How to Remove the Gear Shift Lever of a Volkswagen Car?
2 Answers
Remove the fixing screw and rotate the gear lever head counterclockwise to remove the gear shift lever of a Volkswagen car. The gear shift lever, also known as the operation lever, is used in the car's transmission system, and its main function is to support the car's gear shifting. The gear shift lever is a rod, commonly divided into 1/2 gear shift lever, 3/4 gear shift lever, and five-gear shift lever. The gear shift lever needs to be equipped with a shift fork and a shift shaft fork to realize the combination of its functions. The following is an introduction about gear shifting: The technical requirements for gear shifting can be summarized into eight words: timely, correct, smooth, and fast. 1. Timely: Master the appropriate gear shifting timing, that is, do not shift up too early, nor shift down too late. 2. Correct: The coordination of the clutch pedal, accelerator pedal, and gear lever should be correct and coordinated, and the position should be accurate. 3. Smooth: After shifting into a new gear, release the clutch pedal timely and smoothly. 4. Fast: The action should be fast to shorten the gear shifting time, reduce the kinetic energy loss of the car, and lower fuel consumption.
Last time I replaced the gear shift knob on my Passat, it took me two hours to get it done. First, find a flathead screwdriver and gently pry open the silver trim frame along the edge of the gear shift panel. The clips are fragile, so don’t use brute force—damaging even one clip can ruin the entire panel. Once you expose the star-shaped screw inside, use a T20 screwdriver to loosen it counterclockwise. Make sure not to lose the screw once it’s fully removed—these small Volkswagen parts are particularly expensive. Here’s the key part: Press the latch switch at the base of the gear shift knob to the left while pulling the knob upward with force. Before installing the new gear shift knob, remember to clean the linkage shaft and apply some Vaseline to prevent stiffness. This job requires a bit of hand strength, but even female car owners can do it independently—I managed it myself and saved 200 bucks in labor costs.
