silverlock

The factory shift couplers can have a lot of play — even brand new ones can. Leads to that imprecision.

TONS of guides on both adjustment and aftermarket (Wevo, Numeric, etc) couplers. I replaced mine with a Numeric, which made a substantial difference.

Tinkerer

your original post states that you “scratch” when shifting so I’ll assume you must be scratching your head.

francesconyc

I finally installed a new oem short shifter, and the magic spring sold by Stella auto garage.
there is little to no play, and the stick returns to center perfectly straight so i dont need more guess or muscle memmory to find the 3rd straight.
im super happy that with 150+50$ i have a great shifer now, for now.