BMW doesn't just let you use a floor jack, that would be too easy

"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
05/26/2016 at 16:42 • Filed to: None

Tire Rack, for some reason (maybe my own incompetence?) shipped my wheels and tires to my house instead of my mechanic. This is actually good, since my !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! for a few weeks, delaying my suspension install. I went to look up the jacking points for my car, and things got !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

Getting at the central jacking points requires either first driving the car up on ramps (which I used to have but gave away years ago) or a low-profile, long-reach jack like !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! :

I have your basic Craftsman floor jack, so I’m going to use each of the 4 corner jacking points. Each of them has these reinforcement pads on them that you’ll fuck up if you just put a regular jack under there. Thankfully, there are several adapters available, like this:

They mate up the jack pad to the corner jack point like this:

Since I wanted to put my wheels on over the upcoming long weekend, I looked around for the fastest shipping, and found that !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Through the wonders of Prime shipping, I will have my jack adapter on Saturday, and be able to put the wheels on.

Wouldn’t want to be stuck with some “improper jacking technique.”

DISCUSSION (49)

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > Textured Soy Protein
05/26/2016 at 16:46

I’m a firm believer of the KISS principle. Though I’d love to get a BMW, shit like this keeps making me second guess that idea.

TheHondaBro > Textured Soy Protein
05/26/2016 at 16:49

Better than Honda. The 2015 Fit doesn’t even have a central jacking point.

CB > TheHondaBro
05/26/2016 at 16:51

Just lift it.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > Textured Soy Protein
05/26/2016 at 16:51

Jesus, good thing you posted this. I had know idea and am about to replace the rear shocks on my wife’s 3 series.

PotbellyJoe and 42 others > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts.
05/26/2016 at 16:53

Autozone has the adapter in their tool rental program. Score one for the guy who has an Autozone in his backyard.

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > Textured Soy Protein
05/26/2016 at 16:53

I didn’t bother using those inserts when I changed my tires and it didn’t wreck the pads at all.

MonkeePuzzle > Textured Soy Protein
05/26/2016 at 16:54

cars really just need MORE jacking spots. you end up jacking off some suspension component so you can put the jack stands under the jacking point

Rust and Dust - Oppositelock Forever > Textured Soy Protein
05/26/2016 at 16:55

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Kinja'd!!!

Textured Soy Protein > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s
05/26/2016 at 16:56

This fancy billet aluminum adapter was less than 20 bucks. Of all the things that could dissuade me from a car, buying a cheap jack adapter isn’t one of them. I don’t think my jack stands are compatible with these jack points but for just changing wheels I’m fine with doing one corner at a time with the floor jack and adapter. I may need to get different jack stands at some point.

Textured Soy Protein > PotbellyJoe and 42 others
05/26/2016 at 16:58

There’s an Autozone on my way home from work but I figure for $19 to buy the thing from Amazon, might as well have my own.

macanamera > Textured Soy Protein
05/26/2016 at 16:58

I would have absolutely just jacked it

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > PotbellyJoe and 42 others
05/26/2016 at 17:00

The Autozone closest to me is in Trenton and the people employed there are useless, way more than usual. I was looking for a wire harness clips and the person behind the counter had no idea what I was talking about. Never going back there again.

NotUnlessRoundIsFunny > Textured Soy Protein
05/26/2016 at 17:01

Well, it’s not a huge deal but important to know.

But just...why, exactly, did BMW have to make it so difficult?

Textured Soy Protein > TheHondaBro
05/26/2016 at 17:03

To get at the central jacking point I’d need a jack like this :

Kinja'd!!!

Either that or maybe drive the front of the car up on ramps, which I had years ago but I gave to a friend like 2-3 moves ago.

e36Jeff now drives a ZHP > Textured Soy Protein
05/26/2016 at 17:12

It doesn’t actually damage the corner lifting points if you don’t use the adapter. Well it might if you run the edge of the jack’s cup on the lift pad itself, but as long as there is a flat surface touching the whole thing, you are fine(so a block of wood between the jack and car will prevent damage). The dealer doesn’t use these pads on their lifts, they just line up the arms under the jack points and pick the car up. I lift my car up without the adapters every time I put it on the lift at my fathers or at the auto hobby shop and they look good as new.

Having said that, I do have the adapters and use them when I use a hydraulic jack just to make sure its lined up right.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > Textured Soy Protein
05/26/2016 at 17:12

Sure, it may be cheap, but it’s just an example of something being needlessly more complex than it should be. And it’s something as simple as a jacking point!

e36Jeff now drives a ZHP > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s
05/26/2016 at 17:13

The jack points are part of the KISS principle. They exist to keep the top of the jack in the trunk firmly locked in place on the car when you are changing a flat. You do not need the adapters when you lift the car, you won’t find them in any BMW dealer’s shop. The one damaged at the top was probably lifted with the cup of the jack half on the pad.

Takuro Spirit > Textured Soy Protein
05/26/2016 at 17:16

Hmm, Home Depot is close by...

Kinja'd!!!

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > e36Jeff now drives a ZHP
05/26/2016 at 17:19

I still stand by my point that BMW tends to make things more complicated than they need to be. I laughed when I saw a picture of someone changing their heater core on a BMW that was buried in the middle of the dash that had to be completely disassembled to get to. For my truck I just had to remove the glove box and a panel, had the heater core swapped in under an hour.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts.
05/26/2016 at 17:22

I got set of poly pucks from eBay for way cheaper than the ecs ones, haven’t had a problem with them at all.

Dr_Watson > Textured Soy Protein
05/26/2016 at 17:28

Hah, ramps... go ghetto. I drive my front wheels onto a couple 2x4 scraps to get enough nose clearance for the center front jack point on my car. Just remember to block the rear wheels before jacking it.

e36Jeff now drives a ZHP > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s
05/26/2016 at 17:29

What makes you think removing the dash for a heater core is specific to BMW? That’s pretty much par for the course for any sedan.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > NotUnlessRoundIsFunny
05/26/2016 at 17:34

To keep it stable on the trunk jack.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > e36Jeff now drives a ZHP
05/26/2016 at 17:35

Didn’t know that. I’ve only really worked on trucks and older cars that extensively. Most of the newer stuff I’ve worked has only been general maintenance type stuff. I assumed it was a BMW thing since the post said something along the lines of “Damn it BMW, it’s like you started with the heater core and built the car around that”

e36Jeff now drives a ZHP > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s
05/26/2016 at 17:45

I can see how you might’ve thought that. Honestly, between working on my e46 vs the wife’s Buick, the e46 is far easier to work on. The greatest example is her battery, removing it required unbolting the fusebox because we needed to push it to the side to get enough clearance. Also, they hid a bolt holding the battery in place at the base of the battery, which only has 2" clearance to the engine. On the other hand, my battery is in the trunk, and the bolt that holds it down is on the top of the battery. Swapping it is a 5 minute affair at worst with zero risk of scraped knuckles. Hers is a good 30 minutes puzzle and you’ll be lucky to emerge with the skin on your fingers intact. And you have to tip the battery on its side to get it in.

CammedCTSV > Textured Soy Protein
05/26/2016 at 17:46

Corvette has been doing this before it was cool

PotbellyJoe and 42 others > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts.
05/26/2016 at 17:46

It was the white-african accent that threw them.

Textured Soy Protein > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
05/26/2016 at 17:52

I got the FGT one purely for the quick shipping thru Amazon.

My bird IS the word > Textured Soy Protein
05/26/2016 at 18:01

for my mini (since there is no where except the four corner jack points to use jack stands I used the recommended method:

Kinja'd!!!

on top of the jack, placed on the frame rail so I dont dent the plastic that covers it.

petebmwm > Textured Soy Protein
05/26/2016 at 18:05

Grab a few hockey pucks from sports authority. They’re dirt cheap and you cut em how you like em.

Textured Soy Protein > petebmwm
05/26/2016 at 18:30

I already ordered the adapter, it’s only 19 bucks for a nice billet aluminum piece. Seemed like a fine investment to make for a car I’m planning to keep for a long time and switch winter wheels on and off of. I mean, I’m probably going to get my snow tires from Discount Tire so I have the option to take the car to them to switch wheels if I feel like it, but I’d kinda rather do it myself than sit around at the store waiting for them.

Nimbus The Legend - Riding on air like a cloud > Textured Soy Protein
05/26/2016 at 18:36

you could just grab a few wooden blocks and cut them to size

Nimbus The Legend - Riding on air like a cloud > TheHondaBro
05/26/2016 at 18:39

subframe?

Textured Soy Protein > e36Jeff now drives a ZHP
05/26/2016 at 18:41

E92 = no spare, no scissor jack

But I do agree that this jack point is a decent design, just kinda funny that it’s created a cottage industry of third party jack adapters.

RyanFrew > Textured Soy Protein
05/26/2016 at 18:48

Just about any jack stand should be compatible. I use normal ones all the time.

RyanFrew > Textured Soy Protein
05/26/2016 at 18:49

I’d recommend investing in the ramps or low profile jack, if you’re ever going to do more than tires. If you need to put the car on jack stands, you can’t use the jacking point to lift the car, because that’s where the stand will go.

Dusty Ventures > Textured Soy Protein
05/26/2016 at 19:02

You’ll definitely need different stands when you rotate the tires.

Matt Nichelson > Textured Soy Protein
05/26/2016 at 19:32

Gotta love the #bmwlife.

Guess I need to work on my jacking technique.

Textured Soy Protein > Dusty Ventures
05/26/2016 at 19:34

There’s no rotating tires on this car, both summer and winter sets are staggered and directional. Each corner has its own tire. I suppose I could save a bit of time when switching between sets by jacking up a whole end of the car at a time, compared to doing each corner. Maybe at some point I’ll need to put it up on stands but for now I’m not worrying about it.

I have a pair of each of these:

Kinja'd!!!

Neither seems particularly suited for using the corner jack points.

It seems like many folks put the stands at the frame rails rather than the jack points. I’ve seen them with wood blocks but I dunno if this looks the most stable to me:

Kinja'd!!!

Then there’s the ESCO jack stands with the hockey puck tops:

Kinja'd!!!

And then some people have taken stands very similar to my Craftsman ones and cut them down to match the size of the corner jack points:

Kinja'd!!!

Textured Soy Protein > RyanFrew
05/26/2016 at 19:41

I had a pair of ramps many years ago but gave them away since I didn’t have much use for them, because of various reasons. I actually bought them because I bought my jack not realizing it wouldn’t go under the front of my NB Miata with the factory front lip spoiler that I had at the time. Oops.

There are center jacking points at both ends of my car so I could in theory use the corner jack points with stands but I’d more likely get ESCO jacks to put at the frame rails .

But that’s only if I get to the point where I think I need to put it on stands. Because really, to just change tires, I have an electric impact gun to zip the lug bolts off real quick. Futzing with putting each end of the car up on stands could very well take longer than just doing each corner and putting it back down.

RallyWrench > Textured Soy Protein
05/26/2016 at 19:51

BMW would prefer you didn’t work on your car at all.

JRapp: now as good as new again > Textured Soy Protein
05/26/2016 at 20:19

This is where the old Citroen hydro-pneumatic suspension would be great. All you do is put the suspension in the highest position, put a jack stand under it, and lower the suspension.. in theory.

I wonder if you could do the same with AllRoads and such.. or is there not enough travel on those?

And I started this train of thought, thinking what if passenger cars had integrated jacks like some race cars?

yamahog > MonkeePuzzle
05/26/2016 at 20:28

you end up jacking off some suspension component

Kinja'd!!!

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > RyanFrew
05/28/2016 at 22:48

That’s one thing I love about my Mitsubishi, verse My Hondas, no more trying to fit the jack, and jackstand on safe places along the pinch weld. The Mitsu uses the rear diff, and a flat spot on the front sub-frame to as jack points, it’s also awesome cuz you only have to jack the car up twice, instead of jacking each corner.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > TheHondaBro
05/28/2016 at 22:51

Does it at least have a rear tow hook, our 2011 doesn’t. which reeeally pissed me off, when the car was stuck, and I couldn’t find a safe place to grab it.

Biggus Dickus (RevsBro) > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts.
05/31/2016 at 14:50

You don’t need the adapter. I just cut 3/8 inch plywood boards to cover the whole of the rubber pad.

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