B7 RS4 cluster into B6

[Militant-Grunt]

Has anyone ever attempted this? Eventually I want to get my build going, and this time I want a cluster that can display 8500rpm.
Its non issue to immobolize the cluster for me, neither is coding, just wondering if anyone has ever done it, as I'm not entirely sure you'd be able to code rpm signal / vehicle speed correctly.

[Matt Devo]

pretty sure any B7 (A4/S4/RS4) cluster is incompatible with B6 ECUs

[onceover]

pretty sure any B7 (A4/S4/RS4) cluster is incompatible with B6 ECUs

Yup.

You may be able to talk to MPower to see if he can swap gauge faces and then recode the B6 cluster to match the RPMs of the new face

[AudiA4Turbo22]

Spoke to Diagnosticator about this extensively in the past, not a feasible upgrade.

[Charles.waite]

B7 = RB8
B6 = RB4

Not interchangeable, and likely very tricky to get to work...

[Militant-Grunt]

Well thats rather disappointing. Im still going to attempt it if I ever get access to one, ill see what coding I can play with. Would be a shame if I had to settle for a b6 s4 cluster.

[Matt Devo]

Well thats rather disappointing. Im still going to attempt it if I ever get access to one, ill see what coding I can play with. Would be a shame if I had to settle for a b6 s4 cluster.

you'll be wasting your time. If your goal is just to have a tach with a higher display limit, then having mpower work his magic on a B6 A4/S4 cluster is your best bet

[Militant-Grunt]

you'll be wasting your time. If your goal is just to have a tach with a higher display limit, then having mpower work his magic on a B6 A4/S4 cluster is your best bet

The limit is still only 8k being accurately displayed. In my previous B5 BAT A4, I would just kinda guess when to shift after the needle stopped. Not something I want to deal with again, not to mention I'm putting together my
oem+ interior bit by bit, it would be nice to make it work.

[Matt Devo]

The limit is still only 8k being accurately displayed. In my previous B5 BAT A4, I would just kinda guess when to shift after the needle stopped. Not something I want to deal with again, not to mention I'm putting together my
oem+ interior bit by bit, it would be nice to make it work.

mpower can swap the gauge and recalibrate the needle, no problem getting it to work 100%, just not with a B7 cluster :)

[georgio3gr]

I searched a lot and the only thing i found out is that Mpower can do everything, maybe even win Jack Norris... I don't know the guy-company, as i read here, he might be the only capable for swapping A4 clusters, but i live at the other side of the planet, thousand of miles away, in a country that everything comes outside EU has to pass throuth expensive customs, so sending my old and new cluster to him and then he sends them back at me, is nearly impossible... Does anyone know for sure what programs can do all the swap job (find SKC, virginise cluster etc) for sure, withouth bricking my clusters and not going to the stealer?

[Jflow23]

Does anyone know for sure what programs can do all the swap job (find SKC, virginise cluster etc) for sure, withouth bricking my clusters and not going to the stealer?

That my friend, as we say in america is the $64,000 question. I don't think anyone will openly post that information in this forum, because it can lead to to some illegal practices, particularly odometer fraud. I looked for a while for a way to virginize a cluster myself. I have found no way to virginize a cluster on my own or even the name of the tool that can perform that function. You can retrieve the PIN via your ecu using VAG Commander. That tool is readily available on the nefmoto forum, PM me if you can't find it.

[Jflow23]

Im still going to attempt it if I ever get access to one, ill see what coding I can play with.

One in the RS4 classifieds click me

[georgio3gr]

That my friend, as we say in america is the $64,000 question. I don't think anyone will openly post that information in this forum, because it can lead to to some illegal practices, particularly odometer fraud. I looked for a while for a way to virginize a cluster myself. I have found no way to virginize a cluster on my own or even the name of the tool that can perform that function. You can retrieve the PIN via your ecu using VAG Commander. That tool is readily available on the nefmoto forum, PM me if you can't find it.

Thanks a lot for the answer... As you understand, i don't give a shit about changing my car's odometer miles... I am planning to keep it until i give it for garbish... I just want to get rid of this red "thing"... It just looks weird that 2 or even 3 car models later (since B6), there is not enough knowledge about this, in one of the biggest (if not the biggest) Audi (A4) forum... Thanks again...

[CyberPMG]

Thanks a lot for the answer... As you understand, i don't give a shit about changing my car's odometer miles... I am planning to keep it until i give it for garbish... I just want to get rid of this red "thing"... It just looks weird that 2 or even 3 car models later (since B6), there is not enough knowledge about this, in one of the biggest (if not the biggest) Audi (A4) forum... Thanks again...

If all you want to do is to get rid of the red CIS display, look for a B6 A4 3.0 cluster from a car that came with factory Navigation. Those had the color display.

[Charles.waite]

Plenty is known about them. But due to the ability to abuse the tools and the potential for people to commit a crime using the tools, the information isn't freely and easily available.

Also rb8 was never designed to be cross compatible with rb4. Hence why a rb8 cluster is kind of a non-starter.

Find a b6 s4 or a 3.0 with the color screen.

[Jflow23]

If all you want to do is to get rid of the red CIS display, look for a B6 A4 3.0 cluster from a car that came with factory Navigation. Those had the color display.

He still has the same problem with virginizing and retrofit.

georgio3gr, keithwbloom mentions that he can probably talk you through the virginizing process provided you have access to VAG-Tacho and a chip burner. May be worth PMing him.

see this ad/thread click

[georgio3gr]

If all you want to do is to get rid of the red CIS display, look for a B6 A4 3.0 cluster from a car that came with factory Navigation. Those had the color display.

Sorry my friend but from the whole conversation you understood that my problem is to find and buy a cluster with colour display?

[Myst420]

Sorry my friend but from the whole conversation you understood that my problem is to find and buy a cluster with colour display?

ok, now I'm lost. Is that not what you're trying to do. If that isn't what your goal is, what exactly are you trying to do? and then what do you mean by red thing?

[georgio3gr]

ok, now I'm lost. Is that not what you're trying to do. If that isn't what your goal is, what exactly are you trying to do? and then what do you mean by red thing?

Yeah my friend, that's my goal... But as Jflow23 explained above, clusters are protected by immo code... You cannot just find a used colour cluster and swap it with your "red" one... It's a whole process starting from exporting SKC (secret key code) from old cluster, virginising new and copying your old cluster's data to the new one... All these, need a special program-tool to make it work.. That's my problem...

ps: Jflow23 thanks again... I'll contact him...

[Charles.waite]

Yeah my friend, that's my goal... But as Jflow23 explained above, clusters are protected by immo code... You cannot just find a used colour cluster and swap it with your "red" one... It's a whole process starting from exporting SKC (secret key code) from old cluster, virginising new and copying your old cluster's data to the new one... All these, need a special program-tool to make it work.. That's my problem...

I am 100% certain there are people in Europe who do this service though. Tom (mpower) is one of many in the US who do this. You just need to do a little more googling.

[Myst420]

It can be done DIY, you just have to do a little more research. There are programs sold on ebay (with cable) that can read the SKC from your cluster. I believe there was even a writeup made a few months ago about doing this with an A6 cluster (whether it's the same exact process, I don't know) but the SKC of the old cluster was obtained by swapping it into the car and reading with the aforementioned software. Then you would use VCDS to program your keys to the new cluster.

[georgio3gr]

Plenty is known about them. But due to the ability to abuse the tools and the potential for people to commit a crime using the tools, the information isn't freely and easily available.

Also rb8 was never designed to be cross compatible with rb4. Hence why a rb8 cluster is kind of a non-starter.

Find a b6 s4 or a 3.0 with the color screen.

Yeah, you are right... There are always people that will try selling their 300000 miles car for almost new... Just to explain, i'm talking about RB8 cluster just because i have an 20vt engined B7 (Greece) and they use RB8, not RB4 like B6...

I am 100% certain there are people in Europe who do this service though. Tom (mpower) is one of many in the US who do this. You just need to do a little more googling.

Searched a lot... Maybe it's the illegal part in the middle that they are afraid of and noone mentions the cluster swap at his services... I'll keep searching...

[Myst420]

Yeah, you are right... There are always people that will try selling their 300000 miles car for almost new... Just to explain, i'm talking about RB8 cluster just because i have an 20vt engined B7 (Greece) and they use RB8, not RB4 like B6...

Maybe you should have mentioned that BEFORE you starting asking about this in a B6 forum. You would probably get more help in the B7 section, since that is what you have.

[Charles.waite]

It can be done DIY, you just have to do a little more research. There are programs sold on ebay (with cable) that can read the SKC from your cluster. I believe there was even a writeup made a few months ago about doing this with an A6 cluster (whether it's the same exact process, I don't know) but the SKC of the old cluster was obtained by swapping it into the car and reading with the aforementioned software. Then you would use VCDS to program your keys to the new cluster.

Thats more or less the gist of it. You need a particular kind of OBD2 cable, but nothing that isn't easy to find on ebay. And then you need a specific version of some software (again, nothing that isn't easily found through google) and then its relatively simple to retrieve your SKC. I researched this a ton a year ago hoping the process was the same for the b7, but since its RB8 and IMMO4 its far more complicated. For the RB4 IMMO3 clusters in the b6, its relatively trivial as long as you get the cable configured correctly, install the proper drivers, and get the correct version of the software to work.

I can't remember the name of the software right now, but its freely available...

[Charles.waite]

Just to explain, i'm talking about RB8 cluster just because i have an 20vt engined B7 (Greece) and they use RB8, not RB4 like B6...

You should have said that at the beginning. The engine is irrelevant, the cluster and whatnot are tied to the chassis. Try asking in the b7 forum, though be prepared for them to be even less helpful that us, haha. B7 guys are less versed in this stuff.

[georgio3gr]

The process is almost the same for both B6 (RB4) and B7 (RB8) even immo 4 is a bigger bitch than immo 3, so if someone knows something more in B6 section might help B7 members too (and me off course)... If i had found the answer there, i wouldn't ask for more in here... Whatever, some of your answers helped me a lot... I'll be happy to read from someone who knows more... I hope i'll solve this and return you the favor...

[Charles.waite]

The process is almost the same for both B6 (RB4) and B7 (RB8) even immo 4 is a bigger bitch than immo 3, so if someone knows something more in B6 section might help B7 members too (and me off course)... If i had found the answer there, i wouldn't ask for more in here... Whatever, some of your answers helped me a lot... I'll be happy to read from someone who knows more... I hope i'll solve this and return you the favor...

I know RB8 needs a lot more than the SKC though. Retrieving it is the same process (though last I looked the software didn't support RB8 yet) but after some conversations with mpower, there is more to it that just retrieving the skc. With RB4 the SKC basically allows full access to the cluster and IMMO. In RB8 there are more layers of security.

I was in touch with him 8 months ago trying to get a second and third key made for my b7. Basically I ended up needing to send him my cluster as the tools required to interface with RB8 were VERY expensive, and unlike RB4, no free/hacked alternatives exist yet.