Before the install pictures.


WARNING:

Do not modify your car without the help of a trained, professional automotive mechanic unless you comfortable doing so yourself. Any modifications taken from this site are done at your own risk!

 

VW TECH BY: Bolsen

Remove the red bin from the ash tray area.

Next, lift up the shift boot. To do this, you will need to remove the plastic ring that the skirt is fitted around. From the rear of the skirt (ring) push forward and the piece should come out, allowing you to lift up the boot.
 

Find the brass ring under the knob assembly and remove it. Tin snips work well for this.

Pull the OEM knob straight up to remove it from the post. It will look like this.

This step is optional. I opted to cut the post. Cutting the post makes for a shorter throw and removes some of the notchyness. With that said, cut approximately 1.5" off the post. (Don't do too much, or you will not be able to shift into reverse or 5th gear.) To do this, you can use a hack saw (like I did) or use a Dremel (the easy way). Don't forget to wrap something around the shift linkage, like a towel, to prevent metal shavings from falling into the grease.

Put the new shift knob on the post. The instructions told to run the wires under the foam, however, I think that it would be better to run the wires over the foam towards the power source.

This step is the most difficult part of the entire install. After running the wires from the knob to the power source, you will need to soldier the brown wire to the silver power source assembly. I found a small divot on one side and filled that with soldier. I then laid the wire on top of the (now solid) soldier. After heating the soldier, the wires sank in. This was the only way to get the soldier to stick to the silver metal. Perhaps if you scuff the metal first, the soldier may bond more easily. For protection, tape the wire and soldier.

Now soldier the red wire to the brass prong that comes off the light bulb assembly. This prong contacts the brass strip on the power source.

I recommend turning on the lights now to test you connections. Better to do it now, than when it's all put back together! Hey... it works!

With the boot above the knob, tighten the (3) Allen head screws around the base of the knob. Use the provided Allen head wrench that came with the knob.

If you haven't already, I recommend taping all the wires. Heat wrap (Radio Shack) would probably work best for this application, but I did not have any.

Reassemble the ash tray and boot assembly, but repeating the steps above in the reverse order.  Enjoy your new Rieger illuminated shift knob!