Gear shift knob removal
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1998 E430; 2007 Porsche 911 C4S Cabriolet; 2011 Expedition EL Limited; 2014 E350 Estate
Gear shift knob removal
How in the world do I take the gear shift knob off my 98 e430?
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1967 Morris Cooper "S", 1983 911SC, 1997 Toyota Tacoma, 1999 HD FXSTB, 1998 C43
Two types, one metal one plastic:
PLASTIC Collar - Give the the lowerhalf of the plastic at the bottom a twist counterclockwise and once you do that (should only require half a twist)..yank the shifter upwards. That lower plastic piece should come off BTW.
METAL collar - If you have the burl with metal, then unscrew fully before you pull upwards. Unscrew only the metal collar, not the whole knob.
PLASTIC Collar - Give the the lowerhalf of the plastic at the bottom a twist counterclockwise and once you do that (should only require half a twist)..yank the shifter upwards. That lower plastic piece should come off BTW.
METAL collar - If you have the burl with metal, then unscrew fully before you pull upwards. Unscrew only the metal collar, not the whole knob.
Last edited by StapleGun; Nov 30, 2005 at 07:05 PM.
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Joined: Mar 2005
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From: Right Behind You
1998 E430; 2007 Porsche 911 C4S Cabriolet; 2011 Expedition EL Limited; 2014 E350 Estate
Thanks Staple gun. I was trying that but nothing was moving. Thought I had completely lost my mind. I gave it a good hard knock downwards on the top and then retried the twist.
Came right off.
stay tuned. My new shaft plate is going on right now.
Came right off.stay tuned. My new shaft plate is going on right now.
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From: Right Behind You
1998 E430; 2007 Porsche 911 C4S Cabriolet; 2011 Expedition EL Limited; 2014 E350 Estate
New look (burl insert with chrome bezel) and old look on the bottom. I also put in some chrome vent covers 
I have hated that flat black plastic for years now.
I have hated that flat black plastic for years now.
Last edited by mgraeff; Nov 30, 2005 at 08:03 PM.
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1967 Morris Cooper "S", 1983 911SC, 1997 Toyota Tacoma, 1999 HD FXSTB, 1998 C43
Looks good! I installed a burl knob and got rid of the leather-covered one. Is that insert actually burl or just the look?
Pic of interior, I changed the white portion on steering to all black and the knob to burl versus leather.
I installed a burl knob and got rid of the leather-covered one. Is that insert actually burl or just the look?Pic of interior, I changed the white portion on steering to all black and the knob to burl versus leather.
Last edited by StapleGun; Nov 30, 2005 at 08:10 PM.
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2005
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From: Right Behind You
1998 E430; 2007 Porsche 911 C4S Cabriolet; 2011 Expedition EL Limited; 2014 E350 Estate
I need to
a) clean my car
b) take some pics in the daylight to avoid the flash affect.
I'd like to replace my gear shift knob, but all of the ones I like are from Germany or the UK and I don't want to pay the shipping.
I'd also like to put a burl insert over the black plastic of my instrument cluster and put chrome bezels on there as well.
I'm surprised how much I love the chrome covers over my front vents. So I've been considering some of the chrome bezels around the dash switches.
But my next purchase is going to be the burl wood door handle set to replace all four interior door handles.
EDIT - it looks like it is actually a chrome shaft plate with the Burl applied over top. It is probably burl look, but it matches amazingly well.
a) clean my car
b) take some pics in the daylight to avoid the flash affect.
I'd like to replace my gear shift knob, but all of the ones I like are from Germany or the UK and I don't want to pay the shipping.
I'd also like to put a burl insert over the black plastic of my instrument cluster and put chrome bezels on there as well.
I'm surprised how much I love the chrome covers over my front vents. So I've been considering some of the chrome bezels around the dash switches.
But my next purchase is going to be the burl wood door handle set to replace all four interior door handles.
EDIT - it looks like it is actually a chrome shaft plate with the Burl applied over top. It is probably burl look, but it matches amazingly well.
Last edited by mgraeff; Nov 30, 2005 at 09:22 PM.
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MBWorld Fanatic!
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1967 Morris Cooper "S", 1983 911SC, 1997 Toyota Tacoma, 1999 HD FXSTB, 1998 C43
Thanks mgraeff, hey if you have time, could you post a pic of those chrome vent covers, I'd like to see what you're talking about.
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Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 3,187
Likes: 38
From: Right Behind You
1998 E430; 2007 Porsche 911 C4S Cabriolet; 2011 Expedition EL Limited; 2014 E350 Estate
I tried to take a couple last night when I was taking pictures of the shaft plate, but the flash back from the chrome is really bad. I'll take a couple for you this weekend in the day light and post em up.
