Why would my mechanic remove this?

[NextG50]

Hi everyone! I recently had some work done by a mechanic to fix some stalling issues I was having. I got the car back very late yesterday and was in a rush to get home so I didn't notice what he had done yet. However today I noticed that he removed this little thing next to my shifter. It looked almost like a button but I wasn't able to press it. It said "Shift Lock" on it. Here's what it looked like https://imgur.com/a/EycsmNN
This picture is blurry but you get the idea. Here's what mine looks like now after I got the car back https://imgur.com/a/gLThaGm
There's a little plastic thing in there that pops up when I put it in gear https://imgur.com/a/IloCZ2j
I always thought that it was just a decorative cover panel but it apparently serves a purpose. Does anyone know what it does and why my mechanic would've pried it out? He's closed this weekend so I'm going to call him and ask about it on Monday. I just wanted to see if any of you guys knew anything.

[VStar650CL]

Bad shifters and bad brake switches can cause your car to start but be stuck in Park. A dead battery can also prevent the car from being shifted to Neutral for a push or tow. There's a lever or button underneath that little hole which can be pushed with a screwdriver or pocketknife to release the shift lock and allow getting it out of Park under those circumstances. It looks like he may have been messing with your shifter, because they don't usually pop out of the hole like that.

[NextG50]

Bad shifters and bad brake switches can cause your car to start but be stuck in Park. A dead battery can also prevent the car from being shifted to Neutral for a push or tow. There's a lever or button underneath that little hole which can be pushed with a screwdriver or pocketknife to release the shift lock and allow getting it out of Park under those circumstances. It looks like he may have been messing with your shifter, because they don't usually pop out of the hole like that.

Yup thats what it does!! Thanks so much!! I just tried it with the car turned off and I was able to shift it out of park when I pressed the little button in. Do you know where I could find the little cover for it? It looks quite terrible with it out in the open like that.

[VStar650CL]

I think it's this, but it's out of production. Amayama maybe, I doubt you'll find it here in the 'States.
https://www.infinitipartsdeal.com/parts ... 67u00.html

[Q451990]

https://www.infiniti-techinfo.com/refgh ... ti-Q45.pdf

Page 105 shows how it's supposed to work. Your mechanic got a little rough with it. Hopefully the cover is there somewhere, and you can rig up a new screw down cover for underneath the decorative cover. I think I prefer the 90-93 design with just a button you can easily push.

[NextG50]

I think it's this, but it's out of production. Amayama maybe, I doubt you'll find it here in the 'States.
https://www.infinitipartsdeal.com/parts ... 67u00.html

I ended up finding it luckily. It was buried in the passenger seat. Temporarily I unscrewed the broken screw plate and rotated it slightly which holds down the button. The cover now just sits on top. I know it's not the best solution but it's better than that thing just being open

[NextG50]

https://www.infiniti-techinfo.com/refgh ... ti-Q45.pdf

Page 105 shows how it's supposed to work. Your mechanic got a little rough with it. Hopefully the cover is there somewhere, and you can rig up a new screw down cover for underneath the decorative cover. I think I prefer the 90-93 design with just a button you can easily push.

Luckily I found it. In kinda pissed that he broke this thing and didn't tell me about it. I ended up being able to rotate the broken screw plate slightly which was enough to hold down the button. Now I was able to place the cover over it. This isn't a perfect solution but it's better than nothing I guess.