J. Patterson

In recent months my shifter on the blue coupe got difficult to access first gear. I feared I had a cable failing or worse a shifter fork rivet failing inside the transmission. Luckily I found this video from Dieselgeek that described exactly what I was experiencing. I ordered it and installed it today. PERFECT! I do not think my shifter has ever been this tight. It is considerably better than the one in the red roadster despite having 100000 more miles. ( actually about as good as in my 15 year newer S5!) The OEM bushing is made of a fairly soft rubber. The Dieselgeek bushing is a harder nylon like plastic.
It took about an hour to remove the center console trim for access and replace. Expect to break a few tabs. 19 year old Audi plastic is brittle! Nothing a bit of clear silicone would not fix though.
Dieselgeek install video.
Here is another link to help with console trim removal.
Snoopy ready for a fall drive now! :-)

Bruce_R

I just did the same. My experience is similar. The first gear getter is a great product. I also picked up some of the other shifter parts from my local Volkswagen dealership, including the bushing that goes under the spring. Mine was torn and very yellowed. I got the large rubber / plastic piece that holds the ball near the bottom of the stick, as well as the rubber piece that the spring rests on on the left side of the shifter. I found it interesting that some of the parts I got from Volkswagen show as unavailable from Audi official parts channels. Apparently there are companies in Europe who are selling similar products to the first gear getter as well. I was just reading a Facebook post by somebody who put in a similar product: https://cbauto.co.uk/cookbot-gear-slop-bush

J. Patterson

Here we are four years later and I’ve got to replace the same bushing on my roadster. Dieselgeek kit ordered. Have a short length of plastic tubing in place of the disintegrated bell crank bushing now. Decent temporary fix. Not looking forward to removing the console. Roadster a bit more involved than a coupe. I’ll edit this with photos and results when done.