jack failed on me - question

[craka]

So I was jacking up my car to change the retaining clips on the rear brake calipers when my jack failed. I had it in gear (reverse) but I was an idiot and had not set the parking break. The jack bent and the car started rolling forward; I was on a slightly slanted surface (yes, I know, this was dumb). So I was wondering if its normal for the car to slip out of gear, and if thats anything to worry about.

moral of the story: dont trust the BMW jack! Get a floor jack and jacks stands and take all necessary precautions when jacking up your BMW.

[Ronnaferd]

Yea don't trust any jack when doing work. Always lower the car onto stands before doing any sort of work on it.

[pbclax423]

...reverse and it rolled forward?... something is wrong with your tranny.... now maybe if it rolled backwards...

[Spood]

I threw my factory jack away a long time ago..














(after it failed on me...twice)

[ducky328i]

...reverse and it rolled forward?... something is wrong with your tranny.... now maybe if it rolled backwards...

he said it slipped out of gear.

i had my bmw jack fail on me one time. my girlie's ti's rear tires slid down the ramps i had it on and mucked my jack all up. oh well...

[solgoodband]

I have an electric jack that I bought from Canadian Tire for about $80 and all you do is plug it in your cig lighter and push a button. Why BMW didn't think of this I don't know. It comes with a carrying case and stows away neatly in the trunk. I'll see if I can find a link and post back. Ok so I found it and I was right $80, here ya go...

http://www.canadiantire.ca/browse/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=84552444328 6662&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=1408474396672442&bmUID=1188185009547

[earthwormjim]

I always use my factory jack in conjunction with a jack stand that I leave in my trunk.

It's way too scary to use. The piece of metal it stands on is way too small, I've had it dig into concrete and start sinking and tilting.

[MisterBimmerMan]

I like the factory jack. It shouldn't fail on you if you are on a level surface. Never jack up the car on a surface that isn't level. Never jack up the car if the parking brake isn't set. You maybe should have put bricks in front of your front tires as a added safety precaution if your not going to set the parking brake. Use jack stands next time as they are invaluable but on a level surface.

[Brown2hm]

If you're jacking up the rear of the car you should really chock the front wheels, the car could still easily move even with it in gear or with the parking brake on. Also, I second that its worth it to buy a set of jack stands. You can get a cheap pair for about $20 and they're much more stable than the factory jack.

[EastBayBimmer]

The car probably rolled backwards because it has an open differential. If the parking brake was set, the wheels would be locked individually, at the brake.

[craka]

Yeah, I fucked up.
Is it anything to worry about though?? the car rolling forward while in gear?

[EastBayBimmer]

No your transmission is fine. Its just the way an open differential works. The car would not have rolled forward if both wheels were on the ground.

Do a google search on "open differential" or buy some Legos!

[specialk5284]

mine failed on me a few times, now it is unusable so I got floor jack. Same thing happened, the jack bent and the car rolled a little, but me being a retarded teenager I tried to change a tire with the car on the jack and the car fell on the side that had a tire missing......luckily no damage

[reds6960639]

I also do not like the jack. I don't recomend using it anymore. I've tried using it on a level ground. At the begining, the jack is perpendicular to the ground. But as you start cranking it, the weight forces the jack to lean to one side. As you jack it up higher and higher, the jack leans further to the side, and it is no longer perpendicular to the ground. I wa snever able to get it high enough to get the stands under the car.

[thenewBMWguy]

long story short. one time i was in a conoco parking lot with an f'd up tire and i needed to put my spare on quick because my dad had to be to work in 30 mins (works nights). and it was late and about to rain. so the car was on a kind of level surface but the jack hole was all rusted out and weak. so i lift the car up (with the e-brake on) and got all but 1 lug bolt out when the jack hole starts twisting and the car starts rolling. thank god i still had 1 lug bolt in other wise i dont know how i wouldve gotten the car back in the air.


so i just twisted the jack hole back to the right position, put a rock in front of the tires :shifty, and finished the job. now the jack hole looks like shit though

[nowbimmin]

are you guys serious?
Use the factory jack for what it was intended for: replacing a blown tire!
Nothing else. Get a hydrolic floor jack for anyting else

[jarozila]

I was always told to put a pice of flat timber under the jack to help keep it stable. Standard jack is fine for changing a tyre but not for much else!!

[axthrower]

Also.. Wheel chocks are a good thing