Audi A4 B9 and A5 F5 instrument cluster part numbers: 8W5 920 770, 790 and 890 explained
Updated 2026-09-12 · Written from the labels of units we handle, dealer catalogues, salvage listings and owner forums. Corrections welcome on WhatsApp.
The B9-generation A4 (from 2016), A5 F5 (from 2017) and the closely related Q5 FY (from 2018) share one cluster family. Every unit carries an Audi part number of the form 8W5 920 7xx X on the white Bosch label at the back, together with a software index (SW) and a hardware index (HW). Workshops that buy used clusters run into the same three questions every time: which number is the digital cluster, which suffix matches the car's build year, and what has to happen after the cluster is fitted. This page answers them from the label data of the units we handle and from public dealer catalogues, salvage listings and owner forums.
The four number families on this platform
| Part number | What it is | Market |
|---|---|---|
| 8W5 920 770 x | Analogue dials with a colour centre display (the standard cluster) | km/h, rest of world |
| 8W5 920 880 x | Analogue dials with colour display | mph, North America |
| 8W5 920 790 x | Virtual Cockpit, 12.3" fully digital (Audi's FPK) | km/h, rest of world |
| 8W5 920 890 x | Virtual Cockpit, 12.3" fully digital | mph, North America |
The 770 and 790 families are not interchangeable: the digital cluster needs the car to be built or retrofitted for it (wiring, steering-wheel View button, MMI compatibility). Within each family the trailing letter, the suffix, tracks production changes. Newer suffixes generally supersede older ones in the dealer catalogue, but a newer software level is not always accepted by an older car, which is why the index matters as much as the number.
8W5 920 790 suffixes and model years
| Suffix | Typical build years | Index seen on labels | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 790 (no suffix), 790 X | 2016 to early 2017 | SW X223 / HW H08 on our unit | Earliest production. 'X' marks an exchange part. |
| 790 B, C, D | 2016 to 2018 | B: HW H12, SW 0275 · D: HW H18, SW 0379 | Pre-facelift, 32-pin connector. |
| 790 E | 2019 to 2020 | HW H19, SW 0417 | SW 0417 is the MY2019 level and is not accepted by 2016–2018 control units without a downgrade to 0319. |
| 790 J, K, L | Mid-2019 to 2021 | K: HW H09, SW 0159 | From July 2019 production the connector changed to 18 pins. L supersedes K in the catalogue. |
| 790 M | 2020 onwards, B9.5 facelift | — | Facelift cars with MIB3 infotainment. |
| 790 R, S, T | 2022 onwards | — | Latest catalogue numbers; new dealer price roughly USD 1,700–2,100. |
The years are what listings and dealer catalogues show; the deciding factor is always the car's own build date and equipment. Two cars from the same model year can need different suffixes if one has adaptive cruise, a head-up display or a different wheel-circumference variant.
Q5 FY: most Q5 builds use an 80A 920 790 number rather than 8W5, even though salvage listings often tag 8W5 units as fitting 2018–2020 Q5. Check the label of the cluster that is in the car before ordering.
Reading the label
The Bosch label at the back of the cluster shows, top to bottom: the Audi part number (twice, once with spaces), SW: followed by four characters, HW: followed by H and two digits, a Bosch DMC code, the country of manufacture (Portugal for most B9 units) and a small production code. When you send us a VIN check, a photo of this label from your existing cluster tells us immediately whether a unit we have will code to your car.
After fitting: Component Protection
Every cluster from model year 2017 onwards is married to the car's gateway with Component Protection. A cluster from another car powers on and shows SAFE CP in the centre of the display until CP is removed in an ODIS online session with the cluster installed. It cannot be cleared on the bench, with VCDS or OBDeleven. Either an Audi dealer does it in the workshop, or we do it remotely through your VAS 6154-type or VXDIAG interface. Mileage is not part of CP: a 0 km cluster simply adopts the car's reading when coded, which is why 0 km units are the ones workshops prefer.
Retrofitting Virtual Cockpit into an analogue car
Owners on Audizine and AudiWorld have documented B9 retrofits since 2018. The recurring lessons: buy a cluster whose suffix and index match the car's build period; match the donor's equipment (ACC, HUD, wheel size variant, otherwise the speed reading can be off); budget for CP removal at the dealer or remotely; and check that the steering wheel has the View button and that the MMI unit is compatible, otherwise the display works but the menus do not. Sport layout activation needs cluster software 0310 or later.
Questions
Is 8W5 920 790 E compatible with a 2017 A4?
Only after the workshop downgrades the software from 0417 to 0319. The E suffix was introduced for model year 2019 cars. For a 2016–2018 car the base 790, 790 B, C or D suffixes are the straightforward choice.
Can I fit a km/h cluster to a US car?
The 790 family is km/h. A US car needs the 890 family (mph). The display can show mph as a secondary unit, but the primary scale and the coding are different.
Does a used cluster keep the donor mileage?
Yes, and it can only be raised, not lowered. That is the main reason to look for a 0 km unit removed from a new car.
Which stock do you have for the B9?
See the current units for A4 B9 and A5 F5 below: 8W5 920 790 (early), 790 E (2019–2020) and 790 K (2020–2021), all 0 km with label photos and boot videos.
In stock for this platform
$599 shipping incl.Photos & details
$879 shipping incl.Photos & details
$949 shipping incl.Photos & details