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BMW M5 F90 (2018+) General Forums Cosmetic Modifications    HOW TO: Carbon Fibre Paddle Shifters (Paddleshifterz)

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      01-03-2020, 12:00 PM   #1
ste0803
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HOW TO: Carbon Fibre Paddle Shifters (Paddleshifterz)

Hi All,

Following on from my previous gear shifter install I thought I would do the same for the paddle shifters from @Paddleshifterz https://paddleshifterz.com

Firstly you'll need to open the boot (trunk), make sure your wheel is centred and your seat is in a position where you can access the bottom of the wheel.

Tools Needed:
Plastic Trim Tool
10mm Spanner or Socket
Towel / Cloth
T15 Torx
Flat head screwdriver
Small pointy device ( I used an Allen key)

First of all you need to go to the boot and take the trim tool too prise the boot floor up and lift it all the way, I used a drying towel to wedge the boot floor open.



Next take the 10mm socket and disconnect the negative terminal on the battery.



Next take a towel to keep the terminal from reconnecting.



Now you need to remove the airbag from the wheel, insert a flat head screwdriver into the slot on the base of the wheel and push upwards, the aim here is to push this spring tab holding in the airbag, see both below pictures.







Now take the tortx and remove the screw holding on the paddle shifter, you may need to move the blue connector out the way to reach this.



Now once the paddle shifter is loose you need to push the retaining pin out, one side is thicker than the other so it will only push out one way.



Once this has been disconnected you can then disconnect the paddle from the switch assembly, you can see from the below photo there is a spring in the centre and 2 clips either side, you slide the paddle backwards and it comes loose. Be sure not to lose the spring (its easily done)



The installation of the new paddles is the above in reverse, slide the new paddle over the switch assembly making sure the spring remains in place.

Push the new paddle onto the assembly and push the retaining pin back through both parts.

Re-sit the completed assembly back onto the wheel and re-tighten the torx screw.

Ensure that the blue clips are pushed back to either side and re-attach the airbag.

Once this is done you can reconnect the battery and enjoy the new shifters.



Thanks all for reading.

Last edited by ste0803; 01-03-2020 at 12:10 PM..
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      01-03-2020, 12:09 PM   #2
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Review:

After ordering these only a few days ago (over the holidays) they arrived quickly.

The packaging is great to ensure that the items arrive without damage.



Included was a free bag of Haribo!



Opening the box it's filled with dense foam.



In the box, Quality carbon fibre shifters





Overall I'm really happy with the product and as the standard f90 paddle are so small I can confirm that you can get the car to shift by pressing on the far bottom or far top of these shifters (unlike the stock shifters in the F80/F82 which just flexed and didn't shift)
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      01-03-2020, 12:14 PM   #3
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I have these too, just with red + and -, quality is great, and I like the shape of them way better than anything currently available on the market.

Thank you for your write-up, it will be helpful to others
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      01-13-2020, 04:24 AM   #4
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Some more pictures of the paddles fitted.







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      02-22-2020, 02:59 PM   #5
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These look great and a reasonable price too. Are they cold metallic feeling vs the oem plastic? Such a miss by BMW with the paddles on the m5.
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      03-07-2020, 03:19 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by e90alpinem3 View Post
These look great and a reasonable price too. Are they cold metallic feeling vs the oem plastic? Such a miss by BMW with the paddles on the m5.
agreed, the paddles on the F8X were much better, the F90 paddles are too far in also. these look like great option
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      03-10-2020, 05:55 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by e90alpinem3 View Post
These look great and a reasonable price too. Are they cold metallic feeling vs the oem plastic? Such a miss by BMW with the paddles on the m5.
Paddles installed! Not very hard (I have a decent mechanical aptitude) struggled a little to find the clip for the airbag but after that piece of cake.

They feel great does not add more "engagement" of the paddles but the feel and look are far superior to stock. Great add for the f90 or g platform 5 series!
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      05-13-2020, 06:22 AM   #8
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OP - thank you for the install write up. Near the spring, there is a black plastic piece you don’t want to lose. I just installed these shifters. They look nice, but I don’t like how they angle away from the wheel. I would prefer if they were parallel to the wheel.
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      05-15-2020, 07:38 PM   #9
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I heard a few reviewers on YouTube lament the plastic, one said cheap plastic feel of the rear of the oem paddles. While the cf are very nice, I do not find the oem plastic cheap feeling at all. Maybe my fingers aren’t that sensitive. Lol.
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      10-28-2020, 05:34 AM   #10
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Hi,
i would like to buy them but i'm afraid of the angle of them.
Is this a pb in term of esthetic and everyday use?
I ordered first the autotecknic ones but there's a 3 weeks wait

thanks for the advices
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      10-28-2020, 12:14 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jaypee67 View Post
Hi,
i would like to buy them but i'm afraid of the angle of them.
Is this a pb in term of esthetic and everyday use?
I ordered first the autotecknic ones but there's a 3 weeks wait

thanks for the advices
I have the autotecknic carbon ones installed, they do not get in the way of anything. I don't think these will interfere with anything either, not sure what you mean by everyday use.
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      10-29-2020, 09:03 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jaypee67 View Post
Hi,
i would like to buy them but i'm afraid of the angle of them.
Is this a pb in term of esthetic and everyday use?
I ordered first the autotecknic ones but there's a 3 weeks wait

thanks for the advices
I've installed both, the Paddleshifterz is angled outward, not flat or parallel to the steering wheel like the stock or AutoTecknic one.

There is good and bad about it.

Good for guys with long fingers.

Bad because it closes the gap between the paddle and the stalk. You might accidentally move the blinker stalk or wiper stalk.
Also, the backing doesn't cover the steering wheel contour. It still uses BMW's previous paddle shifter backing design.

While the AutoTecknic, it is parallel to the steering wheel and the backing follows the steering wheel contouring.
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      10-31-2020, 02:51 AM   #13
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Paddleshifterz are releasing a new G series paddle to match in with the new G series of cars (the f90) included.

You may want to wait for these, I love the angle of the paddles I have now but as mentioned the gap between the paddle and the stalks is quite narrow.

I've never knocked the stalks by accident and I like that they're angled away when not used and come in-line when pulled.
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      11-03-2020, 06:35 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ste0803 View Post
Paddleshifterz are releasing a new G series paddle to match in with the new G series of cars (the f90) included.

You may want to wait for these, I love the angle of the paddles I have now but as mentioned the gap between the paddle and the stalks is quite narrow.

I've never knocked the stalks by accident and I like that they're angled away when not used and come in-line when pulled.
I did mine about 8 months ago and super happy with it. I went with silver as it matched the trim of my car best. The rear of the paddle took a little time to get used to it (has a small ridge that sometimes made me 2nd guess my grip and at times I ended up going down - or up - one too many gears). Not sure if anyone else had that issue.
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      07-19-2021, 11:56 AM   #15
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Really struggling to find the clip of the airbag. Anybody got any tips? Should it feel some way when the clip is pressed or should the airbag move out a little?
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      07-20-2021, 07:17 PM   #16
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Originally Posted by Dropm5 View Post
Really struggling to find the clip of the airbag. Anybody got any tips? Should it feel some way when the clip is pressed or should the airbag move out a little?
try a larger flat head screwdriver. It takes some practice to find the sweet spot. Took me awhile on my X but now its a sinch.
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      07-20-2021, 07:51 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ste0803 View Post
Paddleshifterz are releasing a new G series paddle to match in with the new G series of cars (the f90) included.

You may want to wait for these, I love the angle of the paddles I have now but as mentioned the gap between the paddle and the stalks is quite narrow.

I've never knocked the stalks by accident and I like that they're angled away when not used and come in-line when pulled.
i see the paddles they have for the g series. any idea as to how they differ from what you got last year? They are listed to fit like a dozen vehicles.
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