On the way to my car in the diner parking lot I pass a couple attempting a flat tire change. The man holding the tire looks distressed and the poor wife maneuvering the jack is frantic, so I ask if they're "OK"? A NO response prompts a closer look where I discover that Hubby's fingers are pinched between the top of the tire and the rear wheel-well.

Apparently, the car rolled off the jack as the guy was positioning the spare for install. While captive in the wheel-well he's trying to instruct the wife as to where to position the jack and raise the car. So I get on the ground and position the jack while Sweety cranks the handle and raises the car releasing the fingers. All this after applying parking brake and blocking a front wheel.

Discovering surprisingly little damage to the hand other than some soreness, I help the guy and hold the wheel while he inserts the bolts - no studs - which undoubtedly contributed to the dilemma. His wife gets some ice from the diner and packs the fingers. All's well that ends well and off to the airport he goes.

So, what I wanted to tell you is that the BMW OEM jack is one sweet machine. I know it's been bought and sold on here by forum members, but actually seeing it work was enlightening. I encourage all non-runflat users to procure one of these gems post-haste! It could save you a lot of grief! I can't help with info, but it shouldn't be hard to find. This was a 3 series. Try a search if you're interested.

 

My pre-corvette car was a 02 BMW. Sweet jack but I hated those damn wheel bolts instead of having studs.

 

My previous car was a bimmer too, but thankfully I didn't have to change a flat. Now other cars i've owned... it's a totally different story.

 

Great info...thanks for sharing. I'll do a search and if I find one I'll post the results.

 

One question though did it look like A, B or C?

A:


B:


C:


Thanks

 

It was an A fer sure.
And that lift pad is a soft nylon that could be used without pucks, I think.

Vince

 

That sounds great, I checked on ebay and there are a bunch of them, does anyone know which one would work on a Corvette.

 

Wow that was fast, you guys are great! Thanks.

 

Cool, thanks for the super quick response

I hope we don't all get into a bidding war

 

I'm just wondering if I could get a Dremmel and drill into that plastic to make a hole to accept the jacking puck? Just a thought?

 

Thanks for the info. I need to get me one of those little jacks.

 

Got one but never had to use it.....yet.

 

Cenzo - How long would you guesstimate the jack is when in the folded down position? Is it short enough to fit in the C5 rear side storage compartments?

Thanks
BUGZ

 

I don't think it will fit into a side compartment, but the center compartment is big enough. Someone who has one should be able to help with that.

 

You don't need to use a puck with this jack - it's got a nylon surface that won't mar the rocker panel.

 

Even better! Thanks for the info!

 

Thanks for the info on this. I know a few people that are thinking of going to non runflats but are concerned about a jack.

 

What do you mean the wheel uses bolts and not studs?

 

It's not "marring" the rocker that's the issue, it's the cracking of the f-glass if it's squashed between jack and frame. A puck stops this and puts the pressure directly onto the frame.

The plastic tip on this jack (or even a frame hoist) is ok if it's positioned under the frame and not the rocker panel.

 

Bmw and Mercedes use bolts instead of studs. The axle is threaded to accept the wheel bolts. It is a real pain to hold the wheel up , locate the bolt hole and get the bolt started.