Oil Change. Ramps or Jack Stands?

joyriide1113

joyriide1113

There is no cure!
I plan on giving my X5 its first oil change. Normally I'd just use my friend's dad's lift, but he's out to college again and I would not impose on the father...

This will be my first time doing it all by myself (normally I just pass the tools and supplies to the guy working on it; friend in college).

Looking under the car last night I noticed it has 5 jack supports (from what I could see) . One in the front center, and two on each side.

From reading the DIY's on X5world.com it shows a person using a jack with jack stands but in the top instructions says "- Heavy Duty Jack + Jack Stands OR Wheel Ramps ".

http://www.x5world.com/articles/x5/engine-transmission/9480-oil-change-diy-bmw-x5-4-4i-valvetronic.html

From the pictures on the link, you guys can see what I'm dealing with. Would you prefer Jack with jack stands or ramps to drive up?


Any other tips and/or advice welcome.
 
I use Rhino Ramps. I find this much easier than jacking up the car and putting safety's under it. I have been doing this for a few years now with no problems. I bought them at Walmart in the US for $20.00. Well worth it. They have a larger size to for trucks and vans.
 
The seams/welds on the ramps have been known to fail. I would use the jack stands or the hydraulic jack together with the ramp as a precaution.

btw, why wouldn't you bring the beemer to a shop to have this done..
 
joe.p said:
btw, why wouldn't you bring the beemer to a shop to have this done..
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Curiosity fo the cat to see IF I could do it myself.

I will never again take my car the the dealer to service it, and the only other person I trust is my buddy in college. I would go to the local bmw shop to work it, but like I said. Cutiosity of the cat.
 
1st time for me too. I have a guy that does a lot of basic work on family/friends/neighbors cars etc. Its not a real common problem but it can happen. It takes less time to secure the car safely then it would to have your local fire dept extract you from under your car ;)


joyride said:
Curiosity fo the cat to see IF I could do it myself.

I will never again take my car the the dealer to service it, and the only other person I trust is my buddy in college. I would go to the local bmw shop to work it, but like I said. Cutiosity of the cat.
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It can be done and it is a simple task. I used to change my when i had more time then money. I'm still broke,but lucky for me i can get my oil changed for under $20.00 :) . I have always avoided expensive cars because the maintenace is costly.
 
joe.p said:
It takes less time to secure the car safely then it would to have your local fire dept extract you from under your car ;)
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Luckily I think that if the car did in fact drop, its raised gigh enough not to TOTALLY kill me...

I think I'll take your advice. Heck, last time I didn't take someones advice on taping trim, I spent an hour cleaning plastic.
 
joyriide1113 said:
Luckily I think that if the car did in fact drop, its raised gigh enough not to TOTALLY kill me...

I think I'll take your advice. Heck, last time I didn't take someones advice on taping trim, I spent an hour cleaning plastic.
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If the ramps collapsing were a common issue that company would be out of business.
 
Anthony A said:
If the ramps collapsing were a common issue that company would be out of business.
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it may not be common but it is definately a probabilty the welds can wear or give..
 
joe.p said:
it may not be common but it is definately a probabilty the welds can wear or give..
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You mention welds. You know the Rhino Ramps I am referring to are plastic right? Or are you referring to the plastic seam as a weld?
 
Anthony A said:
You mention welds. You know the Rhino Ramps I am referring to are plastic right? Or are you referring to the plastic seam as a weld?
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I'm not familiar with rhino ramps. The ramps i have in the garage may be made of steel. I didn't know they had ramps made from plastic. The guy who works on our cars use's wood railroad ties used in the old rail yards. There solid and made of one piece. So i guess there's many versions of these ramps around..
 
If the car is high enough, would it be safer to just creep under there? I have adjustable suspension and I can raise it hgih enough that I fit under.
 
joe.p said:
I'm not familiar with rhino ramps. The ramps i have in the garage may be made of steel. I didn't know they had ramps made from plastic. The guy who works on our cars use's wood railroad ties used in the old rail yards. There solid and made of one piece. So i guess there's many versions of these ramps around..
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Here you go. These things are great. http://www.rhinoramps.com/home.html
 
joyriide1113 said:
If the car is high enough, would it be safer to just creep under there? I have adjustable suspension and I can raise it hgih enough that I fit under.
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If you can get under there comfortably this would definately work..
 
joyriide1113 said:
If the car is high enough, would it be safer to just creep under there? I have adjustable suspension and I can raise it hgih enough that I fit under.
Click to expand...
When I had My Ranger and my Bronco, all I did was crawl under the truck.
If you don't have to lift it then why bother?

"J"
 
I use the Rhino Ramps and they work great. As mentioned by others I also use jack stands and wheel chucks. I've been doing it this way for years. Works great, no jacking involved, and I've never had a problem.
 
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