My shifter knob is so fat :(

[misfortune]

See title for more information. Pictures if necessary (aka if the lazy owner can somehow make it to his car with his digital camera)

Backstory
Anyway good ol Scott H shipped me an //M shift knob and a cleaner shift boot. Well I remove my old boot+knob only to discover the stalk is too fat for the M knob. Mine has a black ring with an adapter to widen it and I have no clue how ot remove this black ring. I've scratched the crap out of it trying to loosen it. After I yanked the knob off, I discovered some allen key heads but they're behind the ring and near impossible to get to. I'd like to thin my stalk some so I can get my pretty boot and M knob on. Any advice?

[632 Regal]

thats what she said!

My shifter knob is so fat

[misfortune]

thats what she said!

Congratulations, you're the first person to ever make this joke. I hope this thread can now continue void of this obvious joke. :P

[Anthony (M5 in Calgary)]

Sounds like somebody put an aftermarket knob on there and it required a "girth enhancing" adapter to fit to the OE shift arm. You will have to get it off before the M-Tech knobby will fit. AFAIK all BMW shift knobs interchange for the last ~20 years or so - snap-on types anyway.


Chin up and struggle on. :)