The question I have been asked most consistently by my customers over the years is "how do I remove my original BMW gear knob?".
The question is almost always asked about original BMW gear knobs for manual transmission BMWs made from 1982 up to the present date. These models all have gear knobs with the same type of fitting.
Despite what many think, original BMW gear knobs are not screwed on or glued on. They are all a simple push on fit. If your old BMW gear knob is glued on, then the chances are the inside of it has fallen apart and someone has chosen to glue it on rather than buy a new one.
The method I recommend is quite straightforward:
1. If you are right handed, sit I the front left seat. Sit in the front right seat if you are left handed. This will allow you to get the best grip that you can on your BMW gear knob.
2. Take hold of the gear knob firmly with both hands. Try giving a sharp tug upwards but be careful not to hit yourself in the face when your it comes off. You may laugh but I have seen it happen so many times. If it is very tight and still won't come off, you may have to try again, but this time put your bodyweight into it. It can sometimes taken several attempts if it is very tight. Don't worry about damaging anything as I have never done so in 20 years of changing them.
3. Once your it is removed, you will notice that there is a diagonal slot in the top of your gear lever. Your new original BMW gear knob will have a notch up the inside of it that fits into this slot. Take a look up into it and you will see. To fit it, simply slide the knob onto the gear lever and push downwards. Gently twist it from left to right as you push until you feel the notch on the inside of it meet up with the slot on the top of your gear lever. You will know when this happens because you won't be able to twist it any more. All you then need to do is to give it a firm thump downwards with your fist. Your new BMW gear knob is now fitted. That's all there is to it.
There are a small number of original BMW gear knobs that have the gaiter attached. In other words, the gear knob and gaiter are all one piece. These gear knobs still fit in the same way but before you go to pull the gear knob off, you have to detach the gaiter first.
As the gaiter is attached to a plastic frame that clips into the console around the gear lever, all you need to do is to feel for the frame through the material of the gaiter and squeeze it inwards towards the gear knob, whilst lifting it. Doing this on each side will free the gaiter from the console. You then can remove the BMW gear knob using the instructions above. When fitting a new one piece BMW gear knob and gaiter, fit the gear knob before you clip the gaiter into place.
Author Resource:
Nigel Marston has been an independent BMW accessories and parts specialist for the 20 years and a BMW enthusiast since the late 1980s. He has owned many BMW models over the years and is well known by people in many countries for his knowledge and enthusiasm about BMWs. To subscribe to his BMW newsletter and read other BMW related articles he has written, visit => http://www.nm-motorsport.com
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.articlecoop.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
