This is a Universal Fitting Product
Product Information
Everybody knows the stock linkage sucks. It doesn’t perform well, it sucks to swap out, and it’s expensive to replace. After an in-depth look at it, we came to the conclusion that it wasn’t all bad. There are plenty of good parts in it. The rod that runs from the shift lever to the crossrod is rigid as can be. The plastic coupling that holds the socket for the lower ball joint and the ball for the upper ball joint is very well-made. It has thick reinforcement ribs and doesn’t flex at all under load.
Where the wheels start to fall off is when we look at the ball joints and the crossrod. The lower ball joint in particular is housed in a flexible plastic and rubber socket that squishes and flexes under load. The plastic crossrod is flexible as can be. It flexes a great amount under load, leading to getting stuck in the reverse track more easily on the 1-2 shift, and generally adding slop to the shift pattern. The crossrod bushing is also fairly soft and can be seen flexing. We replaced that with a stiff polyurethane bushing held in place with a precision stainless shoulder bolt for a perfect no-slop no-flex interface. Though also plastic, the upper ball joint isn’t too bad, but since we’re addressing the crossrod, we decided to beef it up while we’re in there.
So instead of replacing the whole linkage, this kit transforms the stock linkage by replacing the 2 ball joint cups, the crossrod, and the crossrod bushing/bolt.
What's Included:
- JXB Performance Billet Linkage Reinforcement Kit
Installation:
Here’s the kicker. By only focusing on these parts, we don’t have to pull the linkage out of the car. In fact, you don’t have to unhook it from the shift lever, and the entire thing is done very easily from underneath the car on jack stands. You don’t have to drop your trans. You don’t have to touch your exhaust. You don’t have to touch your x-brace. You don’t have to do anything from the cabin. You don’t even have to readjust your shifter. It’s seriously easy.
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Raise car.
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Remove transmission splash shield.
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Remove M10 triple square slave cylinder bolt and pull out of transmission (not required but helps make space for your hands). Note, this does not affect the hydraulic system so no bleeding is required afterwards.
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Place jack under tailshaft of transmission to support.
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Undo 4 M12 triple square bolts holding trans support bracket to body.
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Lower jack to allow rear end of transmission to sag until you have enough room to get your hands above the transmission.
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Undo 13mm nut and take linkage off splined shift selector shaft on driver side of transmission.
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Undo 13mm bolt that holds crossrod to transmission. At this point the linkage can be pulled down on the side of the transmission and the retrofit activities will be done around the level of the x-brace.
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Remove 2 T20 screws holding dust boot on bottom of linkage.
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Pull lower ball joint and socket out of linkage.
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Place 2 JXB lower ball joint cups around the ball and push back into linkage.
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Replace 2 T20 dust boot screws.
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Use pick or screwdriver to retract upper ball joint socket.
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Pull upper ball joint from crossrod and discard crossrod and upper socket.
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Screw JXB crossrod around upper ball.
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Reattach JXB crossrod to transmission using new shoulder bolt and bushing.
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Reattach linkage to splined selector shaft and replace nut.
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Put slave cylinder back into trans and secure bolt.
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Jack rear end of trans back up and resecure bracket with 4 bolts.
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Replace transmission splash shield and lower car.
This is a 2-hr job for your average home mechanic.
Model  +  |
Drivetrain  |
|---|---|
| B8 A4 2.0T I4 | + |
| B8 A4 3.2L V6 | + |
| B8 A5 2.0T I4 | + |
| B8 A5 3.2L V6 | + |
| B8 S4 3.0L SC V6 | |
| B8 S5 3.0L SC V6 | |
| B8 S5 4.2L V8 |
***ORDER CANCELLATIONS***
All order cancellations are processed during regular business hours only. Any order cancellation requests made outside of business hours will be processed during the next business day.
Any cancelled orders including orders that have not shipped will be subject to a 3.5% cancellation fee to offset order processing fees that are not refunded to BMP Tuning. Additionally, if your order has already shipped, you may incur additional fees if the shipment needs to be recalled and/or rerouted back to BMP Tuning.
Some products sold cannot be cancelled after the order has been placed due to agreements with the manufacturer, or in the case of made to order/custom items. This may be noted in the product description.
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CTS TURBO CANCELLATIONS - CTS Turbo charges a 5% cancellation fee that we cannot waive. For CTS Turbo products, BMP Tuning will not charge the standard cancellation fee of 3.5%. However, customers will be responsible for the 5% cancellation fee that CTS TURBO charges.
***RETURNS AND EXCHANGES***
BMP Tuning will accept returns for UNUSED merchandise in original packaging within 1 YEAR from the time of purchase!
UNUSED products in ORIGINAL PACKAGING that are RETURNED WITHIN 60 DAYS of purchase are eligible for a refund to the original payment method used.
UNUSED products in ORIGINAL PACKAGING returned PAST THE 60 DAY MARK and within the 1 year return period are eligible for store credit only. After 60 days, non-stocked items will be accepted at the discretion of BMP Tuning.
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***TUNING SOFTWARE AND CABLES***
BMP Tuning will NOT accept returns for any tuning software or tuning cables. This includes, but is not limited to:
- ECU Tunes
- TCU Tunes
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- Plug and Play Tuners such as Burger Motorsports JB4, COBB AccessPort
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Any returned item is subject to a fee of 15%.
Restocking fees are WAIVED if product is exchanged for other items or choose store credit. They are also waived if incorrect product is received and the issue cannot be remedied.
KATAPULT: Katapult does not allow us to issue partial refunds. Katapult orders that are cancelled prior to fulfilment will be refunded 100% directly through Katapult. For Returns: Any Katapult purchases that require a partial refund will be given back to the customer as a store credit. No restocking fees will be deducted. However, the original shipping costs on the order will be deducted and the customer will also be responsible for the shipping costs to return item(s) to BMP Tuning.
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***INITIATE A RETURN!***
***APPLICATION/FITMENT ISSUES***
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ALL PRODUCTS MUST STILL BE NEW CONDITION IN THE ORIGINAL BOXES, INCLUDING LABELING, HARDWARE, AND DOCUMENTATION.
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***DAMAGED/MISSING ITEMS IN SHIPMENT***
If you receive a package that is missing items or was damaged during shipment, please contact BMP Tuning WITHIN 10 DAYS OF DELIVERY. Please check all items as they are delivered! Be sure to keep all packing material, boxes and photos of the damage as this will be necessary to complete the damage claim with the specific courier. UPS/FED EX Typically take 8-15 business days to complete their investigation, however, this time frame could be extended depending on circumstances. Please add that in the event an item is damaged or missing, we can only replace the item and not issue a refund.
***PRICING***
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PRICING AND AVAILABILITY ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.
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