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German Aftermarket Replacement Shift Knob+Boot (Legit)
It's been a while since I've been on here and figured I'd update everyone on a new solution for deteriorating shifter knobs for all W203 6spd manual shifters. As we all know, over time the aluminum peels of the shift knob, which compromises the look of our interior. I tried spray painting it and vinyl wrapping as well, however, they both ended up not working out for me in the long run, since the shifter knob on a manual get's a lot of action, therefore it was easy to chip the paint -or- scratch/peel off the vinyl, which ended up looking like garbage...
Instead, I bit the bullet, took a gamble and purchased a whole new assembly from an aftermarket Knob + Boot manufacturer from GERMANY for $110.00 shipped to me in Atlanta. I found these guys on eBay and they'll do many different styles for many german cars. The only issue is the language barrier, so you'll need to use google translate for all the email communication since they're in german. If using Chrome, download the Google Translate extension free.
I received mine yesterday and was blown away by the quality. It is solid construction, made from genuine leather (like OEM), the plastic clip towards the base of the boot is an exact fit for '05 C230 W203 and the shift orientation on the knob is exactly the setup of our W203's Manual 6-speed. It feels much better than the original; I don't feel as much vibration from the transmission and the leather grip is great. You clip in the boot the same way as the original and you secure the knob to the shifting rod by tightening three (3) hex screws facing front + left + right, securing the knob quite nicely. Hex key is included in the package as well, assuming it's metric.
I was very skeptical of this before purchasing, but HIGHLY recommend once installed. Looks and feels secure like OEM, at a fraction of the cost.
Good post....it is shorter than the original? Mine is still good, but the leather is starting to wear at the edges. Wish it was back-lit too....
Edit: just browsed their store, LED back-lighting is an option....yay
Last edited by RWDlifer; May 15, 2018 at 11:45 PM.
Good post....it is shorter than the original? Mine is still good, but the leather is starting to wear at the edges. Wish it was back-lit too....
Edit: just browsed their store, LED back-lighting is an option....yay
RWD! What's up, buddy? Long time. Indeed, they have a backlit option, I would've gone with the orange (to match the interior lighting) however, mind you I was very skeptical about this to begin with, so I just got a straight up knob + boot. If you have any extra $$ to spare, this is a worthy investment. The leather may be a little bit thinner than OEM, but the sewing pattern and look is almost exact. it's the real deal.
As for the height of the knob, it feels roughly the same. I think this ultimately has to do with the shifting rod. I'm sure if you shaved a little off the top, you could accomplish this.
Very nice. My shift knob doesn't look bad, but a sharp edge is developing beneath the metal part of the knob. That knob looks more comfortable. I'm wondering whether there is a company that sells replacement chrome rings for the cupholders.
Very nice. My shift knob doesn't look bad, but a sharp edge is developing beneath the metal part of the knob. That knob looks more comfortable. I'm wondering whether there is a company that sells replacement chrome rings for the cupholders.
This knob is more comfortable than the original, indeed. As for the chrome ring on the pop-up cupholder, luckily mine has stayed in tact. However, I don't think there's a replacement part for just the chrome ring, as it looks to be completely embedded into the cupholder. You'd have to replace the entire thing.
I've been eyeing the illuminated one for the "next time" I take apart my console for "changes"...and I hope to make the changes soon!
Thanks for the pictures, confidence and write up!
I've been eyeing the illuminated one for the "next time" I take apart my console for "changes"...and I hope to make the changes soon!
Thanks for the pictures, confidence and write up!
Glad to help, man! It won't be necessary to take the whole console apart just to do this, but I'm sure you've got some other modifications you'd like to make. Speaking of, if any of you guys buy this, post pics! Cheers
My boot shift boot has a small tear in it and the knob is peeling. I occasionally scratch my hand on it if I don't avoid touching the rough spots when shifting. After telling Jake twice that I wasn't going to do anything more to my car, I decided to abandon my vow and buy one of these shift knobs and boots.
It is a bit of a reward for my hard work in some other areas. I repaired the clothes dryer ($21 for a new heating element), a leaking toilet ($19 for internal parts) and a bathroom sink ($41 for new drain and trap.) The total cost avoidance was probably over $1000 if you factor in the cost of a new dryer and a visit from a plumber. That is probably an exaggerated estimate, but it is the figure I used when I rationalized the cost of the shift knob and boot during my discussion of the purchase with my wife.
I ordered a product similar to the one that Norsk_Johnson shows in his original post, but I added orange illumination and white stitching. There has been a price increase in the two years since the original post. The total cost was $118.40. I recommend using the company's web site (also in the first post) rather than Ebay. By using the web site, you can buy an illuminated knob for $2.34 more than the non-illuminated version on eBay. (The cost of a non-illuminated shift knob and boot on eBay is $116.04 including shipping and the illuminated version is $127.39.) The company's web site may have been upgraded since Norsk made his original post. You can select English and the English on the web site is much better than my German.
Adding the illumination was an impulse purchase. I hope I like the look. If it appears cheap or gaudy, I will disconnect it.
Thanks to Norsk for being the pioneer on this product and for sharing his evaluation.
Last edited by KevinH2000; Nov 3, 2020 at 10:19 PM.
All I can say is that repairing the dryer was a significant achievement and it deserved recognition and reward. (YouTube and Amazon deserve some credit as well.) Not only did I avoid significant cost, but I completed the repair before we ran out of clean clothes and had to resort to using a laundromat.
There are synergies between car repair and home repair. I have assembled a fairly extensive set of tools, gained experience working in tight spaces and learned that perseverance is a necessity.
Always remember that a $100 modification is less than 25% of a monthly car payment. If an update keeps the car fresh or makes it more enjoyable to drive, you are less likely to start down the path of financial ruin that starts in a new car showroom.
The knob arrived today. Like a kid on Christmas morning, I couldn't resist opening the package and installing the knob. The installation process is easy: Video showing installation of illuminated knob This car used in the video must have been a European model because the cupholder area is different than in U.S. versions. I soldered my wiring for a more secure installation.
My first impressions are that the knob is better quality than the stock knob. A side-side comparison of the shift boot revealed that the OEM leather is slightly thicker. The height of the shifter seems similar in the OEM and replacement knobs.
The new boot looks fine on the car. While the knob is not a perfect match for the OEM knob, it looks like it belongs with the rest of the interior. I couldn't capture photos with the illumination on, but it does not look gaudy.
My OEM shifter had served me and the previous owners well, but it was starting to look untidy. It may be difficult to see in the photos, but it is actually dented slightly on the right. I'm wondering how that happened.
Ohhh!
I like the white stitching with your seats! I’ll have to debate that...I like it.
The OEM shift knob just popped off after releasing the screw collar underneath?
The photos were taken with flash and that makes the stitching on the seats more noticeable. I re-dyed the leather when I installed the seats and that made the stitching darker.
You need to give the OEM knob a firm pull after twisting the collar, but it is not difficult.
I got the same lighted knob and had it in in 30 minutes. It’s great and feels miles better than the stock knob. The lighting is perfect and super simple to do. Worth every penny and much better quality than the stock knob and boot.
The lighting is perfect and super simple to do. Worth every penny and much better quality than the stock knob and boot.
What color LED did you choose? I picked orange and it is not a perfect match for the rest of the dashboard illumination. The yellow offered on the website seemed too bright. I am wondering whether I should have selected white. I don’t feel like disassembling the knob right now, but I may explore a color change at some point.
I agree with your overall assessment of the quality and value. On a manual transmission car we touch the gear shift frequently and it is important that it feels just right. I think the OEM boot was made of marginally better leather, but the replacement boot is good quality.
What color LED did you choose? I picked orange and it is not a perfect match for the rest of the dashboard illumination. The yellow offered on the website seemed too bright. I am wondering whether I should have selected white. I don’t feel like disassembling the knob right now, but I may explore a color change at some point.
I agree with your overall assessment of the quality and value. On a manual transmission car we touch the gear shift frequently and it is important that it feels just right. I think the OEM boot was made of marginally better leather, but the replacement boot is good quality.
I went with the white lighting and it matches the instrument cluster perfectly. I also got a new Xtrons double Din head unit and it's ridiculously good for $254.
Only thing I'm missing is the antennas for the stock radio. There were two, one with a brown sheeth and the other with a blue sheeth. Neither would give me any reception. Not sure what to do. The head unit will change to whatever color buttons you want. Just an amazing value.
Do you have any idea what antenna adapter I need? The back of the xtrons only has one input. Not sure what to do.
I think white is a better choice than orange. The orange LED in the shift knob has more red in it than the OEM illumination. I inquired about changing the LED and this is the response I received:
it is possible to change the LED yourself,
for this you have to pry out the logo and drill a small hole so that you don't damage the rest of the shift knob,
The replacement set consisting of an LED module and a new logo costs € 12.50. However, shipping to the USA is very high, unfortunately it costs EUR 20.00.
The total cost of €32.50 is $38.24. I am planning to stay with what I have.
I didn't drive the car in complete darkness until Monday night.
Is it “that” bad?
This photo reproduces the color of the shift knob fairly accurately, but it makes the rest of the dash look too yellow. The contrast is actually less than the photo would suggest.
I drive two cars regularly - a 2000 Porsche Boxster and the Mercedes. In both cars, the controls have an orange/yellow illumination. I had assumed they were identical, but in retrospect, I made an imprecise observation. Closer review revealed a difference. If you think of the various shades of orange as being on a spectrum with "yellowish" orange on one end and "reddish" orange on the other, the Mercedes is on the yellow end of the scale and Porsche is on the red end. I had driven my Boxster to work the day I ordered the shift knob. The dash illumination in the Boxster is closer to the color of the shift knob. If I had looked more closely, yellow might have been a better choice or I would have selected white to be safe.
This may be a better photo.
I hope I didn't mislead you.
Last edited by KevinH2000; Nov 11, 2020 at 10:22 PM.
So I bought these LEDs from a local hobby shop, Section8Hobbies - they are by Woodland Scenics...orange is orange and on the red side, as Kevin mentioned and much like the aftermarket knob illumination. The Just Plug yellow is much closer.
The OEM SMLED is in the middle, wired to a 20mA nano light loom...orange on the left and yellow on the right. Just Plug Orange - OEM MB LED - Just Plug Yellow.
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German Aftermarket Replacement Shift Knob+Boot (Legit)
... I bought a Comand navi unit from the junkyard for 2x the price of this knob+boot...
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