On newer Mercedes you can unscrew something below the shift knob. This makes it a whole lot easier to change the knob. On the older cars (such as the 116's and the 123's) the rubber shift knob is fused to the metal linkage. You can try twisting the knob, but you'll accomplish nothing. As I mentioned earlier, the "real" way to change the knob is to buy an entirely new metal shaft with the knob already attached. What my friend did (after chopping away the stock knob and removing all the rubber from the shaft) was purchase a VERY nice wood / leather shift knob from a new E class and glued it in. It looks GREAT. Good luck.