Abilor
Passed Driver's Ed
- Location
- Albany, NY
Hey folks,
Not sure who's into this sort of detailed posting, but I thought I'd do a walk through of my short shifter install and post some impressions about the DieselGeek Sigma Six on my 2018 Golf R and an APR Shifter Cable Bracket.
It's my first mod on my car, which I've had for about a month now. The airbox was indeed surprisingly easy to get out, and I didn't have that accessory hose off to the side, only the small rubber hose attached to the nipple, which I of course forgot to attach when I first put it back together; noob, lol. Battery bracket, battery, and tray were also not too bad, though it was a little sad to trim all the zip ties holding down all the cables nice and neat. Oh well, mazel tov. Eventually, I got to here:
Removed the shifter cables from stock hardware first, no sweat. Used 13mm to remove the main nut of the stock shifter, and removed with a few good yanks. Cable fasteners came off super easy. Attacked the 13mm bolts of the bracket afterwards, and then went for the clips over the shift cables that seat them on the bracket. Pro Tip: These things fly everywhere. Thank god I had a telescoping magnet. You were warned. Next Pro Tip: the 13mm nut holding the bracket in place is a little tricksy; the ideal tool is a 3/8" ratchet with a 6" extension. I had a 2", and a 12", and neither did the job. It's deceptively awkward. Luckily had a 1/4" driver with 6" extension and 5/8" inch socket, which luckily did the trick. Finally I had the whole array fully nude:
Cool thing: The up-and-down shifter cable, the longer one, had a dab of green paint on my version. This was helpful since I was a dumbass, removed the bracket, and when installing the new was pretty sure I had it right, but not quite 100%. A quick review of my pics from initial state (snap those pics kids) showed me the "green mile" lol. Got the new bracket in, super easy. Easiest part of whole thing.
The DieselGeek shifter had a few tricks up it's sleeve. I remembered to start with the main shift body, and insert the cable first, then seat on the main spline. Mine took a bit of a wiggle to seat, and then was very tight, so tight I had to use the stock nut/washer to torque it down. This was nerve-wracking, as all the tutorials say that shearing that spline is terrible news. I got it seated, confirmed it was seated, and then used the black nut/washer that DieselGeek supplied. The side-to-side part went in easy next, and I remembered to use white lithium grease where the plastic contacts the main body. Added the bushings, remembering to leave the bushing on the post to get the side-to-side cable clamp in place. There's an 8mm hex screw you use to attach the side-to-side cable clamp, and the DieselGeek install video assures you there's blue loctite to receive it; I trusted that it's true, and just torqued it tight.
This is where I ran into a bit of trouble. I used the transmission lock pin, the small "L" to lock the shifter in place, and then pried up my shifter plate in the car so I could use the pin to lock the shifter. You then tighten cable clamps, should be good to go. Something happened with mine where the first time I set it up, the shifter in the car was out of whack, and it wasn't engaging the DieselGeek quite right. Backed it all out, made sure the cables were sliding free in the clamps, locked it down again, and this time made sure the guide pin in the shifter in the car was *fully* seated and aligned. Really made sure the cables were "neutral", stick was neutral, the transmission selector on spline was neutral, and "L" was fully locked. This time I wasn't tender with the clamps; put full torque on all four nuts on the up-and-down and side-to-side. Released the locks, and this time it was money. Put it all back together, and done:
Install impressions
Starting with the APR bracket first, it has a very nice solid feel. The plastic part it replaced did too, and so I am not sure how entirely necessary this mod is, but I do take some comfort that the new piece is truly bulletproof on long summer days of many pulls. A good investment, methinks, I like my drivetrain really locked down, NVH be damned. That's all there is to say really for that.
The DieselGeek Sigma Six...
Holy shit. Just, holy shit. Crisp, precise, and rock solid shifts in the ratios that should have been stock with the car. I cannot fully express the joy I now feel as I snickety-snick-snick through my gears like Wolverine slashing through evil ninjas. Other posters have mentioned that it feels quite notchy and mechanical at first, which is true, but after some around town driving, it's already breaking in a bit. Frankly, I don't care if it stays as notchy as it is now: the shifting action it produces is on par with some of the best gear boxes with short shifters I've had the pleasure of rowing; a magnificent upgrade. So glad it's the first thing I put on the car, and the motor mounts are next to continue to lock down the drivetrain.
A must-have, IMHO. It even looks sexy. Do it. Do it today.
Not sure who's into this sort of detailed posting, but I thought I'd do a walk through of my short shifter install and post some impressions about the DieselGeek Sigma Six on my 2018 Golf R and an APR Shifter Cable Bracket.
It's my first mod on my car, which I've had for about a month now. The airbox was indeed surprisingly easy to get out, and I didn't have that accessory hose off to the side, only the small rubber hose attached to the nipple, which I of course forgot to attach when I first put it back together; noob, lol. Battery bracket, battery, and tray were also not too bad, though it was a little sad to trim all the zip ties holding down all the cables nice and neat. Oh well, mazel tov. Eventually, I got to here:
Removed the shifter cables from stock hardware first, no sweat. Used 13mm to remove the main nut of the stock shifter, and removed with a few good yanks. Cable fasteners came off super easy. Attacked the 13mm bolts of the bracket afterwards, and then went for the clips over the shift cables that seat them on the bracket. Pro Tip: These things fly everywhere. Thank god I had a telescoping magnet. You were warned. Next Pro Tip: the 13mm nut holding the bracket in place is a little tricksy; the ideal tool is a 3/8" ratchet with a 6" extension. I had a 2", and a 12", and neither did the job. It's deceptively awkward. Luckily had a 1/4" driver with 6" extension and 5/8" inch socket, which luckily did the trick. Finally I had the whole array fully nude:
Cool thing: The up-and-down shifter cable, the longer one, had a dab of green paint on my version. This was helpful since I was a dumbass, removed the bracket, and when installing the new was pretty sure I had it right, but not quite 100%. A quick review of my pics from initial state (snap those pics kids) showed me the "green mile" lol. Got the new bracket in, super easy. Easiest part of whole thing.
The DieselGeek shifter had a few tricks up it's sleeve. I remembered to start with the main shift body, and insert the cable first, then seat on the main spline. Mine took a bit of a wiggle to seat, and then was very tight, so tight I had to use the stock nut/washer to torque it down. This was nerve-wracking, as all the tutorials say that shearing that spline is terrible news. I got it seated, confirmed it was seated, and then used the black nut/washer that DieselGeek supplied. The side-to-side part went in easy next, and I remembered to use white lithium grease where the plastic contacts the main body. Added the bushings, remembering to leave the bushing on the post to get the side-to-side cable clamp in place. There's an 8mm hex screw you use to attach the side-to-side cable clamp, and the DieselGeek install video assures you there's blue loctite to receive it; I trusted that it's true, and just torqued it tight.
This is where I ran into a bit of trouble. I used the transmission lock pin, the small "L" to lock the shifter in place, and then pried up my shifter plate in the car so I could use the pin to lock the shifter. You then tighten cable clamps, should be good to go. Something happened with mine where the first time I set it up, the shifter in the car was out of whack, and it wasn't engaging the DieselGeek quite right. Backed it all out, made sure the cables were sliding free in the clamps, locked it down again, and this time made sure the guide pin in the shifter in the car was *fully* seated and aligned. Really made sure the cables were "neutral", stick was neutral, the transmission selector on spline was neutral, and "L" was fully locked. This time I wasn't tender with the clamps; put full torque on all four nuts on the up-and-down and side-to-side. Released the locks, and this time it was money. Put it all back together, and done:
Install impressions
Starting with the APR bracket first, it has a very nice solid feel. The plastic part it replaced did too, and so I am not sure how entirely necessary this mod is, but I do take some comfort that the new piece is truly bulletproof on long summer days of many pulls. A good investment, methinks, I like my drivetrain really locked down, NVH be damned. That's all there is to say really for that.
The DieselGeek Sigma Six...
Holy shit. Just, holy shit. Crisp, precise, and rock solid shifts in the ratios that should have been stock with the car. I cannot fully express the joy I now feel as I snickety-snick-snick through my gears like Wolverine slashing through evil ninjas. Other posters have mentioned that it feels quite notchy and mechanical at first, which is true, but after some around town driving, it's already breaking in a bit. Frankly, I don't care if it stays as notchy as it is now: the shifting action it produces is on par with some of the best gear boxes with short shifters I've had the pleasure of rowing; a magnificent upgrade. So glad it's the first thing I put on the car, and the motor mounts are next to continue to lock down the drivetrain.
A must-have, IMHO. It even looks sexy. Do it. Do it today.
Last edited:
a most for our MT