1995-97 Ford Contour Shift Boot

Step 1. First unscrew the shift knob to take the shift boot out.

Step 2. With an x-acto knife or scissors cut the zip tie at the top of the shift boot.

Step 3. Carefully pry along the trim at the edges of the boot to take it off, by hand or with a screwdriver wrapped in a towel.

Step 4. Now that the shift boot and its trim are out look inside it and you will see staples holding the boot to the plastic trim piece. Using a small screwdriver carefully take out each staple until the boot is out.

Step 5. To install the shift boot you must first wedge the boot in the front section of the trim. Two plastic cards work well for this. Just wedge the plastic cards with the shift boot to get it in to the trim.

Step 6. After that's done make sure the stitches line up at the corners and put the smaller trim ring on the shift boot.

Step 7. Now its only a matter of stapling the shift boot to the trim rings. Use heavy-duty staples and take your time pressing them in. You could also drill a hole in the plastic trim pieces and use pop rivets to secure the boot.

Step 8. The center console must come out to install the e-brake boot. Remove the 3 screws in the console compartment, the 2 screws on each side toward the front (pry off their caps carefully with a small screwdriver), and the 2 hidden screws, which you reach by removing the compartment under the radio and the small trim piece above it. The 2 screws are hidden behind the trim piece between the radio and the compartment that's under the radio.

Step 9. Now that all the screws are out disconnect the 2 wires going to the cigarette lighter and make sure there isn't anything else connected to the center console.

Step 10. Carefully take out the center console out the car (takes a little patience).

Step 11. Now flip the center console and you will see how the e-brake boot is attached. The 5 tabs are melted on. To remove them, heat a flathead screwdriver with a torch, place it in the middle of the tabs, and gently wiggle the piece off. Once you free the 5 trim pieces from the center console you can just pull it right out along with the shift boot.

Step 12. Now you will see that there are a couple of staples. Take off the staples using a screwdriver or similar and take the boot off the trim piece.

Step 13. Once the boot is on using a regular stapler staple the boot to the piece, its important that you staple through the existing holes in the plastic to make your life easier.

Step 14. Now its time to put the trim and the boot on the center console. First line up the trim piece with the tabs in the center console, then take your heated screwdriver and melt the tabs to the trim piece and now sit back and -brake boot.

Step 15. Remove the armrest from the console by unscrewing it from the hinge.

Step 16. The cover is held in place by a string that is tightened around the armrest base. You need to pry the string out to cut it to remove the cover. Do this by placing a flathead screwdriver in the groove and gently pry back the cover with the screwdriver.(See Pic) Once the string is exposed cut it.

Step 17. Cut off the edge of the old cover that goes into the groove off. Roughly 1/2 inch.

Step 18. Now place the new cover over the old one. Start with the front and slowly work the edge into the groove til you get all the way to the back. (See Pic) You will want to leave the back area out of the groove so you can tighten the string easier in the next step.

Step 19. Once the edge is in place you will use the string to tighten the cover onto the armrest. Once the string is tight and the cover is where you want it tie a knot with the string to hold everything in place. Once the knot it tied and the extra string remove then place the back area of the cover into the groove.

Step 20. Reattach the armrest to the hinge on the console.