Shift Selector Change

[B21]

There was a big change in shifters between the old 6 speed autos and the 8 speed. The older 6 speeds still had mechanical gear selection whereas the 8 went electronic. You might be able to stick on a fascia to make the 6 speed shifter look newer but it'll still need to clunk backwards and forwards to select gear.

He's right...

Its the N20 autos and 35i DCTs that have the more modern knob..

I now see what Nick was rumbling on about as its so last century his old knob! :thumbsdown:

 

[Zed Baron]

the old style auto gear stick didn't bother me, it was the old style paddle shift that did!

 

[mcbutler]

There was a big change in shifters between the old 6 speed autos and the 8 speed. The older 6 speeds still had mechanical gear selection whereas the 8 went electronic. You might be able to stick on a fascia to make the 6 speed shifter look newer but it'll still need to clunk backwards and forwards to select gear.

He's right...

Its the N20 autos and 35i DCTs that have the more modern knob..

I now see what Nick was rumbling on about as its so last century his old knob! :thumbsdown:

I believe the older 'knobs' are also somewhat smaller, thinner and a bit floppy as well

 

[wanderer]

the old style auto gear stick didn't bother me, it was the old style paddle shift that did!

I must say that i prefer the old style paddle shift. It just makes "sense" to me.
Plus it means that i can change up or down with one hand or whichever hand is on the steering wheel at the time.

Also, when changing via the gear shift, only one hand is used for up and down, so why should it be different or restrictive on the paddle shift?

And then there's the cruise control as well. The way my brain understands or remembers it: "pull towards you to advance & push away to retard".
That's faster or slower, all done with one hand.

 

[tiglon]

the old style auto gear stick didn't bother me, it was the old style paddle shift that did!

I must say that i prefer the old style paddle shift. It just makes "sense" to me.
Plus it means that i can change up or down with one hand or whichever hand is on the steering wheel at the time.

Also, when changing via the gear shift, only one hand is used for up and down, so why should it be different or restrictive on the paddle shift?

And then there's the cruise control as well. The way my brain understands or remembers it: "pull towards you to advance & push away to retard".
That's faster or slower, all done with one hand.

I think the cruise control is the other way around? It's the least intuitive cruise control control that I've used. But I don't use it much so it doesn't matter.

The thing with the older e89 gear shift paddles is that journalists had already got used to the other type that BMW eventually switched to, which meant that every review of the older type described them as confusing and wrong.

P.S. If, like me, your driving skills and technique are identical to those of a F1 driver, you always have two hands on the wheel anyway

 

[B21]

There was a big change in shifters between the old 6 speed autos and the 8 speed. The older 6 speeds still had mechanical gear selection whereas the 8 went electronic. You might be able to stick on a fascia to make the 6 speed shifter look newer but it'll still need to clunk backwards and forwards to select gear.

He's right...

Its the N20 autos and 35i DCTs that have the more modern knob..

I now see what Nick was rumbling on about as its so last century his old knob! :thumbsdown:

I believe the older 'knobs' are also somewhat smaller, thinner and a bit floppy as well

I’ve only fondled and caressed N20 ZF8HP and N54 DCT knobs…so couldn’t understand why Nick was so upset with his knob…

Now I see why he doesn’t like his knob…

 

[B21]

the old style auto gear stick didn't bother me, it was the old style paddle shift that did!

I must say that i prefer the old style paddle shift. It just makes "sense" to me.
Plus it means that i can change up or down with one hand or whichever hand is on the steering wheel at the time.

Also, when changing via the gear shift, only one hand is used for up and down, so why should it be different or restrictive on the paddle shift?

And then there's the cruise control as well. The way my brain understands or remembers it: "pull towards you to advance & push away to retard".
That's faster or slower, all done with one hand.

Having had both sets of paddles I’d have to say the single action ones I much prefer..so much so that I swapped them over from my 2012 20i to my 2011 35is which is when they changed that and a shed load of other bits quietly..

FWIW I di think the cruise control is not intuitive..a few times I’ve launched myself into hyperspace when all I was trying to do was set an average speed camera respectable cruise speed..

 

[Nick7602]

Ha ha ha love the banter lads……

 

[wanderer]

He's right...

Its the N20 autos and 35i DCTs that have the more modern knob..

I now see what Nick was rumbling on about as its so last century his old knob! :thumbsdown:

I believe the older 'knobs' are also somewhat smaller, thinner and a bit floppy as well

I’ve only fondled and caressed N20 ZF8HP and N54 DCT knobs…so couldn’t understand why Nick was so upset with his knob…

Now I see why he doesn’t like his knob…

tsk, tsk, tsk!

This is why i persisted in using the terms "gear shift" and "gear lever" thoroughout.

Anyway, how do you now "see why he doesn’t like his knob".
Have you fondled & caressed that too?

 

[wanderer]

[/quote]

I think the cruise control is the other way around? It's the least intuitive cruise control control that I've used. But I don't use it much so it doesn't matter.

[/quote]

That may be true. I'm basing that comment on my E90, which should be the same as the E89.
I have a cruise control stalk here waiting to go on, will be following Daves video & instructions to do so.

 

[B21]

I believe the older 'knobs' are also somewhat smaller, thinner and a bit floppy as well

I’ve only fondled and caressed N20 ZF8HP and N54 DCT knobs…so couldn’t understand why Nick was so upset with his knob…

Now I see why he doesn’t like his knob…

tsk, tsk, tsk!

This is why i persisted in using the terms "gear shift" and "gear lever" thoroughout.

Anyway, how do you now "see why he doesn’t like his knob".
Have you fondled & caressed that too?

I apologise for being drawn into an unnecessarily base set of comments…

It was unbecoming…

But it does not look like a very attractive ‘device’..I’d not realised that the ZF6HP box relied on a mechanical link to drive the box..given it has flappy paddles..

 

[wanderer]

I’ve only fondled and caressed N20 ZF8HP and N54 DCT knobs…so couldn’t understand why Nick was so upset with his knob…

Now I see why he doesn’t like his knob…

tsk, tsk, tsk!

This is why i persisted in using the terms "gear shift" and "gear lever" thoroughout.

Anyway, how do you now "see why he doesn’t like his knob".
Have you fondled & caressed that too?

I apologise for being drawn into an unnecessarily base set of comments…

It was unbecoming…

But it does not look like a very attractive ‘device’..I’d not realised that the ZF6HP box relied on a mechanical link to drive the box..given it has flappy paddles..

HA!
Happy Saturday!

 

[Nick7602]

Hi Wanderer, have you fitted the gear selector?

 

[wanderer]

Hi Wanderer, have you fitted the gear selector?

Not yet. I did try to fit it a few nights ago but the connectors were confusing.

Today I'm trying to unbrick my ECU.
At the moment the gear selector is useless to me if the car won't start.

 

[wanderer]

[ref]Nick7602[/ref],

I finally managed to swap out the ECU and CAS module and get the car functional again.

Before putting everything back again i decided to complete the gearshift change.
I used a small trim tool i have to lift the leather gear lever shroud up off the console. Do not use anything metal as it can damage your center console.
I connected it all up, tested functionality before finalising, taped all connectors with electical tape and reassembled.

This is the outcome:





My thoughts:
1) Although i mentioned that it was made of plastic and it does feels very light out of the box, after i installed it, it felt quite solid.
For various reasons above i haven't driven it more than about 50mtrs (to move the car to a differnt spot) as yet.

2) The wiring, at the connectors, does not seem especially hardy hene the reason i decided to tape them up.

3) When installed, you have both panels lighting up. The original one on the side of the gearshift and now the new one on the gearshift itself. This can be a bit confusing, and the original can be disconnected if you prefer.

4) As you can see from the pics, on the original panel, you have P, R, N, D in one contiguous motion. On the new one, park is at the very top on its own AND the green P LED sign is at the middle of the lower half. Very confusing indeed if looking at it. I'm sure i will get used to it over time though.

5) Other than that though i think it's aesthetically pleasing. The wife loves the look of it. The neighbour is most impressed and it brings the older cars in line with the newer models, so i'm all for it.

 

[Nick7602]

Thats stunning, thank you so much for the description and your thought's which are really helpful, very very nice

 

[wanderer]

Thats stunning, thank you so much for the description and your thought's which are really helpful, very very nice

I will create a video to make it easier for anyone else as well.

I've driven it around the block since then because the neighbour wanted to check it out.

It looks good, feels good.
We noticed that the park LED on both the gearshift and the console panel remained on for a period of time. I'm not sure how long though. When we returned 2hrs later from a few beers at the local, I looked through the window and it was off.
Will need to investigate the timing of that.

What's your thoughts so far? Tempted to go for it?

 

[Nick7602]

Thats stunning, thank you so much for the description and your thought's which are really helpful, very very nice

I will create a video to make it easier for anyone else as well.

I've driven it around the block since then because the neighbour wanted to check it out.

It looks good, feels good.
We noticed that the park LED on both the gearshift and the console panel remained on for a period of time. I'm not sure how long though. When we returned 2hrs later from a few beers at the local, I looked through the window and it was off.
Will need to investigate the timing of that.

What's your thoughts so far? Tempted to go for it?

Oh yes definitely it adds to the style and look of the car which has got to be a good thing really, such a beautiful car needs quality upgrades imo

 

[jenniferlouise]

I was contemplating swapping the ‘traditional’ gear shift on my 6-speed auto 23i to the ‘performance’ trimmed selector. Amazon state this is for the E90 only but I’ve seen elsewhere, probably in here, they fit the E89 too. But it’s £90, then you’ll need to factor to match the trim detail, adding another £80. This ‘upgrade’ option looks nice. Was there a particular make / company that’s recommended as there appears quite a few ‘brands’ on the market. I’d hate to buy cheap and find that, for example, I can’t get it out of Park

 

[wanderer]

I was contemplating swapping the ‘traditional’ gear shift on my 6-speed auto 23i to the ‘performance’ trimmed selector. Amazon state this is for the E90 only but I’ve seen elsewhere, probably in here, they fit the E89 too. But it’s £90, then you’ll need to factor to match the trim detail, adding another £80. This ‘upgrade’ option looks nice. Was there a particular make / company that’s recommended as there appears quite a few ‘brands’ on the market. I’d hate to buy cheap and find that, for example, I can’t get it out of Park

This is the one i got.
As mentioned above, it looks / feels cheap out of the box because it's not heavy and is made of plastic.
However, once installed it "just works".

There are a few small niggly problems but only noticeable if you are ocd like me.

https://www.ebay.ie/itm/193058830547