QuickJack?

[Bimmer-Bob]

Anyone have any experience with QuickJacks? Looks like a really neat product. I like the idea of being able to very quickly raise the vehicle from four points all at once. Supposedly it's over-engineered and very safe, but I can't get over thinking it looks kind of flimsy in pictures. I like that it gets higher than my jack stands, but not so high that I'd need to reach very far for anything. I've got a couple of bigger jobs coming up for which I feel these would be extremely helpful, but to be honest I get a little paranoid about working directly underneath the car for very long without being really confident that I'm not going to get crushed, lol. I usually place additional jack stands or whatever for redundancy, but I think the extra few inches afforded by the QuickJack might make me feel a little less claustrophobic.

[NorthernDancer]

Originally Posted by Bimmer-Bob

Anyone have any experience with QuickJacks? Looks like a really neat product. I like the idea of being able to very quickly raise the vehicle from four points all at once. Supposedly it's over-engineered and very safe, but I can't get over thinking it looks kind of flimsy in pictures. I like that it gets higher than my jack stands, but not so high that I'd need to reach very far for anything. I've got a couple of bigger jobs coming up for which I feel these would be extremely helpful, but to be honest I get a little paranoid about working directly underneath the car for very long without being really confident that I'm not going to get crushed, lol. I usually place additional jack stands or whatever for redundancy, but I think the extra few inches afforded by the QuickJack might make me feel a little less claustrophobic.

Bought QuickJack last fall; haven't got it installed yet. My garage too small to use it there. My driveway slanted so will have to build 2 "platforms" to level driveway, drive car onto them, then use the Quickjacks. Very much yes to building in redundancy, jack stands, the wheels themselves, "supports" out of 2x6s.

[blue135]

I have had one for a couple of years. Use it on three different vehicles. Easiest one to use it on is the 135i. They are heavy so being an old fart makes it a little of an effort to slide them under the vehicle, but works well. Keeps an open channel under the car. Have used both heights on the BMW and the truck (4200#) so have the 5000 # version.
Steel and locks are solid and don't cause any worry for a safety conscious engineer.

[Bimmer-Bob]

Originally Posted by NorthernDancer

Bought QuickJack last fall; haven't got it installed yet. My garage too small to use it there. My driveway slanted so will have to build 2 "platforms" to level driveway, drive car onto them, then use the Quickjacks. Very much yes to building in redundancy, jack stands, the wheels themselves, "supports" out of 2x6s.

Originally Posted by blue135

I have had one for a couple of years. Use it on three different vehicles. Easiest one to use it on is the 135i. They are heavy so being an old fart makes it a little of an effort to slide them under the vehicle, but works well. Keeps an open channel under the car. Have used both heights on the BMW and the truck (4200#) so have the 5000 # version.
Steel and locks are solid and don't cause any worry for a safety conscious engineer.

Do you guys know if the 3500# version would work for a 128i? I'll be using it alos on an MR2 Spyder (curb weight 2195#) so if I can get the lightest-weight version of the QuickJack, that would be ideal.

I actually have a really nice set of JackPoint jack stands, which I think are about the best you can do before moving on to something like the QuickJack. I was comfortable using them until very recently. I finally bought a creeper (which is SO much better than sliding around on the ground) but I didn't think about the fact that it was going to really be eating into my working room underneath the car. I was face-to-face with undercarriage and brushing up against everything and felt REALLY claustrophobic. I felt like like I was going to have a mini-panic attack, and I am NOT an anxious person otherwise, lol. It's amazing how much difference two or three inches can make under there.

[blue135]

I think that is more a personal decision around the safety margin you feel you need. I am able to use my creeper under the lowest setting without feeling unduly confined, but it is not real spacious. But keep in mind that I as an old, fat guy I am heavier than most people.

[Bimmer-Bob]

Originally Posted by blue135

I think that is more a personal decision around the safety margin you feel you need. I am able to use my creeper under the lowest setting without feeling unduly confined, but it is not real spacious. But keep in mind that I as an old, fat guy I am heavier than most people.

Actually, I just realized that if I got the 5,000# model I could use it to wotk on my 4Runners as well. Plus it seems to be more widely available. The Costco price looks to be within $50 of the cheaper model, so it's really a no-brainer. I've also heard of people getting crazy-good deals at Costco (like, $799 in-store, but not online). I'm going to have to start shopping around...

[b1aze]

My neighbor let me borrow his 7k model and I think I’m in love. I’m doing a full suspension and brake overhaul and also doing transmission fluid and possibly coolant while I have some time. I couldn’t imagine doing all this on jack stands.

If you can get one for 1k or less, I’d say it’s a steal especially if you plan to tackle a job you’d otherwise outsource (oil pan gasket, RSF, etc).

[Bimmer-Bob]

Originally Posted by b1aze

My neighbor let me borrow his 7k model and I think I’m in love. I’m doing a full suspension and brake overhaul and also doing transmission fluid and possibly coolant while I have some time. I couldn’t imagine doing all this on jack stands.

If you can get one for 1k or less, I’d say it’s a steal especially if you plan to tackle a job you’d otherwise outsource (oil pan gasket, RSF, etc).

I'm definitely going to start shopping around! I have a leaky oil pan gasket and rear differential pinion seal, and I'd always rather spend money on tools than labor.

There are a few key jobs on these cars that are low-pats-cost but high-labor-cost, and doing your own wrenching makes all the difference when it comes to out-of-warranty maintenance. At least that's what I'm telling myself to justify buying a QuickJack, lol.

[Thunderguts]

Originally Posted by b1aze

My neighbor let me borrow his 7k model and I think I’m in love. I’m doing a full suspension and brake overhaul and also doing transmission fluid and possibly coolant while I have some time. I couldn’t imagine doing all this on jack stands.

If you can get one for 1k or less, I’d say it’s a steal especially if you plan to tackle a job you’d otherwise outsource (oil pan gasket, RSF, etc).

What size Indys are those? They look really wide for a 128i.

[b1aze]

Originally Posted by Thunderguts

What size Indys are those? They look really wide for a 128i.

225 and 255 on 8 and 9 wide respectively.

[Stubbie Blue]

There is a safety lock bar next to the piston that locks in 2 positions. Once locked, you can actually remove hydraulic pressure from the pistons and the car will stay up supported on the lock bars.

Be aware of the distance between the jack points. The QuickJack SLX models go up to 60" which fits a 1 series fine, but I also have an Audi A6 which needs around 61" so it doesn't quite lift at the centers of the jack points. The QuickJack EXT models go up to 66", or there is an extension that fits on top of the SLX models to go up to 66", and there is a BL-6000XLT model that goes up to 76".

I have a BL-5000SLX and it's very handy for things like brake fluid bleeding, transmission fluid change (car must be level), tire swaps and rotation, etc.

[iminhell1]

I'll just throw an alternative out there, which at the time of this post is not available but should be by years end.

https://jalopnik.com/these-awesome-j...-wo-1680463970

This is who is making them, https://www.etamfg.com/


I didn't want to wait so I came up with my own plan. They are a work in progress, I need to make ramps still. But I'm happy so far. I suppose I have about $50 into building them, plus my time.
I have it set up where I add a 4x4 or subtract a 4x4 to raise or lower the car. My jack can fit a max of 4 of them, which is able to get the car about 24" off the ground at the rocker.

[Petro135]

Originally Posted by iminhell1

I'll just throw an alternative out there, which at the time of this post is not available but should be by years end.

https://jalopnik.com/these-awesome-j...-wo-1680463970

This is who is making them, https://www.etamfg.com/


I didn't want to wait so I came up with my own plan. They are a work in progress, I need to make ramps still. But I'm happy so far. I suppose I have about $50 into building them, plus my time.
I have it set up where I add a 4x4 or subtract a 4x4 to raise or lower the car. My jack can fit a max of 4 of them, which is able to get the car about 24" off the ground at the rocker.

Those are awesome, would buy a set when they are available. Its also at ride height for suspension tightening. I was drawing up a drive up ramp of some sort. This would save me alot of time.

[ayao]

I have spent a good deal of time under a Quickjack and am (naively?) not worried about the safety. The jacks are very solid when the car is up in the air.

The jacks are very heavy and cumbersome to move around and to get into position.

I would also echo the comment above — measure a bunch of times to make sure the model you are buying is compatible with the vehicle(s) you plan to be lifting. The distance between the jackpoints on the car makes all the difference and only certain QJ models work with certain cars.

[tracer bullet]

Originally Posted by iminhell1

I didn't want to wait so I came up with my own plan. They are a work in progress, I need to make ramps still. But I'm happy so far. I suppose I have about $50 into building them, plus my time.
I have it set up where I add a 4x4 or subtract a 4x4 to raise or lower the car. My jack can fit a max of 4 of them, which is able to get the car about 24" off the ground at the rocker.

LOL, yeah why not. Cheap, small(er), etc. Just have to be sure (this is anyone who tries to DIY, looks like you've clearly got it covered) that one doesn't totally wing it before they slide under a car made from their own supports, they need to understand some things like what direction wood is strong, use of plywood, wheel chocks, tie pieces or cross bracing to keep it from tipping over, etc.

I have these, also cheap, especially if you get their coupons: https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

Drive up for front off the ground, then use jack stands can hold up the rear. Or get 2 pairs of these for not very much $ and even though you can't drive the rear up exactly you can still place them under the tires to hold the car up and level and quite securely. No concern about wrenching so hard you push something off of a stand. And they nest really nicely as well.

[iminhell1]

Originally Posted by tracer bullet

... words n stuff ...

See the issue I have is I don't have the luxury of indoors and/or a flat solid surface. But I think I've faired pretty well over the years. LOL

And with those plastic ramps you have to be very careful. They are only rated for the weight if on a flat surface. I had to return some just over a month ago from a couple who's car fell because one broke. They where polite and I didn't explain to them why. They just bought the steel ones instead. A grand Am breaking a 12,000# rated ramp, they where dumbfounded.


Also with ramps I always feel so cramped. I'm about 6' but must have a 7' wingspan. I can never contort my arms where they need to go unless the car is a mile in the air. LOL

[Thunderguts]

Does the Quickjack 5000 provide enough room to remove the transmission for a clutch swap? It looks like there's enough room to pull the transmission out from underneath, but can you get an angle on the top bolts of the housing?

[blue135]

Sorry, never looked at that. At upper limit, looks like it could work, but no real experience.

[Bimmer-Bob]

Picked up a QuickJack BL-5000SLX and it's brilliant! Takes a little bit of getting used to - I think the fussiest part of the process is getting the pinch weld blocks to line up on my MR2 (not an issue with the BMW), but still pretty easy. Once everything is set, lifting is a breeze. Seems really solid, too, although I haven't gotten totally comfortable working underneath the car without some redundant jack stands in place. Stows nicely on the wall (you can see the hooks in back there). Haven't used it on the 1er yet, but she's next - need to drop the front subframe to do the oil pan gasket, and also remove the rear diff to replace a leaking pinion seal. I'd say this thing is about to pay for itself!

[Thunderguts]

I keep waiting for Costco to have a sale. I hear they occasionally sell them for $799. If I ever see one under $1k, I need to pick one up.

[Bimmer-Bob]

Originally Posted by Thunderguts

I keep waiting for Costco to have a sale. I hear they occasionally sell them for $799. If I ever see one under $1k, I need to pick one up.

I was looking at Costco as well, because I heard about those crazy in-store prices late last year. I was told that they no longer carried them in-store (at least in Southern California), so I'm pretty sure those prices were just to clear excess inventory, and likely won't be seen again. Their online price is still better than most places at $1199. Home Depot is the only other retailer I know of which sells QuickJack at that price, and I ended up buying from them because they offered $100 off if you opened a credit account with them.

[krhodes1]

I just ordered a BL-5000SLX to use with my 128i and GTI. I ended up ordering it from Pelican Parts instead of Home Depot, because no sales tax at PP, and quicker shipping. And they include 3qts of hydraulic fluid. Ended up a little cheaper than HD, and about a week faster to get here if the shipping estimate is to be believed.

I tried to wait and see if Costco had a Black Friday special, but I have stuff to do so didn't want to wait. At the moment Costco is $49 MORE than PP, $100 more than HD, plus sales tax, and I'd have to buy a membership that I would rarely use - closest one is 60 miles from me.