Im a newbie and was wondering if anyone knew how to remove the shift ****? does it unscrew?

 

assuming you have the original .... just pull straight up.

It takes quite a bit of effort and when it does let go, be careful not to whack yourself in the nose!

It just snaps down into place, and lifts straight up. Do not twist . . .

 

yea its the stock shift ****. but thanks man!

 

if you have a sunroof, you might want to open it before removing the ****

 

There was this guy at MITM/MTTS last year with beautiful custom engraved shift *****. I really wanted one but I kinda shyed away after he told me how difficult it was. I may do it one day but just not now. Good luck!

 

+1

 

THE shift **** for the GEN1 was Whalen - a big chunk of custom turned and engraved stainless. I loved mine and resold it when I sold the 02

didn't seem to catch on with the GEN2 tho .... possibly because they changed the way the **** fit to the shaft and boot and it was not a 1 minute replacement anymore. I got the "wood" shift **** with my 07 & English Oak trim so never really pursued . . .

 

Whalen Shift Machine, great stuff for sure.
http://www.whalenshiftmachine.com/

And yep, pull up hard, and good advice on taking precautions for your nose, heh.

 

haha thanks. but yes i def want a whalen shift **** with a bulldog engraved on it! they look sick!

 

Push **** to the left and give it a little whack with a hammer from the bottom on the right. Yes, twards your face- be careful! It pops right off.

 

He's been there. Pull. Hard. Try not to hurt yourself.

 

Left as in reverse or leave it in neutral??

 

Oh, I still sell quite a few gen2 *****; I'm just not mentioned much on the forums, these days. Different breed of MINI owner nowadays, for one thing.

Evidently, not too many folks are scared to do the gen2 shift **** r&r.
If it weren't for separating the stock **** from the boot, it wouldn't be too bad of a job.

 

leave it in neutral, straddle gearshift, jerk straight up, pray!!

 

If you straddle the shifter, it's not your nose you should worry about. (Hint: Wear a groin guard!)

 

Haha I'm not going to straddle it, I got to make a family one day!!

 

I have a 2002 Mini Cooper S and I have recently purchased a Whalen Shift **** & E-Brake handle. I love them! They have changed the whole look of my Mini and I love how it feels in my hand when I Shift. It's the best mod you can do to your Mini and a Whalen **** makes it look like a Million dollars!

 

I just changed out my original shift **** for a Whalen (off eBay for cheap)

The stock **** came off with only moderate force. I wrapped one hand around the shift lever under the **** and use the other hand to apply upward pressure. This is more like pushing it off than pulling it. (Or maybe even like squeezing it off)

If i hadn't known that force was the correct methond, I never would have applied that much of it to my ****.

I kinda miss having the stock **** so far honestly. The Whalen is smaller and since it's in the single digits (f) for these weeks in New England. The **** takes a full hour or more of heating the cabin before it's not cold any more.

 

many people mentioned keeping a sock in the car to put on like a hoodie

I had a pair of leather gloves I kept in the car and if not TOO cold would just slid one over the **** rather than wearing the pair.

Caution - in the summer it can get DAMN hot too if sitting in direct sunlight.

 

Yeh, I've used my hat to cover it a few time. It's just going to take some getting used to. It has a high cool factor b/c it's engraved with the mini logo, shift pattern and says "Velvet Red" on it.

 

(Never mind.)