[urq] Using the Family Album - HELP (Long)

Tue Apr 26 01:47:29 EDT 2005

Ok Andrew (and group), this is the best I can do:

I will try to use your example number in as many possible places here. The 
part number breaks down into the three sub groups. If you seperate 443, 498 
and 099 you can usually come close to what the part is and where it goes.

The first three numbers have to do with the chassis the part was ORIGINALLY 
DESIGNED for. Using "443" for example, we need to break it down even more. 
"44" means type 44 chassis and "3" usually means non turbo. So, you will see 
part number that starts with "85", "81", "89", etc etc etc. The last number 
of the first three digits denotes what actual car is was designed for, again 
the "3" is non-turbo. "7" usually means turbo, like 447 (5ktq), 857 (UrQ), 
and so on and so forth. A "5" is always a Coupe or wagon application, like 
"855" would be Coupe GT, "895" would be Coupe Quattro and "445" is 5k/200 
Wagon. Where as 893 would be? Yep, you guessed it, type 89 chassis, 
non-turbo. There are other tricks too, like 856 is still a Coupe GT, but 
it's right hand drive, but you'll learn that as you go. Remember this all 
applies to what the part was DESIGNED for, you will find LOTS of "857" parts 
on a 4kq, even though "857" is UrQ. Another exception is the V8. As the V8 
is basically a type 44, but offically they called it the D11, so V8 parts 
end up being "441", go figure...and yet another exception, the Sport 
Quattro. Sports are still considered type 85's, but genuine Sport parts 
ALWAYS end in "9", so a Sport Quattro part will always start with "859".

Now for the tricky parts.....that whole numbering system didn't carry over 
into the 1990's. For example, a type C4 chassis part number won't start with 
"C4", but it will start with "4A" (usually "4A0"). You will usually just 
have to learn it as you go. After doing it so long, I just "know" that 8A0 
is B4 90's and 8G0 is B4 Cabriolet's. You will usually just see the 
number/letter combo come up frequently when looking at a particular model. 
Next, and this is the part that I have yet to figure out and I am not sure 
there is a way to "decode" it and that it motor parts. If a part was 
originally designed for a MOTOR instead of a CHASSIS, it will have a 
completely different numbering system. Example, I know that just about any 
5cyl. turbo "motor" part will start with 034, but sometimes they sneak an 
"035" in there which is USUALLY an early 5cyl part. Example: and RS2 
Turbocharger starts with "034", but a Sport Q K27 start with "035", don't 
know why, but it does. Again, it's something you will get the "feel" of and 
over time you will know pretty well.

Next, is the middle set of numbers (in your example, it's 498). This is how 
you actually find the part in ETKA. In ETKA these would be your "main" and 
"sub-groupe" numbers. The first number always refers to the "Main" groupe in 
ETKA. This is the number in front of the group you see after you have chosen 
the model and year car you want to look at. "1" is ALWAYS engine, "2" is 
ALWAYS exhaust (but not turbochargers), A/C and fuel, "3" is ALWAYS 
transmission, etc etc etc....these are constants and and never change no 
matter what model or year you are looking at. So, in your example, "4" is 
always front end suspension parts. The only one that is not listed in ETKA 
is group "0" and that is always accessories and ETKA usually says "see 
accessory catalog" which is typically a paper catalog that is sent to 
dealers. Anyway, this is probably the easiest part to figure out because it 
is right there in front of you on ETKA. The "Sub Groupe" (the second two 
numbers) is also constant in all models and years. They never change no 
matter what. I'll get to your example in a minute, but let's use "103". "1" 
is always engine and "03" is always cylinder head. It could be a complete 
head or it could be a valve cover or it could be a valve guide, but if it's 
cyl. head related, it's in "03". Again, ETKA tells you these numbers pretty 
quickly as well. Once you have chosen the model, the year and then the Main 
Groupe, the Sub Groupe will be to the left side of the page next to a brief 
description of that particular Sub Groupe. Now for your example, if you see 
a "98" in ANY Sub Groupe, is ALWAYS refers to a repair kit of some kind. So, 
"498" is going to be a "repair kit" of some kind for the front suspension 
and VAG defines "kit" as any single part number that contains more than one 
individual part. "498" can be a CV boot kit or it could be a wheel bearing 
kit and it's hard to say what it actually is (but I'll get to it later). Now 
if you look up at the tool bar button at the top of ETKA you will see a 
button that has, what looks like, a crude drawing of a valve cover gasket. 
If you click that, it will give you a list of ALL repair kits for the main 
groupe you are in and what is actually in the kit itself AND the part 
numbers for each individual part in that kit. Say you are looking for a 
front wheel bearing and you want to buy just the bearing and not the whole 
kit. You would need to go to main groupe 4 and then go to ANY sub group and 
click on that button with the V/C gasket drawing. Then you would page down 
until you found the front wheel bearing kit and it would tell you the part 
number for the bearing itself. It's easier than it sounds. Again, this 
applies to any main groupe, like "198" would be an engine kit of some sort 
(i.e. head gasket set), "698" would be a kit of some sort for the wheels or 
brake (i.e. a set of seals for a brake caliper).

Ok, the last three digits actually tell you what the part is and this can be 
the hardest part because it just takes time to know what the number denotes. 
In your example, "099" when used with "498" means it's a CV boot kit and on 
top of that it's an outer boot. How do I know? I have just done it enough to 
know that. What I am trying to say is that if you see a part number that has 
"498" as your main and sub groupes and "099" as your actual part number, it 
MUST be and outer CV boot kit that was originally designed for a front axle. 
Now the "443" and the "E" suffix may change, but it does NOT change the fact 
that it's an outer CV boot kit. Another easy example would be brake rotors. 
Wheels and brakes are always main groupe "6" front brakes are always sub 
groupe "15" and front rotors always have a number "301". So, if you see a 
part number like XXX-615-301-X, you may not know exactly what it fits, but 
you know that it MUST be a front brake rotor, no matter what. However change 
that to XXX-615-601-X and it MUST be a rear rotor because "601" used with 
"615" is ALWAYS a rear rotor.

Now for the "suffix" or it can sometimes be refered to as the "modifier". In 
your example, I am talking about the letter "E". This is proabably the worst 
part of the part number because it can either be used to denote a 
supercession or it can be used to change the part all together. So, in your 
example it can either mean that that CV boot kit has had 5 revisions of some 
sort ("E" being the 5th letter) or they had 5 different parts to fit the 
same application. So, we have already determind that this a CV boot kit for 
the front of a non turbo 5k, but let's say that the car had options. Maybe 
the boot kits for cars that had ABS, cars that were quattro or FWD or cars 
that had power steering all had DIFFERENT boot kits for some reason. All the 
boot kits would get a different suffix, but the part number would not change 
because they are all still front outer CV boot kits for non turbo 5k's. I am 
NOT saying that is how it always works, but I AM saying that don't assume 
that a part number with a "B" suffix is the latest and greatest version of 
the same part number that has an "A" suffix. It just doesn't work that way. 
It can, but don't assume that it does. If you do want to see if a part has a 
supercession and what that part number might be, you need to find the part 
in ETKA, click on it and hit the right arrow (on the keyboard). In all cases 
in ETKA that will give you "More Info" on that particular part.

Well, that's the (not so) short version of Audi's numbering system. 
Personally, I think it's very easy, but I have worked with it for long 
enough to just "know" it, so maybe I am biased. Somewhere I do have a paper 
ETKA manual. It has very little to do with Audi's numbering system and more 
to do with, how to move through ETKA. If you want I can dig it up and make 
copies. As for your actual question about can you plug a number into ATP and 
tell you what it fits and where it goes......yes, but like you said, only if 
you are that model. That was a HUGE complaint at dealerships and right 
around 2000 or 2001, ETKA changed their programing on ATP, so it would tell 
you where it went even if you weren't in that model. I, personally, do not 
have a version that new, but I know it exsists. If you want this post in the 
knowledge Base I am fine with that too, if you found it helpful I guess. 
Dunno, maybe I just confused you more. :-)

HTH!

Ben Howell
Evergreen, CO
85' UrQ
83' UrQ
Many other Q's
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Andrew Finney" <afinn1 at gmail.com>
To: <urq at audifans.com>
Sent: Saturday, April 23, 2005 11:52 AM
Subject: [urq] Using the Family Album - HELP

Can someone help me out. What is the most effective way to look up
specific part applications, given a part number. If I "enter part
number" in the EPC, I can find the "title" of the part, but I can't
figure out what model it belongs to. If I go to a specific model, I
can use ATP to find the part IF IT BELONGS ON THAT CAR. I'm not too
skilled at deciphering part numbers anyway. I know there is some model
code built into the PN. Can someone help me? Maybe comprise the post
to go into the knowledge base. I need the most efficient way to look
up applications. As an example, 443 498 099E is a discontinued CV
joint, outer, I think. BUT... what the heck for.

Thanks in advance.

Andrew Finney
1983 UrQ.
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