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To start with- i don't want to post this in order to scare anyone away from doing this. I feel like this has only happened to me.
So as most do, i wanted the 2012+ shift knob on my 2010 E63. I talked to numerous forum members, Technicians, etc.
All of them told me the same thing- pull up on the shifter.
So i went to attempt it. Did not twist, did not yank, just gradually pulled harder and harder.
Until this happened
So, the transmission mode select dial got its ribbon cable completely torn, and the pins on the other buttons were heavily bent along with the plastic surround for them getting broken.
The gear selector assembly on the other hand- i pulled hard enough to break both clips holding the gear selector shaft into it's white plastic base. Pieces of plastic were all in the console. I pulled the gear selector assembly apart, found that the board inside looked to be good, and reassembled.
The shifter had a very "scratchy" feel to it. No more smoothness. It also would pop out of it's base every time it was moved, which in turn made the car switch in between gears sporadically. Both of those issues can be seen in the video.
The shifter popping out of the base, changing gears on its own, i couldn't fix. Im sure i could glue/epoxy it together, but who wants to do that to such an important component.
But the problem was somewhat fixed, after locating this little lubricated ball bearing in the bottom of the console. See here- before and after- without and with the part reinstalled.
So at this point, the shifter felt correct but still popped out of the base.
I located the trans mode select dial, all three buttons, with the console bezel still attached pulled from a 2010 e63 with 60k-ish miles for a very fair price in the United States. The traction control button was heavily scratched, and that just so happened to be the one button on mine that wasnt damaged. So, i swapped my button into the bracket holding the two other (new) buttons i got.
Then located a whole gear selector assembly with the knob attached, pulled out of a 2012 e63 (new style shift knob) over in Latvia.
After confirming part numbers, getting better pics, dealing with time zone differences, i got it. 2 day shipping from Riga, Latvia to Louisiana. Awesome.
I will say, the new knob has some small dents in the leather, but nothing extreme. Plus, it feels a whole lot more precise than my old shifter. Even the Park button.
I believe, along with a tech i spoke with, that my old shifter was permanently glued on.
It did in fact have some side to side slop to it, but WILL NOT come off. I have even tried removing it now that it is out of the car and it will not budge.
I feel like it may have gotten broken at one point, previous owner said to his dealer, "hey im sick of this thing coming off, make sure it never comes off again"
It did also have a large crack running up the shifter before i even tried removing it. I have tried prying the shifter apart with a screwdriver to remove it- no luck.
So, lesson learned. Could have been a tragically expensive mistake, but i ended up being very fortunate to stumble upon the parts i needed for less than 1/5 of the price from the dealer, and being able to speak with the correct people to lead me in the right direction. My car is 100% back to normal now
This just goes out to anyone wanting to do this upgrade. I don't want to scare anyone off, as i think the shifter was worth it in the end. Looks and feels miles better.
Just wanted to spread some info. My case hopefully won't be like all you who try to do the upgrade.
P.S.- I know where a brand new one of these new style shifters is. Never opened from the box. I was going to purchase until i located the whole assembly in Latvia. PM me if interested.
To start with- i don't want to post this in order to scare anyone away from doing this. I feel like this has only happened to me.
So as most do, i wanted the 2012+ shift knob on my 2010 E63. I talked to numerous forum members, Technicians, Hell even an AMG tech and the shop foreman of a massive MB dealer.
All of them told me the same thing- pull up on the shifter.
So i went to attempt it. Did not twist, did not yank, just gradually pulled harder and harder.
So, the transmission mode select dial got its ribbon cable completely torn, and the pins on the other buttons were heavily bent along with the plastic surround for them getting broken.
The gear selector assembly on the other hand- i pulled hard enough to break both clips holding the gear selector shaft into it's white plastic base. Pieces of plastic were all in the console. I pulled the gear selector assembly apart, found that the board inside looked to be good, and reassembled.
The shifter had a very "scratchy" feel to it. No more smoothness. It also would pop out of it's base every time it was moved, which in turn made the car switch in between gears sporadically. Both of those issues can be seen in the video.
The shifter popping out of the base, changing gears on its own, i couldn't fix. Im sure i could glue/epoxy it together, but who wants to do that to such an important component.
But the problem was somewhat fixed, after locating this little lubricated ball bearing in the bottom of the console. See here- before and after- without and with the part reinstalled.
So at this point, the shifter felt correct but still popped out of the base.
I located the trans mode select dial, all three buttons, with the console bezel still attached pulled from a 2010 e63 with 60k-ish miles for a very fair price in the United States. The traction control button was heavily scratched, and that just so happened to be the one button on mine that wasnt damaged. So, i swapped my button into the bracket holding the two other (new) buttons i got.
Then located a whole gear selector assembly with the knob attached, pulled out of a 2012 e63 (new style shift knob) over in Latvia.
After confirming part numbers, getting better pics, dealing with time zone differences, i got it. 2 day shipping from Riga, Latvia to Louisiana. Awesome.
I will say, the new knob has some small dents in the leather, but nothing extreme. Plus, it feels a whole lot more precise than my old shifter. Even the Park button.
I believe, along with a tech i spoke with, that my old shifter was permanently glued on.
It did in fact have some side to side slop to it, but WILL NOT come off. I have even tried removing it now that it is out of the car and it will not budge.
I feel like it may have gotten broken at one point, previous owner said to his dealer, "hey im sick of this thing coming off, make sure it never comes off again"
It did also have a large crack running up the shifter before i even tried removing it. I have tried prying the shifter apart with a screwdriver to remove it- no luck.
So, lesson learned. Could have been a tragically expensive mistake, but i ended up being very fortunate to stumble upon the parts i needed for less than 1/5 of the price from the dealer, and being able to speak with the correct people to lead me in the right direction. My car is 100% back to normal now
This just goes out to anyone wanting to do this upgrade. I don't want to scare anyone off, as i think the shifter was worth it in the end. Looks and feels miles better.
Just wanted to spread some info. My case hopefully won't be like all you who try to do the upgrade.
P.S.- I know where a brand new one of these new style shifters is. Never opened from the box. I was going to purchase until i located the whole assembly in Latvia. PM me if interested.
Job well done OP. Well worth the mod in my opinion.
What a crazy experience. Whenever I read instructions about taking apart some piece of an automobile that say "pull hard", "pull with force", "yank", or so on, I always fear for the worst. Looks like the worst happened to you
I want to do exactly what you just did. But if you had to do it all over again, what would you do differently? Sounds like if the original was glued, the outcome was almost unavoidable
I want to do exactly what you just did. But if you had to do it all over again, what would you do differently? Sounds like if the original was glued, the outcome was almost unavoidable
tks vm
I would have removed the gear selector assembly, protected it, and then cut the knob into pieces until it was fully off. I think most people's will just come right off
Just curious if you are power weight lifter as a hobby? I actually am, and the first thing I thought of is how many times I have pulled or pushed to hard on something and had a similar experience! Sorry for the original bad experience you went through. But I would be lying if I said I wasn't laughing! You know those nice little chrome seat button upgrades in the door for the 2010/2011? I was installing those and pushed the whole panel right through the door! I then had to take the full door panel off and fix it all. So I feel your pain brother.
I was thinking about doing this to my car...
Are you positive it just comes off if pulled hard?
I also have a crack on mine.. I wonder if the original owner also glued it?? I kinda want to try to pull it but now I'm afraid to break it. How hard did you have to pull to break it off?
Anyone else replaced theirs by just pulling it off?Eyad
I just tried it ... and it would not budge. I could feel the whole assembly making noises... and I just left it. I guess mine was glued in by the previous owner too?? Must have been a common issue since I also have a crack on the side of it.
Here are photos of a brand new OEM Mercedes AMG shift knob that I have for sale.
As mentioned, I have remove ( not the knob for sale ) and installed the shifting knob a few times and you do not need to be a weight lifter to remove it. You can see from the photos below, the plastic clip ( gray ) in the center of the knob where the actual shifter goes into is a plastic clip that snaps on and off with a short upright pull. It’s that easy or you can pay an Indy shop do it for $50. It’s a great upgrade for the 2010-2011 E63 IMHO.
In looking at the bottom view of the knob you can clearly see chamfered lead-in tangs. This suggests that there is a tool that exists from MB for removing it. It would look something like a split thin-walled sheet metal cylinder/sleeve. This would then slide upward to expand the tangs and subsequently release the knob. With that said, I just went and looked at mine and clearly the challenge is how to get the tool in place. I suspect there is exposed shaft below the upper console trim. If this is correct, then the assembly would need to be pulled up (disassembled) with the trim to get to the shaft and insert said tool. I suspect that is how it is done by dealers.
However, it is also possible that they know another trick or just the right way to secure the base assembly while giving the knob a good yank. Could be a tribal knowledge thing here. But those tangs suggest otherwise to me. And yes, the lead-ins on the tangs might just be for pushing the knob on.
Sorry. Last question. You’ve been so helpful. So I appreciate it.
Where did you get the shifter? There seem to be a few on the market.
No problem. I got the whole shifter assembly with the knob attached from a salvage yard in Latvia out of a wrecked 2012 E63.
Originally Posted by Vrodman
Just curious if you are power weight lifter as a hobby? I actually am, and the first thing I thought of is how many times I have pulled or pushed to hard on something and had a similar experience! Sorry for the original bad experience you went through. But I would be lying if I said I wasn't laughing! You know those nice little chrome seat button upgrades in the door for the 2010/2011? I was installing those and pushed the whole panel right through the door! I then had to take the full door panel off and fix it all. So I feel your pain brother.
Hahahaha no it's all good. I laugh about it now as well. I'm not a weight lifter but I'm a pretty big guy. I've broken many things from using too much force sadly. Where did you get those seat buttons?
Originally Posted by EMR2004
I was thinking about doing this to my car...
Are you positive it just comes off if pulled hard?
I also have a crack on mine.. I wonder if the original owner also glued it?? I kinda want to try to pull it but now I'm afraid to break it. How hard did you have to pull to break it off?
Anyone else replaced theirs by just pulling it off?Eyad
Yes I know of others who have done it just by pulling up. At first I was just gradually pulling up, applying more force. But that does not work (from what I've heard). I gave it one swift strong pull with my hand placed around the base of it to (try) and prevent any damage, but everything came out fast enough that I whacked the headliner with the broken parts. The shifter assembly, trim piece, and all the buttons along the side ripped out. And the shifter was internally broken from the force. I have tried everything to get the knob off the old assembly just to cure my curiosity, but no luck at all. I've had me and another strong person pulling opposite of me, and it just cracked the knob more. I drilled into the knob, stuck screwdrivers in, twisted, and it just shattered the plastic around the rod that the knob attaches to. Based on everyone else's experience, it's obvious this thing was permanently epoxied on.
Originally Posted by S63AMG888
I’ve done it on my old E63 and you DO NOT need to be a power builder or even a gym rat to remove the shifter or your doing it wrong.
Just pull on the old shifter knob with 1 swift pull, you do not need to use all of your strength to pull the knob off.
I have a brand new knob at home for sale that I was going to dye the black leather to red, but sold the E63 before I could get it done.
Brand new Mercedes OEM knob for sale: $550 plus shipping, paid $799 plus tax.
That's what I did and as can be seen the results were not good. I wish it would have just popped off.
Originally Posted by Vrodman
In looking at the bottom view of the knob you can clearly see chamfered lead-in tangs. This suggests that there is a tool that exists from MB for removing it. It would look something like a split thin-walled sheet metal cylinder/sleeve. This would then slide upward to expand the tangs and subsequently release the knob. With that said, I just went and looked at mine and clearly the challenge is how to get the tool in place. I suspect there is exposed shaft below the upper console trim. If this is correct, then the assembly would need to be pulled up (disassembled) with the trim to get to the shaft and insert said tool. I suspect that is how it is done by dealers.
However, it is also possible that they know another trick or just the right way to secure the base assembly while giving the knob a good yank. Could be a tribal knowledge thing here. But those tangs suggest otherwise to me. And yes, the lead-ins on the tangs might just be for pushing the knob on.
I did try to access those tabs and press them in, but it did not budge at all, but that may be due to mine being permanently stuck to the shifter assembly
Hi there, I realize this post is quite old however I was researching the same issue you had. I did what everybody said just pull, and bam, I semi destroyed my shifter in my 2015 G 550. So you weren't the only one!
Could you let me know what sources you had for replacement shifter parts.
02-23-2017, 01:19 AM
