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Gear Shifter Aftermarket - Options?

T

trobex

Grenadier Owner
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So, looking at the BMW-ZF gear shifter, and aside from the RHD footrest: - is the Shifter something we can actually change. In the PT version, this thing looks about as out of place as t*ts on a bull. It works but doesn't suit the vehicle aesthetics at all, and I'm the type to spend money on this kind of change if possible. Anyone seen alternatives, and is it feasible for this unit? I have a valid reason: when using this thing, it felt clunky, felts odd in the hand as the angles don't work properly, buttons are not ergonomic in my view (something the oldies didn't pick up on?). We have this excellent industrial machinery interior - and a yuppy shifter!

1678696794041.png
 
I haven’t had a chance to sit in/drive a grenadier, but this shifter has stood out in such a strange way. So much money invested in this release (1.5 billion GBP) and yet they couldn’t design a bespoke gear shift mechanism? I’m sure it’s perfectly functional and we will adjust to it, but it could definitely be so much better. I have no skill or experience in industrial design or manufacturing. Would it be a cost prohibitive thing to do?
 
Sam said:
I suspect if it was that easy they would have designed a bespoke one
Click to expand...
I bet it won't be rocket science, technically speaking.

End of last year, we've done some EV component testing at the ZF facility where these shifter units are developed. Talking with the guys there about that odd shifter in the Gren, one of the guys said that a new development of the shifter assembly would mean development cost of 20-50 million EUR (!). I found that hard to believe...

I don't know if some adaptation would be sufficient instead of a new design from scratch (just new plastics and switch positions, no software changes), but even if we end up with 5 million, this would obviously impact the cost calculation.
 
trobex said:
So, looking at the BMW-ZF gear shifter, and aside from the RHD footrest: - is the Shifter something we can actually change. In the PT version, this thing looks about as out of place as t*ts on a bull. It works but doesn't suit the vehicle aesthetics at all, and I'm the type to spend money on this kind of change if possible. Anyone seen alternatives, and is it feasible for this unit? I have a valid reason: when using this thing, it felt clunky, felts odd in the hand as the angles don't work properly, buttons are not ergonomic in my view (something the oldies didn't pick up on?). We have this excellent industrial machinery interior - and a yuppy shifter!

View attachment 7805972
Click to expand...
You pretty much only have to touch it once in a while. As a senior, I can state that it's perfectly ergonomic enough.
Chuck a small hessian bag over it if it offends.
 
TD5-90 said:
I bet it won't be rocket science, technically speaking.

End of last year, we've done some EV component testing at the ZF facility where these shifter units are developed. Talking with the guys there about that odd shifter in the Gren, one of the guys said that a new development of the shifter assembly would mean development cost of 20-50 million EUR (!). I found that hard to believe...
Click to expand...

2 years until rollout, 50 developers (design, electronics, software, mechanics, testing), each 100€/h (at the company side) = 18 Mio € (with annual hours assumed to be1800 hrs/person). :oops:

Plus building prototypes and tools for production, documentation, approvals, quality control ...
 
emax said:
2 years until rollout, 50 developers (design, electronics, software, mechanics, testing), each 100€/h (at the company side) = 18 Mio € (with annual hours assumed to be1800 hrs/person). :oops:

Plus building prototypes and tools for production, documentation, approvals, quality control ...
Click to expand...
So maybe the 2 years (planned, which makes 3 realistically...) is the other main reason they haven't made sth new.

Imagine the rant on ZF here in the forum when the main obstacle that prevents deliveries would be that shifter stick... I really don't like it at all, it's the one thing in the Gren that really annoys me, but 1 year more because of that thing certainly would not be right.
 
@TD5-90 I do not know whether it would actually be two years. But my experience is in that range. It may be more or less (until rollout).

It's just an example of how fast the (indeed) incredible number of 20 millions can be reached or exceeded.
 
Last edited:
Yes, it does look out of place, but on the flipside it will be a lot easier to replace than a bespoke version as it’s a standard BMW part.

Cheers
Steve
 
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