New Gear Shift Knob

[Dathaeus]

Alas my current leather shift knob has been falling apart due to age and some water exposure.

Will anything do here? Seems like a simple replace like with this

https://www.ebay.com/itm/6-Speed-Gear-Shift-Knob-for-BMW-1-3-5-6-Series-X1-X3-X5-E36-E46-E92-Carbon-Fiber/192955225025

but I dont wanna get cocky and just get whatever assuming it will all work out...
I'm likely to miss some mundane detail, and... well you know what happens then....

[Vas]

Go with the original zhp shift knob.

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[Oli77]

That one looks a bit tall. I agree with Vas, that ZHP knob is great and better than my wood one!

[Dathaeus]

Go with the original zhp shift knob.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using TapatalkWhat's the difference and how do I even know what's a genuine original for sure?

Someone said the original lights up? My knob never lit up anywhere so not sure if that's legit.

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[az3579]

What's the difference and how do I even know what's a genuine original for sure?

Someone said the original lights up? My knob never lit up anywhere so not sure if that's legit.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using TapatalkNo, the original one doesn't light up.
Here's the part number: 25117896886

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-6-speed-zhp-shift-knob-genuine-bmw-25117896886

The original ZHP shift knob is nicely weighted, unlike most of BMW's other shift knobs.

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[ZHPizza]

OE zhp knob is significantly shorter than other e46 knobs (even m3) and heavier than any knockoffs. Really don't want to cheap out on this one.

Mine is in decent shape if you want to save a couple bucks and buy used. I have a new one ready to go on, just haven't needed it yet.

[Dathaeus]

Just took a chance and got cheap one from China... Fit perfectly thank God, and the only downside is the "leather" is super thin and not glued into the shaft so it moves around a little when I put a little pressure on the lower part of the leather... Little annoying but I'll just hold it near the top and see what happens.

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[webster]

just curious, why skimp on the one part of the car that you touch the most and is most essential to driving satisfaction?

[t.er]

Yeah I agree. I replaced my OE ZHP knob with another one 3 years ago and with proper maintenance and care, still looks the same as the day I got it. My old one was fine but had a bit of of a bubble on the shift pattern, and the leather was pretty shiny. Right now it's just one of the few paperweights kicking around on my desk

[holyc0w]

I would be worried that the thin "leather" will fall apart all too quickly just like the computer chairs I bought. You get what you pay for. Although sometimes you pay a good amount and still end up with crap.

[Galapolis]

just curious, why skimp on the one part of the car that you touch the most and is most essential to driving satisfaction?

Yeah I was asking myself the same. My standard shift knob was still in good shape and the quality was obviously good being stock, but it lacked feel and bugged me so one of the first things I did on my car was replace it with the M Performance knob. One of my friends put the F10 M5 shift knob and boot on his E46 M3 and I thought it felt horrible. Not sure why he would do that. Nothing comes close to the ZHP or M Performance knob on our cars IMO.

[webster]

LOVE my Coby-wrapped alcantara ZHP knob. perfect grip and weighting. seems to be holding up well too.

[Dathaeus]

just curious, why skimp on the one part of the car that you touch the most and is most essential to driving satisfaction?Well right now as I said, the only time I feel anything wrong is when I grip it low and tug on it. So yes it's one of the most directly used commitment components in the car, but right now, it's not something that's hampering my shifting not my driving so.....?

If you're asking my to extrapolate my decision for 1-2-5 years from now, well honestly, we'll see, unless someone can 100% guarantee that this will be unusable in less than a year, there's much more important things in life than slightly thinner leather on my shift shaft.

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[Vas]

A genuine bmw zhp shift knob is $67 shipped from the the bmw mini parts store.

I wonder what the weight is on the knockoff eBay part.

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[Dathaeus]

A genuine bmw zhp shift knob is $67 shipped from the the bmw mini parts store.

I wonder what the weight is on the knockoff eBay part.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using TapatalkIt was definitely a little lighter on hand not installed, but not enough to be like, wow, this feels so much cheaper and lighter...

Installed, zero difference in noticeable mass difference... Besides, installed you would need a significant mass difference to feel that, and I'm not sure why practically anyone would want a much heavier shift knob.

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[webster]

fair enough, hope it holds up for ya. most people like the added weight on the knob because lends more "feel" to the throws, if that makes sense.

[Dathaeus]

fair enough, hope it holds up for ya. most people like the added weight on the knob because lends more "feel" to the throws, if that makes sense.Yep definitely makes sense, so personal preference... For me in this type of process, I basically get used to whatever I install pretty quickly... And I'm the guy who spends a year testing and customizing my tennis racquets to exactly the way I want them when I get new ones... Wanted to point that out in case some maybe thought I just didn't GAS about anything in regards to precision... and I also love driving. When I got ceramic breaks for the first time, I thought it was tremendously softer than stock and I was almost considering replacing them immediately, felt "unsafe"... But soon after, I didn't even think about it and knock on wood, over 5 years later, not even close to an accident and never a second thought.

I may just have to add a little glue on the bottom where the leather ends to minimize that movement... all they had to do was add some glue before slipping the leather over but anyways I'm going to wait a few weeks and if it still bothers me then, then I'll take care of it.

And considering how cheap this was and that it literally took me about 4 minutes to install, wouldn't be a big deal at all to replace in a year. One of the few times I was actually very pleased how easy a work was on my car... I didn't even use any glue for it, snapped right in, so we'll see how it holds up.

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[russlan44]

A genuine bmw zhp shift knob is $67 shipped from the the bmw mini parts store.

I wonder what the weight is on the knockoff eBay part.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using TapatalkLink to the $67 zhp knob, one I saw was $83?

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[Vas]

Link to the $67 zhp knob, one I saw was $83?

Sent from my SM-J727T1 using Tapatalkhttps://www.thebmwminipartstore.com/oem-parts/bmw-gearshift-knob-leather-m-6spd-25117896886?c=bD0yJm49RmVhdHVyZWQgUHJvZHVjdHM%3D

Add the coupon code Roundel at checkout. Shipping is free on it

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[russlan44]

https://www.thebmwminipartstore.com/oem-parts/bmw-gearshift-knob-leather-m-6spd-25117896886?c=bD0yJm49RmVhdHVyZWQgUHJvZHVjdHM%3D

Add the coupon code Roundel at checkout. Shipping is free on it

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using TapatalkThank you, $74 with tax shipped to CA

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[jtamayo027]

Does anyone else have a coupon code for bmw mini parts store? I tried Roundel but it did not work for me. TIA

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[ZHPizza]

Thought I would add some content to this thread since I happened to have both a brand new OE and brand new knockoff sitting in the garage. I had bought the knockoff on a whim and didn't even install the piece of shit. I hassled the seller to return it, got some East Germany type of address to send it to, and then it got bounced around customs for a while and ended up back in my garage. If anyone wants the piece of shit, just pay postage and I'll send it on. Anyway, on to the comparo...


Dimensionally, it's pretty spot on. The lower trim ring is shinier on the knockoff. The pleather has a grain to it. Not terrible.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200630/c8b43bfe8d102afe2b76f4d731371b42.jpg

Here's where we start to see the quality shine through. The pleather is poorly wrapped into the top recess causing the pattern insert to not seat correctly. If I try to seat it better, it just pops right back up.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200630/c44a8654d064c242e112dd65b18a79de.jpg


The pattern inserts are comparable. The knockoff is obviously a knockoff when the two are next to each other but not something I would ever notice otherwise.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200630/5d0f7227296b594ed8cfb22e8826d4e4.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200630/33512fa086bfad4b72741092ee2ca5e3.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200630/29391a0e4eb7c87e8f364e4d7aff1cfd.jpg

Flip them over and see that the knockoff does not have the damping foam around the post hole that the OE has. No surprise there. It cheap.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200630/6ae657b0572086da09de9f2d2d8cfcb2.jpg

So what else is the knockoff missing? Apparently a lot! The OE knob is literally twice the weight. This would be a major downgrade in shifting. This is why I tried to send this thing back to the Soviet Bloc. Trash.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200630/da15ae9be2e46505a07498af9cdfdb27.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200630/2b96cd633cb5c219fd766bce7443eaba.jpg

And yes, the pupper chose the OE
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200630/20f737984cb9f93f31324e7989029969.jpg

[Vas]

Thanks for sharing.

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[webster]

+1. that has got to be the most thorough shifter comparo i've ever read lol

[holyc0w]

Smart dog...could smell the Kremlin threat to your driving experience

[Will]

+1. that has got to be the most thorough shifter comparo i've ever read lol

+1 Thanks for the write up and the warning!

[jsfbmw]

I'm also needing to replace the shift knob and had a discouraging experience. Maybe someone here can shed some light. I got the ZHP shift knob from getbmwparts and this was quick and easy. the install had that click-in-place and was straight forward, I backed out of my parking space, selected 1st gear and took off. on the upshift to 2nd the shift knob rotated a bit to the right. a freaky feel. getbmwparts sent a replacement and this too rotated. returned it as well for refund. so, has no one else had this happen? I would like to order one but am skeptical. didn't seem like there was anything else for installation. thanks.

[BMWCurves]

This might not be the case for you, but sometimes it isn't actually seated correctly. When I replaced mine when I first got my car, I thought I really shoved it on there, but I clearly didn't align it correctly when I put it on because it popped off easily. Once I got it seated right, it sat a good ½" shorter and was rock solid.

[Vas]

I ordered them before from the bmw mini parts store and had no issues.

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