Jacking An E28 with 4 Jack stands

Make sure your car is parked on a flat piece of concrete. Do not use jack stands on bare soil or an inclide. Doing so could result in death. If you are dead you will not be able to drive your E28.

(clicking on an image will open a large picture in a new window)

Step 1: place the hand brake on very tightly. start with the front of the car; position the jack under the subframe just behind the oil pan. make sure you don't jacl using the oil pan for obvious reasons! if you can, use a thin piece of wood or a few layers of cardboard between the jack saddle and the subframe

Step 2: with the front up as high as you need it to be, place your jack stands under the frame rails that run front to back on either side of the car. These are about 4cm wide, protrude about 2cm from the bottom of the car and are about 8cm in from the sides. They are clearly visible running the length of the interior floor. Make sure the stand saddle is sitting on the parallel part of the rail and not on the curved part; you can put the stand in about 2 cm just to make sure.

Step 3: lower the front slowly and watch the car rest on the jack stands. the jack stand feet should remain firmly on the ground and should not be tilted. once off the jack, shake the car and watch the stands. if they are firm, move on, if not, relift the car and reseat the front stands. jack the rear from under the differential its flattest spot. use wood or cardboard under the jack saddle. as you lift the rear, watch the front stands that they don't move. if they do, continue slowly. if the front stands continue to move drop the rear and reseat the front.

Step 4: place the rear jack stands under the side arms of the rear axle carrier on either side. make sure, as with the front, that the stands are sitting flat on the carrier and flat on the ground. lower the car unto the rear stands and watch the front ones don't move. if the front ones move but the car is now on all four stands, go back to the front and rejack and reseat the jack stands.

Here is a view of the car up on all four stands. You don't have to have the car totally parallel with the ground; it can be on a slight tilt but not too much. Rigorously shake the car from the sides and the front and back. It should be SOLID! if it isn't do not continue - rejack and reseat the stands. if you can't get it solid do not carry on - find a better piece of concrete to jack your car and examine at the jack stands for problems.

Step 1: place the hand brake on very tightly. start with the front of the car; position the jack under the subframe just behind the oil pan. make sure you don't jacl using the oil pan for obvious reasons! if you can, use a thin piece of wood or a few layers of cardboard between the jack saddle and the subframe	Step 2: with the front up as high as you need it to be, place your jack stands under the frame rails that run front to back on either side of the car. These are about 4cm wide, protrude about 2cm from the bottom of the car and are about 8cm in from the sides. They are clearly visible running the length of the interior floor. Make sure the stand saddle is sitting on the parallel part of the rail and not on the curved part; you can put the stand in about 2 cm just to make sure.
Step 3: lower the front slowly and watch the car rest on the jack stands. the jack stand feet should remain firmly on the ground and should not be tilted. once off the jack, shake the car and watch the stands. if they are firm, move on, if not, relift the car and reseat the front stands. jack the rear from under the differential its flattest spot. use wood or cardboard under the jack saddle. as you lift the rear, watch the front stands that they don't move. if they do, continue slowly. if the front stands continue to move drop the rear and reseat the front.	Step 4: place the rear jack stands under the side arms of the rear axle carrier on either side. make sure, as with the front, that the stands are sitting flat on the carrier and flat on the ground. lower the car unto the rear stands and watch the front ones don't move. if the front ones move but the car is now on all four stands, go back to the front and rejack and reseat the jack stands.
Here is a view of the car up on all four stands. You don't have to have the car totally parallel with the ground; it can be on a slight tilt but not too much. Rigorously shake the car from the sides and the front and back. It should be SOLID! if it isn't do not continue - rejack and reseat the stands. if you can't get it solid do not carry on - find a better piece of concrete to jack your car and examine at the jack stands for problems.