VW Audi Seat Skoda Part Numbers Explained
VAG (Volkswagen Group - VW, Audi, Seat, Skoda) part numbers may look confusing to the untrained eye but they do in fact tell you a lot about the part and even the car it is used on!
This guide will hopefully provide users with help in determining what the VAG part numbers mean and provide help when searching for part numbers for your car.
The VAG part numbering system is a very logical sequence of numbers and letter, almost a language in itself. Once you understand how a part number is made up, you could almost guess what a part number would be!
A typical basic VAG part number consists of a 9 digit block which in turn contains three seperate 3 digit blocks.
A typical VAG part number looks like this: 1J0821021
This can be broken down into the three 'lots' of the digits, i.e.:
1J0 821 021 - Each group of three digits has a specific meaning:
1J0
N.B. All VAG cars have a specific chassis model code. Please see our separate MODEL CODES GUIDE for further information on the various VAG chassis models codes.
1J is the model code for the car the part fits. In this case, 1J is a MK IV Golf.
Sometimes when a part is different for left hand drive cars or right hand drive cars, the third digit will denote either LHD or RHD. A 1 would indicate the LHD and a 2 would indicate RHD. So:
1J1 = a LHD specific MKIV Golf part
1J2 = a RHD specific MKIV Golf part
1J0 = Not specific to LHD or RHD models
Another way the first three numbers are used is when the part is different for various body versions of the same car. i.e.:
1H0 is MK3 Golf
1H9 is MK3 Golf Estate
3B5 is Passat Saloon
3B9 is Passat Estate
N.B. For certain engine and gearbox parts the first three digits of the part number do not denote the model code but the engine or gearbox the part is used on. An example of this is a part starting 02A is used for 02A gearboxes or a part starting 058 is for VAG 1.8 petrol turbo engines.
821
The next group of three digits 821 has two meanings.
All VAG parts numbers are divided into 10 main groups and then into several sub groups. The main groups relate to the different vehicle assembly groups of the car as follows:
Engine, Clutch
Fuel tank and pipelines, Exhaust System, Air conditioning System
Transmission
Front Axle, Differential, Steering
Rear Axle
Wheels, Brakes
Hand and Foot levers, Safety Covers
Body
Electrical Systems
Extras, Accessories
Our part number begins with 8. This means it belongs to group 8 which as we can see is 'body' and we refer to this number as the 'main group'. The 21 is the specific 'subgroup' of (
body, and the subgroup 21 is always wings.
The part number so far is 1J0 821 so we know already that is is a Golf MK IV wing!
N.B. A part number that has a 98 as its 5th and 6th digit is a 'kit' part. i.e., it contains more then one part. An example of this is brake pads:
1J0 698 151 M is a set of brake pads for a MKIV Golf.
021
The last three digits are the 'real' part number of every part.
The last three digits in our example part number are 021. The number 021 has two meanings. 021 is the part number for a wing, also when a part is sided, i.e. left or right, the very last digit (1 in this case) denotes the side. An even number means right hand side, an odd number means left hand side. So in the example part number, 021 is a wing and the side it fits is the left hand side (being an odd number). This is normally always the case with only a few exceptions.
So our part is a left side wing for a MK IV Golf!
N.B It should be noted that left and right are always used when viewed from the rear of the car.
For the UK the left (passenger) side is nearside and right (drivers) side is offside. An easy way to remember is nearside is nearest the kerb, hence, nearside.
Frequently there will be a tenth digit after the 9 digit block which will be a letter. This refers to either the versions of this part i.e. if different models have different versions of the part, or if a part has been superseded, this letter will increase along the alphabet to indicate that a supersession has taken place.
An example of this:
1J3 831 055 H - This is a VW Golf IV 3 door left side door. Note the 3rd digit refers to the 3 door model and the 9th digit is an odd number so this denotes left side. The tenth digit 'H' denotes the version of the door.
1J4 831 056 H - This is the right side front door but for a 4 door model. Note the third digit refers to a 4 door model and the ninth digit is an even number so it is right side. Again the 10th digit denotes the version of the door.
Finally, some part numbers will have a further 3 digit block which denotes a colour or interior trim code. These can be parts for the body or interior of the car. An example of this is:
1J0 807 217 C GRU - This is a front bumper for a MK IV Golf. Note the 807 refers to Main group 8 (body) and subgroup 07 (bumpers) the 217 is the specific number, the C is the version of the part number. The GRU is the colour code. In this example GRU denotes 'primed' so the bumper is supplied primed.
Another example is:
1J0 857 311 A 01C - This is an ashtray for a MK IV Golf. The 01C is the interior trim code for black trim.
Remember that very often VAG will use parts across a range of cars. So you may be as likely to find a part number beginning 1J that originated on the MK IV Golf on an Audi A3 or a Seat Leon.
I hope that you found this guide useful.
