Every car, whether it is a manual or an automatic car, has a gear knob. The gear knob sits right in the centre of the car interior and can be seen from virtually every position in the car. It is therefore understandable why a replacement gear knob is such a popular car interior modification. A new gear knob can instantly change the look and feel of the car interior but it is important to choose the right gear knob for you and your car.

The first thing to consider when choosing a new replacement gear knob is which type you need. This is primarily determined by whether you have a lift-up reverse gear stick or not. If you have to lift up a part of the gear stick in order to engage reverse gear, then you have a lift-up reverse gear stick. This type of gear selection method is commonly used in some Vauxhall models as well as many other cars. At Gear-Knobs.co.uk we stock a good range of gear knobs that are designed specifically for lift-up reverse cars. These gear knobs generally have a wider bottom and are half hollow to allow the lifting mechanism to slide in and out of the gear knob as you select reverse gear. If you do not have a lift-up reverse gear stick, virtually any gear knob will fit your car. All of the gear knobs listed on this website have precise and detailed product descriptions and each gear knob will state whether or not that product will fit normal and/or lift-up reverse gear sticks.

The next thing to consider when choosing a replacement gear knob is simply which style you prefer. There are many types of gear knobs available today and we offer a good choice here. Our gear knobs can generally be placed in one of two categories. Leather gear knobs tend to be rather subtle and discrete, whilst aluminium gear knobs provide a much more sports like look and feel. Both leather and aluminium gear knobs are available in a good range of colours in order to suit any car interior. The gear knob that is right for you rather depends on your personal preferences.

The biggest problem that many people face when installing a new gear knob isn’t how to fit it, but how to remove the old one. Removing a standard gear knob from many cars is the hardest part but we hope to offer some assistance here. If you are lucky enough to have a screw-on standard gear knob, simply unscrew it and you are done. Most other gear knobs are moulded to the gear shaft and a little more persuasion is needed to remove them. Often, standard gear knobs can either be pulled upwards or twisted to remove them. If your gear knob still won’t budge after trying those methods, a hacksaw should do the trick. If you intend to cut a gear knob off the gear stick, it is extremely important not to cut the gear shaft. Ideally, you want to cut the gear knob open in order to weaken it so it will pull off the gear shaft. Do NOT just cut the gear shaft below the gear knob as this will shorten the gear stick.

Now that you have your standard car gear knob removed, we can look at fitting a new gear knob. Most replacement gear knobs have either one or three very small grub screws that clamp to the gear shaft. These grub screws are usually concealed beneath a collar at the bottom of the gear knob. To fit your gear knob, place it over the gear shaft and unscrew this collar. The grub screws should now be exposed. Simply tighten these evenly to clamp to gear knob to the shaft. Replace the collar at the bottom and you are done. It really is as simple as that! This method of fitting should apply to most types of gear knobs. Although there are a few exceptions and fitting some gear knobs may vary slightly from the explanation above, full fitting instructions are included with all of the gear knobs we stock.