I finished it and installed it today. All you have to do to install it is to unscrew the old one and screw on the new one. I chose to put a short "jam" or "cheek" nut on the end and lock it on tightly with a wrench. The OEM shift knob was "locked in" with a reddish brown compound on the threads. Instead of requiring at least your thumb and two fingers to shift, the new knob fits naturally between your index and middle fingers or can be shifted only with the tip of your index finger - a much more natural action. The lighting and shift pattern doesn't matter, since it is on the instrument display, and I naturally know the shift positions by habit.
After using this new shift knob for just three days, I am just amazed on how much a difference it makes when it comes to the speed and ease of shifting the Prius"v," I know that I will not go back to the original plastic shift knob with the weird drooping extension on the end. I took the design for mine from a multiple million dollar machine I saw at the BMW plant that I visited nearly 15 years, ago, here, down the street from me in South Carolina. The know weighs 1.8 ounces; just a half an ounce more than the plastic one. Grasping it with the tips of my finger, it feels hefty and solid. But, it moves quickly and naturally with the tips of one or two fingers. The movement is so smooth, natural and ergonomic, that I quickly got used to it almost immediately. Instead of making them like I did, I'm looking for the original German-Swiss maker and supplier of this knob to BMW for I machine that I tried at the BMW factory. Since both the Gen II and the Gen III use the same shifter, those users would be likely to have the same result.
As I recall, it was an M1. At that time, I had just arrived in South Carolina and was working for the compliance division of the USDOJ. Bobby Hitt, now the SC Secretary of Commerce, was then the Public Relations man for BMW. He was the man giving the tour.
It got even better and even a lot cheaper; The $3 Prius "one finger" operated SHIFT KNOB... | PriusChat I like it even better than the electronic push button shifter, which is not available for the "v" or the Gen II. New Electronic Shifter | Page 2 | PriusChat
Yeah, stainless and aluminum look nicer, but the Novo-Grip knob makes it easy to ship with the tip of your index finger and the flick of your wrist.
