Gear gaiter removal?

[JIMBOB326]

My gear gaiter is torn so im gonna buy a nice new one from e-bay. One thing i cant figure out is how to remove my old gaiter. On all my previous cars the gaiter would unclip easily at the bottom but this one doesnt seem to budge. Ive had a look through the forum and theres loads of knob pulling advice but nothing on the gaiter.

[midsdaz]

To get mine out I pop the ash tray and lift the it that way comes out a piss easy or flat head screw driver and pop it out

[JIMBOB326]

Cool, sounds easy(ish!). So do i have to remove the actual gear knob though, to get to the top of the gaiter?

[steve_earwig]

If you open the ash tray and push it further forward the ashtray itself should rise up a bit further, just pull it out. Next use this hole to pull out the wood surround from the end nearest the gaiter (carefully, there's a bulb with wires). Once this is out the gaiter unclips - push it forward a bit and it should just come out.

[midsdaz]

Yeh the gear knob has to come off its is easy

[highlander]

Yeh the gear knob has to come off its is easy

In principle, yes; you just turn it clockwise a bit and then pull.

However, sometimes the car has other ideas. Remember, the gear knob is potentially something that hasn't moved since it was installed in the car as early as 1996 or as late as 2004 (depending on your model) - so up to 16 years ago.

The one in my old saloon was a complete arse to budge, it just wouldn't move. I could turn it, but in order to get it to budge upwards, I had to put both my feet up on the dashboard and really give it a damned good pull. When it finally gave, the way I was gripping it meant that part of my hand dragged up the gearstick, and I managed to flay a good chunk of skin off the palm of my left hand, and I bled like a stuck pig.

Mine is not an isolated case. I've heard of people accidentally punching themselves in the face with the gearknob as it gave way.

An easy job, yes, but just be careful and have some kind of first aid on-hand. And keep the kids away because you have the potential to give them an education in swearing.

[gumby6371]

Just had a thought, if the knob is only being binned after removal you could potentially 'carefully' drill a big hole in the top down to the gear stick and use a puller, the way I see it in my head the type of puller you'd use for wiper arm removal would do the job.
Could be a little fiddly but might save your front teeth

As I've never pulled my knob off (couldn't resist) I'm assuming it fits directly to metal so steady drilling shouldn't do any damage.

[lozz]

Just had a thought, if the knob is only being binned after removal you could potentially 'carefully' drill a big hole in the top down to the gear stick and use a puller, the way I see it in my head the type of puller you'd use for wiper arm removal would do the job.
Could be a little fiddly but might save your front teeth

As I've never pulled my knob off (couldn't resist) I'm assuming it fits directly to metal so steady drilling shouldn't do any damage.

iirc once you pull the gear k'nob off theres a plastic sleeve.