part applies to.  The 2nd group of 3 is broken down into 2 sections the first number in the group of 3 is the Main group, and the 2nd 2 represent the sub group.  The 3rd group represents the location of the part on the vehicle.

Group 1- Model/ Engine Application “ XXX XXX XXX”

This group of 3 numbers represents the engine or model that the part would most commonly fit.   Below you will find listed the more common numbers, and what they apply to

Models

7L6 – Touareg

7L0 – Touareg

5N0- Tiguan

5G0 – MK7 Golf or GTI

5G1 – MK7 Golf or GTI

5K0 – MK6 Golf or GTI

5K6 – MK6 Golf or GTI

5C7 – MK6 Jetta Sedan

5C6 – MK6 Jetta Sedan

5C5 – New Beetle 2013 >

5C0 – New Beetle 2013 >

561- New Passat 2012 >

3C9 – B6 Passat Wagon

3C8 – CC all

3C0 – B6 Passat or CC

3B9 – B5 Passat Wagon

3B5 – B5 Passat

3B0 – B5 Passat

1Y0 – Beelte Convertible

1Q0 – EOS

1KM- MK5 Jetta

1K9 – Sportwagen

1K6 – MK5 Jetta or GTI

1K5 – MK5 Jetta or GTI

1K0 – MK5 Jetta or GTI

1J9 – MK4 Jetta Wagon

1J6 – MK4 GTI or Golf

1J5 – MK4 Jetta

1J0 – MK4 Golf or GTI

1EM – Cabrio

1E0 – Cabrio

1CM- Beelte

1C0 – Beetle

Engines

021 – VR6

022 – VR6 (24valve)

037 – 2.0 (ABA engine code)

038 – TDI (ALH engine code)

03G – TDI (Pumpe Deus)

03H – VR6 3.6L

03L – TDI (Common Rail)

058 – 4 cylinder engines including 2.0 and 1.8T

06A – 4 cylinder engines including 2.0 and 1.8T

06C – 3.0L V6 Audi

06E – 3.2L VR6 Audi

06F – 2.0T FSI

06H – 2.0T TSI

06J – 2.0T TSI

06K – 1.8T and 2.0T (MQB MK7)

06L – 2.0T (MQB MK7)

074 – TDI (ALH engine code)

077 – V8 (Touareg)

078 – 2.8 V6 (for B5 Passats)

07K – 2.5 5 cylinder

These listings are generally going to apply to models or engines listed, but some VW models share parts so you may find exceptions to the info above.

Group 2 – Main Group and Sub Group “XXX XXX XXX”

The 2^nd group of 3 is known as the main group and sub group.  The first digit in the group of 3 is the main group.  This identifies what system the part will be found in on the vehicle.  The second 2 digits are known as the subgroup.  The sub group identifies where the parts are found inside the main group.

Main Group– Identifies the system the part is located in the vehicle.  They are listed as 0-9

1. Engine
2. Fuel Tank, Exhaust, and Air Conditioning
3. Transmission
4. Front Steering, Suspension, Axle and Differential
5. Rear Suspension, Axle and Differential
6. Brakes and Wheels
7. Pedals,Shifter and E-brake
8. Body
9. Electrical
10. Accessories,Radio, jack and tools

Subgroup – Identifies where the part falls within the Main group there are much too many of these to list but I will show a few examples.

Example 1– Valve cover for a MK5 Jetta 2.5 engine 07K-103-469-L.  The main group is “1” for Engine the subgroup is “03”.  In sub group “03” you will find many parts related to the engine block and cylinder head.  This includes the oil pan, engine block,valve cover, valve cover gasket, oil cap and lots more.

Example 2 – Timing Chain Adjuster for 2.5 07K-109-083-F.   The main group is “1” for Engine the sub group is “09”. In subgroup “09” you will find all timing related parts.  This is true for all VW engines.  This includes all timing belts, chains, tensioners or guides.  All timing parts will be found in “109”.

Example 3 – Water Pump for 2.5 07K-121-011-B The main group is “1” for Engine the sub group is “21”. In subgroup “21” you will find all cooling system related parts.  This includes the water pump, cooling system hoses, thermostats, coolant housings, radiators and mounting related to said parts.

Example 4 – Fuel Injector for 2.0T TSI engine 06H-906-036-P  The main group is “9” for Engine the subgroup is “06”.  Even though the fuel injector is an engine related part because it is electrical it will be in main group “9”.  This is true for most electrical engine parts.  In main group “9”subgroup “06” you will find mostly sensors related to the engine.  This include oxygen sensors, mass air flow sensors, crank and cam sensors, and many others.

Example 5 – Window Switches for MK5 Jetta 1K4-959-857-B-REH The main group is “9” for Engine the sub group is “59”.  In subgroup “59” you will find many interior electrical switches.  This includes fuel door switches, trunk switch, window switches, as well as window motors.

Group 3 – Location Identifier “XXX XXX XXX”

The 3^rd group of 3 numbers identifies where on the vehicle you would find the item.  Items in the front of the vehicle will have lower numbers than vehicles in the rear. The most important digit in this group of 3 is the last digit.  This will tell you which side of the vehicle the item is on (this only refers to body related items engine parts do not apply to this rule)

The rule is that all parts that end in odd numbers refer to the Drivers (Left) side of the vehicle. Therefore, if the 9^th digit in your part number is 1, 3, 5, 7 or 9 the item is for the driver side.

Consequently all parts that end in even numbers refer to the Passenger (Right) side of the vehicle. So if the 9^th digit in your part number is 0, 2, 4, 6 or 8the item is for the driver side.

Example 1  MK6 Jetta Drivers(Left) Front Fender 5C6-821-105.  This item must be for the Drivers side because it ends with the odd number which is 5.

Example 2  MK6 Jetta Passenger(Right) Front Fender 5C6-821-106.  This item must be for the Passenger side because it ends with the even number which is 6.

Group 4 – Modification Code “XXX XXX XXX XX”

The modification code is only used when need, so NOT all parts will have this. It will be shown after the first group of 9 digits.  The modification code is used when there is something different about 2 parts that use the same 9 digit base.  These differences may be a change in design,material or vendor.

Example 1 – 06H-905-115-B this is the newest version of this 2.0T ignition coil.  The previous version had some quality issue with caused a part number supersession or change.  The previous part number was 06H-905-115-A.  In this situation A changed to B.

Example 2 – 1K0-127-434-A and 1K0-127-434-B these are TDI fuel filters.  In the situation the B does not replace the A.  They are 2 different part number with 2 different applications.

Group 5 – Color Code “XXX XXX XXX XX XXX”

This will generally be found on interior trim as well as exterior parts.  This will identify the color of the item.  Not all parts have this but more often than not any interior or exterior part will. These will always be 3 digits and if you are have a part number of an interior trim that you are having a hard time finding you might be missing this.

GRU- Found on Body Parts this means Primed for paint

01C – Black (mostly found on models 05 and older)

1QB – Black (Interior trim)

2F4 – Pearl Grey (Head liners and pillar trim)

3H8 – Black (Head liners and pillar trim)

4T6 – Corn Silk Beige (Head liners and pillar trim)

82V – Titanium Black (interior trim)

95T – Corn Silk Beige (Interior trim)

9B9 – Black (current models)

R48 – Beige (Mostly 05 and older)

We hope this insight into the world of VW and Audi parts helps.  These is much more depth to some of these categories and exceptions to every one of these rules.  Unfortunately there is so much info that is would make this almost unbearable to read. Please feel free to leave us feedback about this at [email protected].