Gear Gaitor

Hamish · Post by **Hamish** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 2:09 pm

How hard is this to change over, as mine has creased and worn in certain places and generally looks tatty.

I know that you would have to take the centre trim bit out. That easy enough. Do you have to take the gear knob off as well though. Complete badger of a job?

Can you just buy the gaitor from VW.

Feed me info peeps

david burton · Post by **david burton** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 3:21 pm

if it's the same as older models the gaitor will be attached to the knob with a metal clip, so yes you will have to take the knob off....

Hamish · Post by **Hamish** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 4:19 pm

Does that mean you have to buy the knob and gaitor as one from VW?

TimGti · Post by **TimGti** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 4:41 pm

Hamish wrote:Does that mean you have to buy the knob and gaitor as one from VW?

Without looking, Im pretty sure I have read people just replace the gator so it must detach from the knob.

If you pull the trim off (takes 2 seconds) and have a look you'll prob be able to see how it attaches to the knob itself?

I need a gater as mine looks terrible!

RUM4MO · Post by **RUM4MO** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 8:06 pm

I think that you will find that VW only sell the kn0b+gaitor+stick as an assembly. If I were you, I'd look out on ebay for a guy that sells leather gaitors for VWs, I got him to make me one for a Polo, if you find the right guy - he normally only sells Golf gaitors, then he will have a pattern already - I supplied him with a second hand gaitor I bought off ebay. BTW he currently only makes black gaitors - the one he sent me fitted okay. Remember NOT TO CUT OR BREAK THE METAL CLIP as you will need it!
To remove the gaitor assembly from the centre console - prise it forward with a couple of blunt tools - there are two plastic tangs sticking out at the front and the rear, so repeat this prising out at the front as well.

Hamish · Post by **Hamish** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 10:44 pm

if VW only sell it as an assembly.

May give them a call anyway.

Thing with ebay is that you never quite know the quality of the parts as they vary so much. I dont want an after market one that will potentially look shabby.

Chris-85 · Post by **Chris-85** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 9:19 am

I had to change mine last year VW sell it as the knob and the gaitor. I think it was about Â£40 I cant remember.

RUM4MO · Post by **RUM4MO** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 9:44 pm

Hamish wrote: if VW only sell it as an assembly.

May give them a call anyway.

Thing with ebay is that you never quite know the quality of the parts as they vary so much. I dont want an after market one that will potentially look shabby.

Remember that VW sell a leatherette gaitor AND a leather one. The horrible truth is that I already had a leather gaitor on my wife's Polo but thought because it was hard cheap looking "stuff" that it was leatherette. It was only when I went to fit the one I bought off ebay that I discovered that mine was leather - but very hard leather. In answer to your quite justified worry that you might spend money and get a crappy leather aftermarket gaitor, the guy I bought from makes them in nappa leather - so it is very soft. I'll try to add his ebay name later. One other thing, buying a new leather gear kn0b + gaitor from VW does not guarentee that you will end up with a leather gaitor - the second hand leather gear kn0b + gaitor that I bought on ebay (to send away for use as a pattern) was infact a leatherette gaitor fitted to a leather gear kn0b! So be very careful about which part gets ordered if you want a genuine leather gaitor.