Custom A200 Gear Shifter

Last year my brother purchased a 2006 Mercedes A200, as to be expected with a car of that age there were certain things that needed to be fixed. The original gear shifter was very worn and the leather was peeling off. Initially he purchased an aftermarket gear shifter but once installed it was found to not fit securely onto the gear stick. As we were in lockdown my brother asked if I could design and 3D print a gear shifter for his car and I, with my limited knowledge of Tinkercad, took on the project.

After taking multiple measurements and doing rough sketches of the design I began trying to create it in Tinkercad. Having limited experience, even in Tinkercad, it took many tries, lots of coffee and plenty of head scratching in order to get the first prototype. From the first prototype I was able to try various designs and adjustments, each with their own benefits and pitfalls. After many prototype prints I reached the final design and with the help of my brother we set about insta