Has anyone had issues with the OEM jacks collapsing?

[Mobo36]

I was just jacking my e36 up from the back on both sides evenly and one suddenly one just collapsed and twisted my other jack. I'm getting sick of these types of jacks, are the jack pad adapters safe by Schwaben? Has anyone else had this issue?

[gc325is]

BMW jacks need 3 tires on the ground. These are not scissor jacks and need a cross axis force to remain stable. When you lift up two side at once, the other jack cannot provide a stable cross axis during the lift and probably will and did cause a lift failure. BMW basically lever up one side of the car with the one jack.
If you want one end you should have been using a floor jack then add the jack stands.

[Mobo36]

should I jack it up from the diff every time I want the whole rear up then? I've done it like this dozens of times I've never had an issue but I guess I was just lucky. It's always been on my mind it could go forward from them both being up, but not just completely collapsing like it did. Like the jack itself just crumbled. not from sliding forward or backwards.

[E36 Em Tree]

Use the jackpad adapters. Use the jack on the rear subframe if you want. I use ramps/jack stands + the jack whenever i'm under and sometimes all 3 w/ wheel chocks. Never that BMW though.

[Thresher]

Yeah, my BMW jack failed on me many years ago, just like yours did. At the time, I didn't know better to have any other tires chocked, and even if I did, I certainly didn't have any rubber chocks for the tires.

I use a floor jack now; I did buy an extra BMW jack years ago, but that simply decorates a place in the car's trunk now.

I lift the front using the cross member bar under the engine.
I lift the rear using the diff.
Car gets placed on ESCO jack stands when raised.

I have a jack pad adapter as well; it was made by BavAuto when they were still around. No experience with the Schwaben version, but I suspect it is nearly the same as what I have.