amazing update, always a pleasure to read!
I have the exact same jack and jack stands, However I bought my jack from harbour freight and I'm pretty sure its the same jack made in the same factory somewhere overseas, just re-branded as the harbour freight model. If I recall correctly, I bought it for around 110$ with a coupon in store! Also, I bought the esco jack stands from a site online they frequently drops the price on them. I paid about 32$ per jack stand as well! I made a youtube video about these a very long time ago in the beginning of my build thread but it didnt get much traffic, so I thought it would be good to mention this info here for anyone reading!
Here is a link to the jack for those interested:
https://www.harborfreight.com/2-ton-...ump-68050.html
Here is a link to the esco stands for cheap! (they are currently 70$ but price changes on them constantly, keep an eye out and they will eventually drop to around 33$ per stand)
http://www.coastaltoolsupply.com/product/ESC-10498.html
Also about jacking up the 135i, A really easy and simply way to get the 2 and 3/4 inch jack all the way to the front center jacking point, is to have 2 good old trusty 2x4's handy, each one about 2-3 feet long, and just drive the front tires onto them! This will effectively lift your front bumper 2 inches higher and then jack slips right under and the way to the jacking point! Ive found this to be way than messing around with another jack on one end
oh and lastly, you'll be glad you have the esco stands and 24" max height jack when it comes time to installing the turbos. I put my car on level 5 on the esco stands one time just for fun, and it was very satisfying to see how much room there was under the car. Even on a creeper a couple inches above the ground I had plenty of breathing room under there!