Hi guys, I just posted this on the Tech forum, but I thought I should ask you, since you all have GLs.

I have a 2007 ML 350 and two 2008 GL 550s on order. I was at my local dealer the other day checking on the status of the GLs, and while there, I was drooling all over a new SL 55 AMG with the V12. I noticed that it had the silver paddle shifter levers on the back of the steering wheel, instead of the black button shifters that are on the ML and GL. I have always thought the paddle type of shifters look better than the buttons. It looked like the silver paddles went into the back of the steering wheel in the same location with the same footprint as the buttons. Does anyone know if the button type shifters can be swapped out for the nicer paddles? I am pretty technically inclined, and thought that if I were able to get a pair of the paddles, I might take apart the steering wheel and change them. Does anyone know if this would work?

Thanks.

 

First of all a V12 would have to be an SL65 AMG and not an SL55 AMG...

 

Sounds good.

And second...?

 

Might be easier to just change whole steering wheel.

Especially since paddles are not listed in EPC as a separate part.

 

On my original steering wheel, the shifters would've worked because hitting one shifted up and the other shifted down. On the wood and leather wheel I replaced it with, the switches are rockers and the outside of the switch shifts up, where the inside shifts down, so the paddles would not work.

STP

 

If they're not the rocker switches as StevethePilot explained, then you could possibly do it for the GL, but it involves some modifications. Someone on the CLS55 boards here put on paddles to his steering wheel in place of the buttons.