How to Stay Safe Working on Your BMW

[Kevlar]

We all love working on our cars, especially if you’ve got something like a classic BMW in your garage. While it can be a great hobby that saves you a lot of money in the long run, it is important to make sure you’re staying safe while working on your car. Have Somewhere to Work … Continue reading How to Stay Safe Working on Your BMW →
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[jclausen]

Start by knowing how to work in a car

[ELVA164]

Start by knowing how to work in a car

Helpful

[MDR629]

The article is a good overview. Can't stress the importance of jack stands. Even just slide the wheel you took off of the car under the side of the car is better than nothing.

Two things that weren't mentioned:
1) Eye protection. Use your best judgement but if you're working with power tools, there's a good chance you should have eye or full face protection. Be especially careful of cutoff wheels and maintain those tools well. There is no shortage of horror stories involving cutoff wheels.
2) Rings. While a normal car's electrical system is 12V and won't bother your bare skin, a ring which shorts a circuit will heat up incredibly quickly on your finger causing severe burns. Also I won't go any further than mentioning "degloving". There's no good reason to work on cars while wearing rings, a watch, etc. At the very least you'll scratch the paint.

[sgtfury40]

Gas fumes are a real danger. I spent the better part of a month in the hospital with 2d and 3d degree burns on my face, arms, and legs. 4 surgeries, not fun. Its easy to get desensitized to the smell of gas, especially when working on older cars. I don't remember smelling any gas before I was engulfed in a fireball. The ignition source was the electric motor in a wet/dry vac. Always pay attention and be safe.