Schnell makes a great product, but I recently received one that turned out to be assembled backwards at the factory. The bend in the shift lever was backwards. I contacted EagleDay (where i bought it) and sent pics of it installed in my car; they contacted Schnell on my behalf. A new properly assembled shifter arrived 2 days later, with a billet cable end thrown in free of charge for my trouble. Schnell is a good company that stood behind it's product.

Out of curiosity, who did you buy your ebay shifter from? I tried to buy one twice from
"turboracerx"; the first time it was mislisted as she had none available, the second time I got a message from eBay during checkout stating that the item was no longer available. TRX then contacted me requesting payment. I explained to her what happened, but she was rather indignant about the whole thing. She canceled the auction after sticking me with a "unpaid transaction"... I'd never attempt to do business with her again. All previous attempts to deal with her turned into a $hit show...

Mine was from a different seller, but who is to know?
Decided it wasn't worth d**cking with & I ordered a 997 upgrade.

you should also replace your motor mount when you install your new shifter.

I changed the motor mount about 6 or 8 months ago.

I will also be upgrading to the 997 shifter. I didnt realize Suncoast has them for $200. Thats a great price. Do you guys have any thoughts on the 997 short shift kit. I hear it provides a 25% shorter throw and is less notchy than the 9x6 short shift kit.

I am trying to figure out what I want. The B&M kit as does the Schnell routinely gets called "notchy" where the 997 gets called "smooth". Here is one thread I found with someone from Suncoast chiming in:
any experience with 997 GT3 shifter or billet aluminum shift linkage? - 6speedonline.com Forums

Then, there is the 997 kit for $215 and the Factory SSK for $430.
997 Shift Console Upgrade:Porsche Parts & Porsche Accessories - Wholesale Porsche Parts & Tequipment - Cayman Panamera Cayenn

Most seem to be pretty happy with the eBay SSK's for $50 but when it comes to this car, I want quality over cheap and don't mind spending more if it is smoother. But if there is no discernable difference, then the extra cost is not worth it. Has anyone actually felt the difference between the 997 and the eBay ones? Any thoughts on the difference between the two Porsche kits?

I did a lot of reading this weekend & the consensus i came up with is the 997 shifter was one of the smoothest without the notchiness of the other SSK's out there. That appealed to me since my wife does on occasion drive the Boxster. That & the fact it's pretty much plug & play.

So 997 Shift Console Upgrade:Porsche Parts & Porsche Accessories - Wholesale Porsche Parts & Tequipment - Cayman Panamera Cayenn fits a '03 986, right?

Yes it will fit an '03

Hmmm....all this talk of "notchiness" has me thinking. How on earth could the shifter arm arm of any type contribute a "notchy" feeling? The short answer is......it doesn't. Crappy bushings and long throws can make it feel imprecise, but "notchy"? After familiarizing myself with how the 986/996/987/997 shifter works, I must conclude that the lever (shifter shaft) and fulcrum can only affect throws and effort. A shifter with same lever and fulcrum (read same thow) will have the same effort whether it say made in Germany or made in the the People's Republic. All of this talk of "notchy" feeling shifters is rubbish. If your tranny feels notchy, it's a tranny issue, not a shifter issue. The contrary makes no sense at all once you see ow they work...

UPDATE. Just got my 997 shifter installed & WOW! I should have done this a year ago when I bought the car. Granted my shifter was 12 years old, but I thought it could be better. It felt like a wet straw in a marshmallow. Now it's crisp & the throw is much better.

Did you get the one from Suncoast for $219?

Yep. Went in like a champ, great feel.

This was my 2nd mod and I'm very happy with it. I get tempted sometimes with the short shift kits but the 997 shifter does the job.

Highly recommend! I have a kit on my RUF 3400S that has a 30% shorter throw, for track use it is VERY helpful, for day to day I feel quite lazy knowing that I'm doing less work ;) . You'll have an absolute blast! Always fun having little projects like that to do!