E36 Jack Stand Recommendations

[Rusty Chapman]

There has to be a better way than reinventing the wheel to do this. What do you people use for for a jack stand. I've seen Ron Stygar's write-up on it but doing that sounds like a pita. Is there something available off the shelf that is equally serviceable at no too disimilar cost?

Thanks in advance,
Rusty
'95 M3

[bungy42]

I may be in the stone age, but I just use regular ol' Craftsman jack stands on the hockey-puck jack points. My jack won't reach the crossmembers under the engine, so I jack on the rocker panels. I know everyone on the board is having a heart attack reading this. I've never had a problem. The rocker panels are reinforced from the wheel to the jack point, so I don't think it's a big deal.

[Lone Star]

I've been doing a fair amount of research on this lately ( I really need a life) as I decided to start doing my own maintenance.

I'm using Craftsman 3 1/2 ton jack stands and a Craftsman 3 1/2 ton floor jack. Sears is currently selling the jack and two stands together for approximately $150.00. Good value.

The jack will reach the cross-member in the car's ('93 325 is) front to raise the front wheels. Although I haven't worked on the rear yet, it will be no problem to reach a jacking point.

I was a little worried about the stability of placing my car's "hockey-puck" pads on the u-shaped top of the stands . However, a very friendly parts guy at Momentum BMW in Houston sold me a new model pad that is a perfect swap for the hockey pucks. The new pad is rectangular and recessed in the center to accomodate the u-shaped top of the jack stands. I used the set up this past weekend to change the oil and it worked great.

Swapping the jack pads is very simple - takes about 1 minute per position. The cost is about $7 per pad.

I'll post a message with the BMW part numbers for the pads and a photo.

Happy wrenching.

[RichP]

Lonestar,
Could you include the p/n when you post those pics?

Thanks

[Lone Star]

Rich,

The BMW part number is 51-71-8-204-244. The pads cost me $4.04 each with my BMW CCA discount. I'll post photos later.

[fight4yourrights]

Those new pads on the E46 are pretty wild. The jack is weird, but it works.

What advantage to you find have the recess when using a regular floor jack or jack stands?

[Lone Star]

Paul,

The top of my jack stands are u-shaped,(to go around an axle I suppose. However the hockey puck does not fit within the cup formed by the "U". The puck rested on top of the "u". It all looked too unstable for me to risk putting my body under the car. The new pad is recessed so that the arms of the U can fit inside the recess. It looks much less likely to slide around.

I'm starting a new thread with photos of the new setup. Check it out and decide for yourself.

[Lone Star]

Many of you may have seen recent threads regarding where and how to set an E36 on jack stands. The u-shaped top of my jack stands appeared to be susceptible to sliding off the pucks. I was nervous about putting my body under the car. Anyway, the following photos show an alternative rectangular pad with a recessed center that BMW is selling under part number 51-71-8-204-244. I paid $4.04 per pad, and they are a perfect swap. It takes about one minute per pad to change them.

This first photo shows my Craftsman 3 1/2 ton jack stand with the u-shaped top. The problem was that the hockey puck pad did not fit inside the "u", it sat on top of it.

[Lone Star]

... and here's the "hockey puck". (Sorry about the off-center photo, but I was holding the camera under the car so I couldn't look through the viewfinder). If you take a screwdriver, the pad pries out very easily.

[Lone Star]

... leaving you with this oval opening. The new rectangular pad will fit into the hole perfectly.

[Lone Star]

Here are the hockey puck and the new rectangular pad side-by-side. You'll note that the rectangular pad is recessed in the center, and will allow my stand top to fit inside. You will also note the plunger that is protruding from the middle of the pad. Once the pad is placed, the plunger is pushed in to lock the pad in place.

[Lone Star]

Here are the backs of the pads. You'll note that the geometry is the same, except the new pad is more secure with the plunger that locks it to the sub-frame.

[Lone Star]

And here's the new pad in place and resting on top of my jackstand. The recessed middle makes me feel better about the lateral stability of the setup. BTW, I keep my floor jack raised under a cross-member as a backup. Don't forget to chock the wheels. Happy wrenching.

[Stylin]

Lone star.. thats a GREAT write up..!! Nice job..

[Hyperion]

This is a little Off-Topic, but I do not want to waste others time at making an entire new thread on the subject.

The pads that are for the jack stand, were not on my car when I bought it used. It only had 2 attached. So, can I just go to the dealer and ask them to order me some, or can I just order them from Bav auto, or any other company? Also, does anyone have any idea how much they will run?

And on a completely different subject, should I even replace the pads, or is it just a waste of money for an under if ever used part?

[Lone Star]

Hyperion,

The part number for the new pad is 51-71-8-204-244. I paid $4 for the pad with the BMW CCA discount from my dealer.

Should you get the pads? Up to you. It's just a question of whether you will be using jack stands to work on your car.