Yes I know this sounds like a silly question, but I just wanted to make certain.

on the rear of my 535i, where is the safest points to place the jack stands?
I was going to place them on the cross member close to the wheels. but on the passenger side I see there are lines(wire harness??) for the gas tank and I don't want to risk hitting that.

should i just place the stands where the stock jack hooks up?

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x55/indierthanthou/e34Jackpoints.jpg

lol

hahaha

wow! that post should be FAQ'd

I thought using the front crossmember as a support point was a big no-no?

And supporting a ton or so by the differential?
:confused

I love that picture...

Using the front crossmember is a very strong point on the car, and is very common to jack something up on; it just isn't the best idea to put jack stands there because you cant put the stands wide enough. If you think about how the differential already support all the stress from the engine torque, and unless the thing is made out of glass, it is plenty safe to jack the car up from.

Only problem is that that isn't an e34. I wish someone had the same picture for an e34.

I will tell you, and embarass myself in the process, that if you put jackstands on the forward box frame portion, which are the second-to-the-front locations on that picture, that you will BEND the box-frame. Damnit. And this stupid picture is what I used to get locations.

So take this picture with a grain of salt. It's not actually that good.

And I'll be staying away from the differential, too. Y'all go right ahead, I'll find a better place to jack from. Unfortunately I'm pretty sure, though I'm not under the car at the moment, that the e34 doesn't even have that cross brace in front of the differential.

I hate that picture more and more. It's misleading. And you'll bend shit.

Good luck.

OOooooh. I have to have a moment of BMW-hating. Man, I've been driving saabs since 1991. They are literally LOADED with safe jack-stand locations. Also EASY floor jack locations front and rear, and clearly indicated as such. I mean they don't have a pictogram on them, but they are clearly for a floor jack.

Why is the e34 such a fragile little POS when it comes to putting it on stands? Answer: You're not supposed to be working on it without a lift. Stupid.

For one that is a e30, As Moroza said, useing the front subframe is probably not so great. useing a two by four to distrubute the load is nessersary, not optional The front stub frame is where I put jack stands Useing a floorjack on the diff to pick it up pobably isn't such a great thing to do to your Sub-frame bushes. The only right way is obviously a lift. Jacks on the subframe mount is probably best, sadly they are about the only place to put things firmly. I haven't noticed anybetter spots to put jack stands on the rear, and that brace across the fornt of the subframe doesn't exist on the e34 (as Rolf points out) (correction, That is the subframe)I have to admit BMW put no thought into the home mechanic. Not thier prefered demographic I suppose. I may put some thought into it one day and fab mounts for mine

^---- yeah, what he said.

I'm just glad someone's on the same page with me. Is the front stub frame the part I referred to that I said would bend? Did I just not put my stands forward enough or should I have used a 2x4 to spread the load?

Gosh, now I really don't remember, but I think I was jacking on them too, and I did use d 2x4 for that... stupid memory.

Ah well. Someone ban that picture. God I hate it. :)

Is the front stub frame the part I referred to that I said would bend? Did I just not put my stands forward enough or should I have used a 2x4 to spread the load?


yes, thought they are a touch wide for my jack stands so I do put a bit of wood in there to cusion and distibute the load
Probably best to stay close to the body where it is strongest

Only problem is that that isn't an e34. I wish someone had the same picture for an e34.

I will tell you, and embarass myself in the process, that if you put jackstands on the forward box frame portion, which are the second-to-the-front locations on that picture, that you will BEND the box-frame. Damnit. And this stupid picture is what I used to get locations.

So take this picture with a grain of salt. It's not actually that good.

And I'll be staying away from the differential, too. Y'all go right ahead, I'll find a better place to jack from. Unfortunately I'm pretty sure, though I'm not under the car at the moment, that the e34 doesn't even have that cross brace in front of the differential.

I hate that picture more and more. It's misleading. And you'll bend shit.

Good luck.

OOooooh. I have to have a moment of BMW-hating. Man, I've been driving saabs since 1991. They are literally LOADED with safe jack-stand locations. Also EASY floor jack locations front and rear, and clearly indicated as such. I mean they don't have a pictogram on them, but they are clearly for a floor jack.

Why is the e34 such a fragile little POS when it comes to putting it on stands? Answer: You're not supposed to be working on it without a lift. Stupid.


The picture is fine for the E34. If you are bending the box frame then you are not properly jacking up the car.

No, sorry. Call it improper heads on my jack stands if you like.

Jacking the car didn't bend shit.

Leaving the car on stands for a couple hours did.

Believe what you will, that picture is crap.

Have a good one.

No, sorry. Call it improper heads on my jack stands if you like.

Jacking the car didn't bend shit.

Leaving the car on stands for a couple hours did.

Believe what you will, that picture is crap.

Have a good one.


:lol Ok so improper use of your jackstands because you used the improper jackstands.

Ok ok fair enough


Been using jackstands with the same heads for a decade, never bent any portion of frame on any of my saabs.

I still maintain that these BMWs simply aren't designed to be supported on jackstands, and I'll be reinforcing everything with 2x4's in the future. Just never had a car that was such a POS that I needed to put wood between the jackstands and the car.

Seriously though, this would have happened even if the top of my jackstands was a flat plane as wide as the stub frame. I suppose I could take pictures.

Not that it's a big deal, I mean it's totally cosmetic, I'm just disappointed in BMW for using such soft/thin steel in one of the only places you can put a stand, and I don't like that picture. I'm sticking with that stance.

But thanks for the eye-opening observations. :rolleyes

so what's the consensious? use only the factory jack possisions?

^ I'd like to know too! More info and less arguing would help, heh.

I've been putting a floor jack under the factory jack location and kept the car lifted with the floor jack, and put a stand next to it, in case the floor jack failed. But I want to know what the correct jack spots are because I'll be replacing my sway bars soon, and I'll have to have the whole end of the car (front or rear) off the ground at once. I know I put a stand under the rocker panel, and slowly lowered the car onto it, but it bent the little metal lip thats perpendicular to the ground.

Who is arguing? I was accused of using the wrong jackstands. Fine. I used the wrong jackstands. Hang on, I'll run up to the BMW dealer and buy some BMW jackstands. As if they exist.

What I'm saying is that there is NO correct place to put a jackstand on these cars.

In the rear, however, I think that the subframe mounts worked out very well for me. The thick steel brace that is right in front of the wheel area, to which the rear subframe is bolted. Nice and strong.

In the front, ... well, use plenty of reinforcement and use the stub frame as your jackstand location. I suppose that a piece of 1/4" steel plate would work, or a 2x4. My issue with wood is that I sure wouldn't want to see wood split and drop a car onto me while I'm underneath it. I think maybe a piece of steel would be better, but...

The factory location would work okay, except for the whole interface issue. It's made for the factory jack! If you had somehting to put in the hole that could be placed securely, which would provide a flat platform on the bottom for a jack stand, I would say 'use them!'. As it is, I wouldn't recommend using them except with the jack included in the car.

^ I'd like to know too! More info and less arguing would help, heh.

I've been putting a floor jack under the factory jack location and kept the car lifted with the floor jack, and put a stand next to it, in case the floor jack failed. But I want to know what the correct jack spots are because I'll be replacing my sway bars soon, and I'll have to have the whole end of the car (front or rear) off the ground at once. I know I put a stand under the rocker panel, and slowly lowered the car onto it, but it bent the little metal lip thats perpendicular to the ground.


Follow the picture. Use the CORRECT stands in the CORRECT places and you will be OK.

This is what I do for fast work under the car.

Raise the front with a floor jack and a piece of 2 X 4 under the front sub frame (careful not to put any pressure on the oil pan) and then position jack stands under the front jack points. Raise the rear under the rear sub frame and put in the rear jack stands. I use a large floor jack and 6 ton jack stands to get it up at least 2 feet, which makes things a lot easier to work on. I had to put a 1/4 inch flat plate on top of each of the jack stands to not interfere with the rear brake lines and other body work etc. Nothing bends, very stable

I have a friend who went further and built 1 foot high bases out of 6X6's topped with 1/8th inch steel plate to put under each jack stand so he can get it up 3 feet. He does this in 2 "raises" placing the floor jack under another 1 foot high base for the second raise. Cheap automotive lift...

I have modified the picture. Heres my version

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd58/zubbie_photo/jackstands.jpg

Thanks, zub. if I knew that was an e30 I wouldnt have posted it. guess i havent spent enough time under my car to realize the difference. i think i might have got it from here or bimmerboards or bimmerinfo

Follow the picture. Use the CORRECT stands in the CORRECT places and you will be OK.

Im a weekend warrior mechanic with a garage lift


Why is this guy even pitching in? I don't get it.

The second quote is from another thread.

I put my jackstands where the factory jack would go on the little lip which is reinforced for the jack ... wont really bend if u center the stand under it ... and i put a towel on top of it to prevent it from damaging the undercoating.

Why is this guy even pitching in? I don't get it.

The second quote is from another thread.

Because there are people like you on the board; people who type a bit too much and forget what they said the next minute. You have already admitted to your imcompetence in using the incorrect jackstand. You follow the picture, use the proper jackstand, and you will not bend the "box frame." You use the proper jack on the diff, youll be just fine, use the proper jack on the engine bay subframe, youll be golden. If you bend your frame using a jackstand, whether it be a chassis frame or a subframe, step away and let someone that can follow instructions and understand extremely basic concepts handle the job. I do have a lift (becoming plural this winter), but notwithstanding, my statements are true; when Im at the track, I dont have access to my lift, I use several of the jacking points with great success. This picture has the correct jacking points for any BMW from the E9 to the E39.

In the front, ... well, use plenty of reinforcement and use the stub frame as your jackstand location. I suppose that a piece of 1/4" steel plate would work, or a 2x4. My issue with wood is that I sure wouldn't want to see wood split and drop a car onto me while I'm underneath it. I think maybe a piece of steel would be better, but...


Rolf: Never use steel as cribbing. Jack stands don't have flat tops for a reason. Steel is slippery, and very unsafe, not to mention it won't give to conform to whatever is resting on it as wood will. Wood is the correct material to use as cribbing. Use solid pieces preferably without knots.
I spent a good chunk of my life working on 5-15 ton trucks far to heavy for any lift. We had Big floor jacks, big jackstands and lots of 4x4 and 4x6 wood cribbing. Only the suicidal would use steel in such circustances.
Best of luck to all concerned and play safely, it is all fun and games til you have a car lying on top of you

Edit: BTW there probably isn't any call for the snottyness in this thread

Second BTW The e30 is quite a bit lighter then the e34. I never had a qualm about jacking my e30 from the diff, but the last time I jacked the e34 from the diff I was watching my subframe bushes and I didn't like what it was doing to them.
The weight isn't properly distributed and it is all forced right at the subframe bush. YMMV, But the bushes are a pain to replace and I like mine to last as long as possible

Last edit. To the OP. I am sorry to have to say this, but the truth is, if you aren't experienced enough to decide the proper jacking points for yourself, There is a good chance you shouldn't be there. It may sound like the most menail of things jacking a car up and setting it on stands, but a remarkable number of people have been severly injured doing just such, and many more have damaged thier cars, I am not trying to be snotty, just sugesting you consider your skills and experience carefully. Lying under a car half crushed is the wrong time to be thinking "damn that a-whole on the internet didn't have a friggin' clue". It is your car, your responsibility, and in the end your life. It is probably worth a few minites of serious thought.
Otherwise all the information you asked for is in this thread. Good luck

Because there are people like you on the board; people who type a bit too much and forget what they said the next minute. You have already admitted to your imcompetence in using the incorrect jackstand. You follow the picture, use the proper jackstand, and you will not bend the "box frame." You use the proper jack on the diff, youll be just fine, use the proper jack on the engine bay subframe, youll be golden. If you bend your frame using a jackstand, whether it be a chassis frame or a subframe, step away and let someone that can follow instructions and understand extremely basic concepts handle the job. I do have a lift (becoming plural this winter), but notwithstanding, my statements are true; when Im at the track, I dont have access to my lift, I use several of the jacking points with great success. This picture has the correct jacking points for any BMW from the E9 to the E39.

Hey, what's imcompetence? Is that something like incompetence?

Anyway, guy. It's really great that you have 4 e34 M5's and a brand new one. Seriously. Enjoy them.

But I'm really not that interested in what you have to say. Certainly I'm not incompetent, and if you put jackstands on the front stub frames without distributing the load via some support, the frames will get slightly deformed. Nothing major, but enough to encourage me to notify anyone interested to be careful.

You, on the other hand, clearly know it all and won't be dissuaded from acting like a total jerk. That's up to you, enjoy your internet thuggery. I imagine you're at least as cool in person as you are in your incredibly helpful posts here in this thread.

Anyway, enjoy yourself and your 5 M5's. Seriously. And your lift.

Oh, and learn to interpret sarcasm.

Good luck pal,

I'm out.

Rolf: Never use steel as cribbing. Jack stands don't have flat tops for a reason. Steel is slippery, and very unsafe, not to mention it won't give to conform to whatever is resting on it as wood will. Wood is the correct material to use as cribbing. Use solid pieces preferably without knots.
I spent a good chunk of my life working on 5-15 ton trucks far to heavy for any lift. We had Big floor jacks, big jackstands and lots of 4x4 and 4x6 wood cribbing. Only the suicidal would use steel in such circustances.
Best of luck to all concerned and play safely, it is all fun and games til you have a car lying on top of you

Edit: BTW there probably isn't any call for the snottyness in this thread

Second BTW The e30 is quite a bit lighter then the e34. I never had a qualm about jacking my e30 from the diff, but the last time I jacked the e34 from the diff I was watching my subframe bushes and I didn't like what it was doing to them.
The weight isn't properly distributed and it is all forced right at the subframe bush. YMMV, But the bushes are a pain to replace and I like mine to last as long as possible

Thanks for the advice ironie.

I've got some 4x4 and larger pieces of wood lying around the garage and will use them in the future on my front stub frames. I won't use any steel.

The rear end can be jacked and jackstanded by the subframe support, in my experience, just use two jacks, one on each side.

Same with the front, use two jacks -- I did use wood cribbing for this, just didn't carry the idea through to using cribbing for the jackstands. Will in the future.

I'm a pretty non-snotty guy, but when someone rubs me the wrong way I'm pretty incapable of just letting him (or her) get away with it. Doesn't always do me any good, but if I didn't start it and don't understand where it came from, sometimes I have a hard time sitting back.

One tip that always seemed good to me, if you're ever worried about the stability of a jack or jackstand is this: Throw any spare tire(s) that you might have under the car. That way, if the worst happens, you won't get squashed any thinner than the width of the rim. :)

Anyway, I appreciate your advice.

Take care.

Thanks for the advice ironie.

My pleasure


One tip that always seemed good to me, if you're ever worried about the stability of a jack or jackstand is this: Throw any spare tire(s) that you might have under the car. That way, if the worst happens, you won't get squashed any thinner than the width of the rim

It certainally can't hurt, and I have done it myself, but I am a firm believer that if I am in too much of a hurry to make sure I trust my supports, I am probably already on the road to a bad day. In 25 years I haven't dropped one car or truck, and I have picked up a lot of them, both professionally and otherwise. One should never be in to much of a hurry to make sure everything is rock solid.

Peace and all that happy stuff
Ron