Yet again: Trolley jack and brace

S

step_change

Active member
 Planet Earth
Hi all, I know this question has done the rounds a lot but I only want this to lift the car (and also a 535) and change the wheels now and then. It'll never be used hard core fashion. So I'm not inclined to spend £120 on it.

This one gets a good review. Thoughts please?
https://www.screwfix.com/p/hilka-pro-craft-2-tonne-low-profile-trolley-jack/8827r

And can someone recommend a cross brace and a torque wrench too please?

Thanks, Steve
 
Get on your hands and knees and measure the gap between the floor and the underside of the jacking point - I've got a hilka jack (they're fine I've used mine for years now on cars; vans; landrovers and our dumper) but one of them won't go under the Zed - just check it will fit first!
 
That one looks OK, just so long as it is low enough to fit under your Z4.

I got one of these and fits fine goes under my E86 with Sport suspension:- https://www.sgs-engineering.com/tjl2-2-tonne-low-profile-trolley-jack. I used mine yesterday to fit my winter tyres to my 330i. It's probably not the last word in quality, but it's good enough for what I use it for to swap wheels a couple of times a year!

One of these is also a good idea as it fits into the jacking point:- https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/283553706796

I use a Kamasa torque wrench that I've had for years and it's fine, but I've never used any others so I'm probably not qualified to recommend any.
 
Mr Tidy said:
One of these is also a good idea as it fits into the jacking point:- https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/283553706796
Click to expand...

Thank you. This has been kicking around my head since I had a quick look under it when before I bought my car. Saves me doing some research :thumbsup:
 
mgrlane said:
Thank you. This has been kicking around my head since I had a quick look under it when before I bought my car. Saves me doing some research
Click to expand...

The jacking pad is really handy as it saves you from squashing the jacking points! On BMWs that come with a spacesaver spare like the E46 3 Series they come with a jack that fits into the jacking points, so can be handy if you ditch the run-flats.
 
If you need to gain a bit of extra height, you could drive the car onto some timber planking. The jack will go under then :thumbsup:
Don't forget the axle stands though :telloff:
 
firebobby said:
If you need to gain a bit of extra height, you could drive the car onto some timber planking. The jack will go under then
Click to expand...

That made me laugh. Before I bought my low-profile jack I used a couple of bricks - and that was for a 3 Series! :lol:
 
Mr Tidy said:
firebobby said:
If you need to gain a bit of extra height, you could drive the car onto some timber planking. The jack will go under then
Click to expand...

That made me laugh. Before I bought my low-profile jack I used a couple of bricks - and that was for a 3 Series! :lol:
Click to expand...
My old Sealy jack (bought for my 21st birthday, so not very old :whistle: ) was to tall to go under the Zed and the MR2, oh and a classic Mini. So the wood trick (can't beat wood) came in handy
My new jack is a low line jobbie and fit under all my fleet :thumbsup:
 
Sounds familiar - my old jack was bought in 1983. :oops:

It worked fine with a MK2 Escort RS2000, but there's no way I'd ever have got it under my Z4. Still it broke last year so that solved the problem - I bought my low-profile replacement!
 
For the home garage I have an aluminium 3 ton jack. It's a cheap model found at any big box store. Works well for changing tires and such.
 
Mr Tidy said:
firebobby said:
If you need to gain a bit of extra height, you could drive the car onto some timber planking. The jack will go under then
Click to expand...

That made me laugh. Before I bought my low-profile jack I used a couple of bricks - and that was for a 3 Series! :lol:
Click to expand...

Bricks were a luxury if I got a flat in my mini I used to have to drive one side up the kerb to get the jack under :lol:
 
If your looking for torque wrenches the Halfords Advanced ones are good. They are actually made by Norbar and are good quality.
If you know someone with a Halfords trade card you can get them at a decent price too.
https://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/SearchRouter?langId=-1&storeId=10001&catalogId=10151&action=search&srch=torque+wrench
Capture.JPG
 
I have that hilka one as well as a low profile jack, the hilka will not go under the z4 on standard sports suspension
 
Gee this subject is a minefield.... :o So what low profile ones would fit the bill then guys please? I don't really want to spend more than £50ish on it.
Thanks for the link about torque wrench bars. Again, I don't want to spend £80 at least on something that will get used a couple of times per year....
 
SGS do some good jacks but I'd avoid the really cheap one, several people including myself have found that they are poor quality, mine started dropping after only a few uses. Discussed here https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=116635
 
step_change said:
Gee this subject is a minefield.... :o So what low profile ones would fit the bill then guys please? I don't really want to spend more than £50ish on it.
Thanks for the link about torque wrench bars. Again, I don't want to spend £80 at least on something that will get used a couple of times per year....
Click to expand...

Apologies buddy, after looking again that one is slightly different to my Hilka one which doesn't dip so low at the front, that one may well be fine :thumbsup: ...sorry again :(
 
Thanks for mentioning the jacking pad, will feel much confident lifting the Z from now on, ordered this yesterday.
The reviews read that it it well made and garanteed product. Was going to order a cheapo one but thought twice.

bmw_jack_pad.jpg
 
Oh dear, still my cheap SGS one worked OK this week, but then I've only had it just over a year.

But it definitely fits under a Z4 on Sport suspension. On their website they quote the minimum height as 89mm, so I guess you need to look for anything with a minimum height less than 90mm.
 
You can't go wrong with the Costco trolley jack. They're heavy but very well made and mine gets bashed about all over the place. Cheap enough at around £90 in store.

Edit: just noticed you don't want to spend that sort of money. Personally, I would. You definitely get what you pay for when it comes to Jacks. I bought a cheap ebay one before I got the Costco jack and the cheap one comes down on its own after a while. Not exactly very safe :lol:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom