ajsellors
A2OC Donor
Maybe the " was dropped in 2008" was a typo and should re 2003 as later it says "(I am assuming here that your car is an earlier one up to 2003?). "
Just a thought
"Dropped" is the terminology that Audi use to indicate replacement part obsolescence rather than production changes. Where a production change requires a different part to be fitted as replacement depending on the VIN of the car involved, both versions of the part would be required for repair purposes, especially if they are not similarly exchangeable.
When the availably of particular part for repair replacement is superseded, the original part is "dropped" and a different part number is offered instead as a "replacement". E.g. you can't get the original brake pads any more as they have been dropped but a different part is available instead. There can be a chain of obsolescence where the replacement parts themselves are dropped and replaced by others and so on.
What's a problem is when a part is dropped and no replacement is available.
Sometimes, as it looks like in this case, availability of an earlier production version of a part is dropped and the replacement is to use the equivalent part used in later production. The later part however may not be a like for like replacement and so necessitate the use of other parts that match.
regards
Andrew