Last weekend I installed the UUC short-shifter - pretty much the same as you described except that I put one yellow washer on (I verified with UUC that this is OK) after having trouble with trying to get the upgraded bearings on and having to go with the stock bearings. With so little room to work under the car, and the tight space, I didn't think I had a chance in hell to be able to sand/file down the tip of the linkage rod to be able to slip the bearings over.

I also have some noise in 2nd and 4th above around 3,000rpm - glad I'm not the only one.

Other than that, it's great, like you said. Nice, crisp shifts, much shorter than stock - just as advertised!

Enjoy!

David

Just finished installing an adjustable UUC short shifter and Kim Hem's front clear lights.

Shifter: I put the front tires up on wooden ramps which allowed just enough room for me to wiggle under from the passenger door side. Installation was easy with two exceptions:

The clip holding the shift rod was up behind the drive shaft and you can't get your hands in there to get leverage. I finally used a rag over my thumb to force the clip off and the new one on. The new clip is tighter than the old one with two yellow washers but after a few tries I forced it on.

The rubber boot that goes around the shift housing and floor pan takes some fiddling to seat properly even with lube. The plastic around the opening is sharp and I wound up with a few scrapes but finally got it seated properly. Install took about 1.5 hours.

The shifter was set about ½" shorter than stock and I left it there. Driving, it feels like a different car, much more sporty and precise. It is a little stiffer but I can feel all the gates and the shorter throws let me snap it from gear to gear quickly. There is a little transmission noise mainly in gears 2 and 4 especially when my hand is on the shifter, above 3000RPM, but it is not objectionable. If you want a full luxury car you may not like it but if you want some sportiness this is the way to go. Unfortunately I can't drive the car today as we had 6" of snow last night!

I can imagine that it will be even better when I install a drilled out CDV valve. I would have installed the drilled out CDV at the same time but I haven't received my order from Pacific BMW yet.

Clear Lights: These went together very easily but you have to remove the clips that hold the glass lenses and swap the lenses to the new housings. This is a little tricky as you want to make sure not to chip or crack the glass. However new clips are provided with the kit.

Everything fit perfectly and I had only one heat stake to break on the left top of the housings. This I did in a few seconds with a Dremel cutoff wheel. I installed amber bulbs for the turn and parking lights but I wish clear bulbs were legal as the orange bulbs still show a little through the lense especially when the sunlight is directly on them. Total install was about 2 hours as I went slowly to be sure of not damaging the expensive Xenon light assemblies.

They look great and give the car a sleeker more business look. I will take some pictures soon and post them. My next project after the CDV is either a front spoiler or a CAI when the weather gets warmer.

Steve D
2000,540i/6sp cosmos black.