Golf 4 Dashboard: Old vs. New

Is it possible to install the dashboard from a new Golf 4 (with the MFA display in the center) into a dashboard from the first generation Golf?

What is the specific year of construction?
Starting with MJ2000 (i.e., mid-1999), the combination instrument panels use a CAN-Bus system; before that, they did not. You can install a CAN-equipped instrument panel in a car that doesn't have CAN, but you may need to make some compromises (such as deactivating the CAN gateway). A simple swap, removing the old one and installing the new one, is not possible. Additionally, there may be issues with the immobilizer system, and sometimes the tachometer may also stop working.
You could try to obtain a KI (Key Identifier) with FIS (i.e., Highline MFA) from before version 4.99; theoretically, this should work.

Best, Juan.

I have a Golf Highline from April 1998, and it has a Multifunction Display (MFA) in the small LCD display for the clock.
I would like to have one of the instrument clusters with MFA (Multi-Function Display) in red, and positioned in the center between the speedometer and tachometer, like in the newer Golf/Bora models. Of course, I don't want to give up the MFA and tachometer!
What does a dashboard with a FIS (multifunction display) look like? Why doesn't my Golf have one?

There are different versions of the MFA (Multi-Function Display) used in the instrument clusters. The version that was installed up to model year 4.99 is the one you have, which is the one integrated into the clock.
However, there was also the larger MFA (internally called the Highline MFA), which displayed the pictograms for the factory-installed navigation system, as well as radio station names, outside temperature, fuel consumption, and messages such as 'refill windshield washer fluid' or 'refuel.' For €4.99, there was the 1/2-size MFA, called the Midline MFA, and the Highline MFA in its full height. (The Highline and Midline MFA have nothing to do with the car model!). The Midline MFA was installed in all Golfs with the technology package, while the Highline MFA was included in vehicles with the factory-installed navigation system, multifunction steering wheel, or telematics system.

Plainly put: If you install a combination instrument from a later model year, you must disable the CAN gateway to prevent error messages.
'In my KI (05/01), for example, the speed signal comes via CAN. Consequently, you won't see the speed displayed if you simply swap the units. Furthermore, the WFS (software) has changed during that time, and a re-coding (from new to old) is not possible. It's also possible that the warning lights may no longer function correctly.'

The only remaining option is a combination instrument that includes the large MFA (Multi-Function Display) for navigation and was manufactured before 4.99. With such a combination instrument, a simple replacement and adjustment of the WFS (likely referring to a software function) via a diagnostic interface should be possible. You can find such combination instruments, for example, at E**. You cannot obtain these directly from VW, as they only offer the same model that was previously installed as a replacement.