UK-POLOS.NET - THE VW Polo Forum

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

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....

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

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!

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.

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.

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

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.