Gearstick leather gaiter replacement
 

Hi everyone.
My car is now on 120,000 and has done quite a few roundtrips to Greece and Spain in that time.
Unfortunately, due to the excessive heat in Greece, it seems like the leather piece that goes on the gearstick has fallen apart.
I want to replace it, however, I have heard stories about tearing wires, expensive mistakes and broken noses.
Can someone give me a step by step guide on how to replace it.
Also, looking at youtube videos didn't really help me.

Hi, no guide, but have seen one somewhere.

My gearknob was was very worn, gaiter was perished but at 180k I suppose normal wear and tear.

I purchased a gear shift assembly on ebay to experiment. The gear knob on this was leathered rather than the worn out silvery plastic original (with the slivery bits worn to white plastic), so this was to be a replacement.

You can get the whole thing for about £40.

You simply prise the silvery cap, just below the knob downwards away from the knob with a small screwdriver and so that it can slide downwards on the selector shaft.

Then with both hands grab the shift knob, using your elbows on the seat as a fulcrum. Make sure you are at pretty much arm's length so that when the shift knob pulls out, it does not break your nose.

It clips in place but a good pull will remove it. In my case I experimented on my ebay unit first.
The plate with the gear selection indicator on it just pulls out of the plate that covers the assembly but is attached with a ribbon cable that ideally you unplug carefully.

A new leather gaiter is pretty cheep but a real fiddle fastening it to the panel.

Remove the old one by taking a retaining plate off. A bit of a fiddle. There are small noches in the leather that ideally you replicate in the new.

The real problem is fitting it to the small ring that slides back up the knob. How this was fitted originally I don't know but in my case the new gaiter has quite a small diameter hole in the top so never fitted the silver band.

Incidentally I offered the rest of the unit to another member whose kids had spilt drink into the gear unit and shorted the small pcb in there. He only wanted the pcb assembly so sent that in the post. The rest of the unit still remains if I ever have the 'stick in neutral' mechanical problem.

Hope this all helps

John l

Thank you John.
Would you recommend for me to buy the whole unit or just the leather

Just the leather.

I only bought this because my gear stick was literally worn out. It was the grey silvered plastic top and bad worn through to white plastic and a piece had broken off which held the button. It all worked but for how long?

I had wanted to change the leather as it looked taffy.

I saw a complete unit with a leathered gear knob but again, leather still tatty.

Just be aware that the new leather will probably be OEM rather than genuine Volvo. You could try and get genuine Volvo.

The concern is that where the gaiter fits around the bottom, it is retained with a plastic ring that runs around the edge. The genuine Volvo part will have corresponding notches cut in the leather to secure it before replacing the plastic clip.

An oem part will be perfectly good leather but you will have to cut your own

Below is probably best.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/391960934...mis&media=MORE

This has the frame and knotches cut in the leather.

A cheaper and less expensive replacement will need to be cut to a similar pattern.

Cheers

Thank you for your help John

£8 for a gaiter is excessive, an original Volvo one won't cost that much

Do you have a part number or something?