[Cisco661]

found a local selling this set of jack stands for like $45. are these descent enough to use on my 06 330i? any advice would be great. i was thinking of painting my calipers soon as some jack stands would be very helpful.

[CamelBiscuit]

So how is life after the thong song?

[mike3000fl]

make sure they are rated for the weight you are placing on them and also inspect them periodically.

random thoughts...

never fully trust jackstands alone, i leave the jack extended under the car for a safety. don't put anything under the car like an arm or leg unless you need to get under the car for the repair you are doing. for instance if you are painting calipers or doing brakes, dont sit with your foot under the rotor, fuck that.

they are meant to handle a vertical load. if you push or allow the car to move horizontally, expect one to topple over.

If you only jack up two wheels.... use the parking brake and leave in gear if the rear wheels are on the ground. if the front wheels are on the ground then use chocks (REMEMBER you can't lock up the front wheels). actually use chocks regardless. don't jack on a hill.

if you must get under the car while it is on jackstands, lay the wheels on their backside face up under the door sill area as a safety (no contact with the car of course). if the jack stand says "i have had enough and want to break today", then the wheel will save your ass by stopping the car from falling on you. the danger here is that if you forget to move the wheels before lowering the car you will fuck them up. worth the risk in my opinion, i would rather fuck up a wheel than die.

[Cisco661]

Thanks for the great advice mike. I will look into what weight capacity they have.

[BoricuaE92]

Originally Posted by mike3000fl

make sure they are rated for the weight you are placing on them and also inspect them periodically.

random thoughts...

never fully trust jackstands alone, i leave the jack extended under the car for a safety. don't put anything under the car like an arm or leg unless you need to get under the car for the repair you are doing. for instance if you are painting calipers or doing brakes, dont sit with your foot under the rotor, fuck that.

they are meant to handle a vertical load. if you push or allow the car to move horizontally, expect one to topple over.

If you only jack up two wheels.... use the parking brake and leave in gear if the rear wheels are on the ground. if the front wheels are on the ground then use chocks (REMEMBER you can't lock up the front wheels). actually use chocks regardless. don't jack on a hill.

if you must get under the car while it is on jackstands, lay the wheels on their backside face up under the door sill area as a safety (no contact with the car of course). if the jack stand says "i have had enough and want to break today", then the wheel will save your ass by stopping the car from falling on you. the danger here is that if you forget to move the wheels before lowering the car you will fuck them up. worth the risk in my opinion, i would rather fuck up a wheel than die.

Excellent post +1

[CharlieBear]

Originally Posted by BoricuaE92

Excellent post +1

AGREE!

[BrazilianBimmer]

This very good post and very good advice.

Originally Posted by mike3000fl

make sure they are rated for the weight you are placing on them and also inspect them periodically.

random thoughts...

never fully trust jackstands alone, i leave the jack extended under the car for a safety. don't put anything under the car like an arm or leg unless you need to get under the car for the repair you are doing. for instance if you are painting calipers or doing brakes, dont sit with your foot under the rotor, fuck that.

they are meant to handle a vertical load. if you push or allow the car to move horizontally, expect one to topple over.

If you only jack up two wheels.... use the parking brake and leave in gear if the rear wheels are on the ground. if the front wheels are on the ground then use chocks (REMEMBER you can't lock up the front wheels). actually use chocks regardless. don't jack on a hill.

if you must get under the car while it is on jackstands, lay the wheels on their backside face up under the door sill area as a safety (no contact with the car of course). if the jack stand says "i have had enough and want to break today", then the wheel will save your ass by stopping the car from falling on you. the danger here is that if you forget to move the wheels before lowering the car you will fuck them up. worth the risk in my opinion, i would rather fuck up a wheel than die.

[Cisco661]

yes. +2 for great advice. the jack stands are 3 ton capacity and he also has a jack. if anyone has any other advice feel free to input.

[CirrusSR22]

I made four large wooden blocks as backup to my jackstands. I used a few 8' 2"x12"s and cut them into 12" long (could have gone slightly longer) pieces. Sandwich about seven of them together with wood glue and tons of construction screws (predrill first though). You end up with basically a solid chunk of wood, 12" tall x 10.5" W x 11.25" D. I also screwed a basic metal handle to each for easy moving.

Place them next to your jackstands but make sure it's still under "solid" parts of the car. I know in some cars if I place them behind the rear jackstand there's mostly the gas tank above it. Not a good place to try to support the weight of the car (the tank would crush immediately) if a jack should fail. So they need to be placed forward of the rear jack stands. I think they are great 'piece of mind'.

In addition I made little blocks of wood to fit in the jack pad voids. Basically about 1.5" wide x 2" long. 1" or so deep. Just a little something extra for the jack pads as the standard "U" shaped saddle doesn't match up to standard BMW/Mercedes type jack pads very well. I think the flat top ESCO or AC Hydraulic jack stands might be a better choice, although they are pricey.

[Cisco661]

Originally Posted by CirrusSR22

I made four large wooden blocks as backup to my jackstands. I used a few 8' 2"x12"s and cut them into 12" long (could have gone slightly longer) pieces. Sandwich about seven of them together with wood glue and tons of construction screws. You end up with basically a solid chunk of wood, 12" tall x 10.5" W x 11.25" D. I also screwed a basic metal handle to each for easy moving.

Place them next to your jackstands but make sure it's still under "solid" parts of the car. I know in some cars if I place them behind the rear jackstand there's mostly the gas tank above it. Not a good place to try to support the weight of the car (the tank would crush immediately) if a jack should fail. So they need to be placed forward of the rear jack stands.

In addition I made little blocks of wood to fit in the jack pad voids. Basically about 1.5" wide x 2" long. 1" or so deep. Just a little something extra for the jack pads as the standard "U" shaped saddle doesn't match up to standard BMW/Mercedes type jack pads very well. I think the flat top ESCO or AC Hydraulic jack stands might be a better choice, although they are pricey.

+1
the guy wants $45 for four jack stands. seems like a great deal.

[CirrusSR22]

$45 for four is a very good deal, and they look basically new. Looking around, retail on those appear to be about $45 for two after taxes.

[Cisco661]

yea he used them only once and also has same brand jack for an extra $20. im definately getting these this week.