That kinda looks like the "coat hanger" shift linkage that BMW had on the earlier units - it had a rubber "accordion" or bellows type tube over it ? (or did have at one time). The threaded adjuster units are better (and adjustable!) but they have a weakness in that the fiber/felt washers they have on the ends that go through the holes tend to disintegrate over time and contribute to slop/looseness. The shift linkage that our moderator Justin B developed is the cat's arse, as they say, and is an excellent replacement, 'cept that Justin doesn't have anymore parts.
There is a recent thread on this topic though and if you have some metal fab tools in your garage you can build your own with the HEIM joints available from Aircraft Spruce - or maybe we can all put together enough of an order at once to motivate someone to build another batch of these - they should last almost forever.
