shifter knob not lining up

[DsG Cobra 03]

the car has the alcantara shift boot and i notices the ball didnt line up so well with the stock shifter i have now the barton shifter and now its even more misaligned i did a dumb thing and forced it around one final time i ended up scratching the top of the shifter thats rubbery , and now its more misaligned , could it be the actual ball that the threading is messed up after all the use? car came with a black knob looks like the 302

 

[nyuk98GT]

DsG Cobra 03:

Is there the usual collar between the boot and the knob? There should be a threaded collar under the boot that extends up on the threads. The collar provides room above the shift boot for your fingers. When installing the knob, you can raise or lower the collar to just the right spot where the shift pattern is perfectly lined up. Basically, you want to fell the knob getting snug at about 11-to-5 o'clock and then it should be tight by the time you tighten it to 12-to-6 o'clock. Another method is to put a drop of blue Loctite on the threads and set the knob where you want it and let the Loctite set.

I may not have explained this very well. Take a look at the "Show me your shift knob!" thread in this sub-forrum. You'll see lots of examples of collars and you'll see what I have tried to describe.

HTH,

Chris