Valvestud

Well today I cut a driveway a little short and pinched my right-rear tire against the rim and ripped a hole in the tire. As it turns out I was unaware of how badly worn the old tire was on the inside part of the thread, so the flat was somewhat of a good thing.

Anyway, the factory jack and tool set as has been discussed before is crap. I nearly dropped the car when the car shifted a couple of inches to the rear.

Soooo, I'm going to replace the lug wrench with something else, but I'm also wondering if anyone knows of a good jack that can be carried in the trunk. I would even go with something air powered and keep a small compressor in the trunk.

By the by, the only tires available today were Pirelli P Zero Nero, so I got those and when they wear out, I'll go to 19" rims and Michelin PSS.

Thanks

Joe

Roswell

Sorry to hear about ur misfortune. OEM jacks are made compact, but not very good quality. I always have a floor jack in my garage... And put it in the trunk when I do long distance.

hunterjah

I feel your pain. When replacing my stock wheels with new rims this week, my car rolled off the OEM jack. The tire was on and secure, so it scared the sh*&t out of me more than anything. Made a trip to the auto store to buy a new jack. What a crap jack in the car. Has anyone mentioned the jack to their service tech? Wondering if MB knows what a liability the jack is.

Mort

The jack in the car is for emergency use only to get you going if you have a flat on the side of the road and then it is marginal at best. It is light and stow able and will do the job if you pay close attention to what you are doing and how you use it. It was never meant for anything else!

If you are going to work on your car buy a heavier duty jack suitable to the task. The car weighs 2 tons so you need at least a 2 1/2 ton duty jack and 3 1/5 ton would be better and have a larger safety margin. Don't buy cheap jack stands either and you will need and should have both if you are intending to do any work on your car that requires jacking the vehicle off the ground.

Be safe!

hunterjah

Understood, my point was, will the factory jack work even for emergency situations? I used my jack on the very first tire and it was on a completely flat surface. I'm questioning whether the jack would even work in an emergency situation.

azadian22

Also good quality Jack stands will last you a life time so mind as well get a decent set, I have a set my father gave me that he used for his Z28 when he was around my age and the still work as if they were new

Mort

It is always difficult and risky working on the side of the road. A tow truck should always be the first choice. Finding a firm and level surface especially in the boonies is difficult if not impossible. Chocking the tires so the car will not roll off the jack is often hard if not impossible. Getting the lug bolts loose might even prove to be impossible with the tools provided and depending on the dummy that put them on last. Your question is very reasonable and in a lot of situations it would not be adequate. It is just that there is only so much room for tools in today's compact cars. Do not leave tools loose in the trunk unless they can be securely fastened down so that they will not become projectiles. Carrying a tool as heavy as a floor jack unsecured in the trunk may pose a serious threat to passengers in the case of a serious accident or avoidance maneuver.

-=Hot|Ice=-

At least the C63 comes with a jack. The M3 doesn't even have that because wait for it.....there is no spare tire. You get an air canister instead.

hunterjah

Same with my 911. No spare, you just get an 800 number!

creaminz

If you are using factory floor jack, be sure to put your E-Brake.

This little floor jack always worked great for me
http://www.harborfreight.com/automot...html-7814.html

And this will keep your factory jack point from damaging.
http://burgertuning.com/BMW_jack_pad_adapter.html

creaminz

Also this will come handy. You should keep one in every vehicle you have.
http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/de...rd=tire+repair

exdes

i had no issues with the factory jack. Make sure you are on a flat leveled surface and always use the parking brake

obsidian05e55

Jack is garbage, and how can it be used in an emergency when it fails in perfect situation.

Yuille36

[quote=Valvestud;4818747Soooo, I'm going to replace the lug wrench with something else[/quote]

Joe,

I suggest you get your self a gorilla wrench, it has a extendable baton, that acts like a breaker bar, for those stubborn nuts

clkwork

I used to carry one of these in my trunk back when my vehicle has a spare tire. The case is fairly small for a floor jack (think trumpet case) and it's far safer than the factory alternative.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...=1315319885119

Valvestud

Thanks very much to those that actually answered my question. I'm fully aware of how to jack up a vehicle safely in my garage. What I wanted was to know if anyone had any experience with roadside jacks that could replace the one provided by MB.

Only thing I've found is the airbag unit that uses the car's exhaust to blow up a bag place under a car.

Anyway, I'll keep looking and let you all know if I find anything of merit.

Thanks!

SonnyakaPig

Sounds like a fair and logical question to me.

SonnyakaPig

I just read the manufacturer's description. Sounds like a fun product to use. Who doesn't like a little "glow-in-the-dark slime with a snot-like texture" ?