[Schantin]

UPDATE 3/18/2023: To see pics and instructions for using a central jack point on the G20 BMW 330i...... reference my post with pics on the 2nd page of this thread. It's easier to raise the front than the method I describe here. Lifting the back is exactly the same regardless.

I've seen quite a few Qs on the topic, but no real info on HOW to properly lift a G20 BMW off the ground using jacks and jack stands. So, I took a few pics when I did a tire rotation today.

What you'll need:

1x low profile jack (two would be letter, but one will suffice.) I was using a crappy Harbor Freight Daytona 3 ton. It's perfect for the job and narrow enough to fit between RennStands.

2x regular jack stands. I used Craftsman 3-ton stands. These go on the REAR jack points.

2x RennStands. These will be used on the FRONT jack points.

1x small piece of 2x4 (about 1-foot long) and small blocks of wood to place into the BMW jack-pads.




1. Place a low profile jack under the rear differential. The 2x4 prevents marring the surface of the rear diff. Note that I am NOT lifting from the rear diff cooling fin cover at the back of the differential. My weapon of choice was a Harbor Freight Daytona jack.


2. Place the rear jack stands under the 2x jack points. The wood blocks prevent "crushing" the jack points, which are plastic and are hollow in the middle.






3. Next is the front. If you only have 1x jack, then you have to do each side individually. I did the rear before the front to ensure I could fit the jack and 2x4 under the rear bumper and it's just easier levelling / balancing the car by lifting the rear first. The RennStands are used in the front. They make a BMW specific jackpad..... but it wasn't available when I ordered mine, so I used another couple blocks of wood to prevent crushing the plastic jack point and a "universal" jackpad that came with each RennStand. This pic is after jacking up the passenger side and securing the RennStand jack stand pins.


One point of note is that when jacking up the front one side at a time, the car will be sitting unbalanced on the rear jack stands. It looks "bad", but the car was still quite stable, even before placing the final RennStand on the driver side.


4. Final RennStand in place. The car is now fully on 4x jack stands without using a jack as one of the lift points.




Taking the car off the stands is the opposite of placing them on. Remove one front jack, then the other. Finish by lifting the rear of the car by the differential as described before to remove the jack stands before lowering the car back to the ground.

Bonus pic:
For those that wonder how the "weighted" BMW logo in the center of each wheel works....... here's a pic after removing the rim.


Anyhow, hope this is of some help. It's a total PITA to get the car raised, but it's definitely possible. In the future I might buy a second jack and see if I can lift both sides of the front simultaneously. I might also look into fabricating metal blocks to replace the wood ones that I made to lift the car today.

[M2C AEH]

The floating caps 😍

[a.summers86]

You can buy the proper rubber jack point adapters. I got 4 from ebay for under £10. Easier than making your own and avoids damaging the jack points.

[Opie55]

Do your cars not have a front central jacking point? I thought all cars did. On some BMWs it is a hard rubber block that is very visible. On others it is just a reinforced part of the frame under the aluminum belly pan, but will have some sort of stamping so you know where it is. Then you can just use four regular jack stands. And lift the front first when using the central jacking points. A couple other suggestions. First, using a chunk of 2x4 under the diff is sketchy. It can slip and/or crack in half. What I do is go to a hardware store or Harbor Freight and buy a round, thick cloth polishing pad that goes on a small bench grinder to polish things in place of the grinding wheel and attach it with two-sided tape permanently to the round jack pad. They come in exactly that size. Second, your idea of wood blocks on the side jacking points is good, but yours are too thin and look like too soft of wood. Make them so they stand proud a quarter inch or so and use a harder species. I'm a woodworker so I made a bunch out of cherry because I had it, but maple, ash or hickory would be better. Oak is ok too. If the jack stand is contacting the jacking point it will roll the edges and you'll have to correct that for the aftermarket jack pads to fit.

[Schantin]

Originally Posted by a.summers86

You can buy the proper rubber jack point adapters. I got 4 from ebay for under £10. Easier than making your own and avoids damaging the jack points.

Appreciate the info. I found similar on Amazon after reading your post for $40. The wood blocks worked, but actual rubber pads definitely look better.

[Schantin]

Originally Posted by Opie55

Do your cars not have a front central jacking point? I thought all cars did. On some BMWs it is a hard rubber block that is very visible. On others it is just a reinforced part of the frame under the aluminum belly pan, but will have some sort of stamping so you know where it is. Then you can just use four regular jack stands. And lift the front first when using the central jacking points. A couple other suggestions. First, using a chunk of 2x4 under the diff is sketchy. It can slip and/or crack in half. What I do is go to a hardware store or Harbor Freight and buy a round, thick cloth polishing pad that goes on a small bench grinder to polish things in place of the grinding wheel and attach it with two-sided tape permanently to the round jack pad. They come in exactly that size. Second, your idea of wood blocks on the side jacking points is good, but yours are too thin and look like too soft of wood. Make them so they stand proud a quarter inch or so and use a harder species. I'm a woodworker so I made a bunch out of cherry because I had it, but maple, ash or hickory would be better. Oak is ok too. If the jack stand is contacting the jacking point it will roll the edges and you'll have to correct that for the aftermarket jack pads to fit.

There is no center jack point on the G20 BMW. The front subframe is aluminum and is not reinforced. I'm sure BMW made it this way to discourage home maintenance. This is the reason people are always asking how to put one of these cars on jack stands. If there was a front center jack point, it would be as you described.

The side jackpads I made are small and won't have a long shelf life. I found some rubber ones on Amazon today for a permanent solution. BTW, if I made bigger wooden pads, I would not be able to fit the jack + Rennstand under the car. As for the block of wood on the rear diff, to each his own. I've used this method for decades on multiple cars without drama. It's all about placing the jack / wood properly.

[Opie55]

My front subframe is all aluminum as well, so that's not determinative. Is there an official source saying there is none?

[Opie55]

Even though I don't own one, I was skeptical enough of what is being said on the forums and curious enough to look at BMWs official repair instructions. The front central jacking point on your car is in the same place as on every other BMW.

[Schantin]

Originally Posted by Opie55

My front subframe is all aluminum as well, so that's not determinative. Is there an official source saying there is none?

The material of construction isn't the issue. The point is that the subframe is hollow and not reinforced with a jack point.

Originally Posted by Opie55

Even though I don't own one, I was skeptical enough of what is being said on the forums and curious enough to look at BMWs official repair instructions. The front central jacking point on your car is in the same place as on every other BMW.

Please provide a link with this information, as you are the 1st person on this forum stating that these new G20 BMWs have a front center jack point.

[Opie55]

I will send it later today. There is nothing remarkable or distinctive about the frame at that location, at least on my car - it's just where everything comes together. And it's under the aluminum belly pan/stiffening plate. The marks on the belly pan on my car could be much more distinct than they are. But by the looks of the BMW instruction photos, your car is like many newer models where there are markings in the form of three stamped arcs or partial circles in the belly pan outlining a circle roughly the size of the pad on the floor jack. If you draw an imaginary line between your two front wheel centers, it is maybe 2 or 3 inches rearward of that. You can see how easily things become "known" on forums - somebody looked under there and saw a smooth aluminum pan and no obvious jacking point, figured it was unwise to put a jack on a smooth aluminum sheet, declared the car had no jacking point, and that got repeated. I jack my 650i XDrive convertible up all the time on that smooth aluminum sheet, and it weighs a considerable amount more than a G20.

[pdxdbo]

FWIW those rubber jack pads turn to crap pretty quickly, I got a billet replacement off of Amazon that's much better.

[Schantin]

Originally Posted by Opie55

I will send it later today. There is nothing remarkable or distinctive about the frame at that location, at least on my car - it's just where everything comes together. And it's under the aluminum belly pan/stiffening plate. The marks on the belly pan on my car could be much more distinct than they are. But by the looks of the BMW instruction photos, your car is like many newer models where there are markings in the form of three stamped arcs or partial circles in the belly pan outlining a circle roughly the size of the pad on the floor jack. If you draw an imaginary line between your two front wheel centers, it is maybe 2 or 3 inches forward of that. You can see how easily things become "known" on forums - somebody looked under there and saw a smooth aluminum pan and no obvious jacking point, figured it was unwise to put a jack on a smooth aluminum sheet, declared the car had no jacking point, and that got repeated. I jack my 650i XDrive convertible up all the time on that smooth aluminum sheet, and it weighs a considerable amount more than a G20.

I'll be waiting to see. I've been under the front of my 2022 330i 4x now when it's up on ramps (oil changes) and there is no marked center jack point. There are 3x composite aero panels that smooth out the belly pan and cover the front subframe and steering rack. Might find something if I remove the 20+ 10mm bolts holding them in, but not even the owners manual eludes to there being a center jack point underneath.

I would be delighted to find out that there is a way to lift the car safely from the front center subframe. Would definitely save me time and effort. Thus far, I have not found info supporting this on any internet forum / video / maintenance manual / etc, to include this forum. F-model and older 3-series BMWs (2018 and prior) have a center jack point. The G model 3-series from 2019 to present ....... that's another story. Claiming this is ok because that's how you lift a 2015 BMW 650i is irrelevant.

[Opie55]

Originally Posted by Schantin

I'll be waiting to see. I've been under the front of my 2022 330i 4x now when it's up on ramps (oil changes) and there is no marked center jack point. There are 3x composite aero panels that smooth out the belly pan and cover the front subframe and steering rack. Might find something if I remove the 20+ 10mm bolts holding them in, but not even the owners manual eludes to there being a center jack point underneath.

I would be delighted to find out that there is a way to lift the car safely from the front center subframe. Would definitely save me time and effort. Thus far, I have not found info supporting this on any internet forum / video / maintenance manual / etc, to include this forum. F-model and older 3-series BMWs (2018 and prior) have a center jack point. The G model 3-series from 2019 to present ....... that's another story. Claiming this is ok because that's how you lift a 2015 BMW 650i is irrelevant.

Just about to send it - and to correct what I said above, based on the pics the mark are a couple inches behind the wheel centerline, not in front of it.

[Opie55]

I have included 3 pictures. I cannot link it because it is not a free service. First is to show it is from BMW's official NewTIS instructions and is for the G20. Second is the text about the central jacking point. Third is a closeup of the picture so you can see the little arcs that outline the area. Keep in mind that sometimes BMW uses a photo or illustration from a slightly different model, but the instructions are always valid.

[Opie55]

Originally Posted by Schantin

I'll be waiting to see. I've been under the front of my 2022 330i 4x now when it's up on ramps (oil changes) and there is no marked center jack point. There are 3x composite aero panels that smooth out the belly pan and cover the front subframe and steering rack. Might find something if I remove the 20+ 10mm bolts holding them in, but not even the owners manual eludes to there being a center jack point underneath.

I would be delighted to find out that there is a way to lift the car safely from the front center subframe. Would definitely save me time and effort. Thus far, I have not found info supporting this on any internet forum / video / maintenance manual / etc, to include this forum. F-model and older 3-series BMWs (2018 and prior) have a center jack point. The G model 3-series from 2019 to present ....... that's another story. Claiming this is ok because that's how you lift a 2015 BMW 650i is irrelevant.

It will be interesting to learn that BMW's manual is totally wrong on this score. Are you saying that you have no aluminum belly pan, only composite shields all the way back? My X3 is like that, and there is a hole where a blocky central jacking point sticks out. Whereas my 650 has composite shields near the front, but exposed aluminum between the wheels that doubles as a stiffening plate. And I'll add that I don't think any owner's manual mentions central jacking points. Probably made lawyers too nervous. But my owner's manuals don't even say how much oil the car takes.

[MattEcho]

Thanks for the info Opie55. I'll have to take a look next time I'm under the car. If mine looks the same, this will save me a ton of time in the future.

[Opie55]

So I looked further and just picked a job that would require removal of that stuff. So I picked replacing the front differential. This is the step to remove one underbody section, but see how the Number 1 in the white circle is right in the middle of the four arcs marking the jacking point in my picture above.

[Schantin]

Originally Posted by Opie55

It will be interesting to learn that BMW's manual is totally wrong on this score. Are you saying that you have no aluminum belly pan, only composite shields all the way back? My X3 is like that, and there is a hole where a blocky central jacking point sticks out. Whereas my 650 has composite shields near the front, but exposed aluminum between the wheels that doubles as a stiffening plate. And I'll add that I don't think any owner's manual mentions central jacking points. Probably made lawyers too nervous. But my owner's manuals don't even say how much oil the car takes.

My man, that is some good info you have provided. The point noted in the diagrams is underneath the middle composite panel at the front of the car; so no, it is neither obvious nor visibly marked.

Knowing that the car can be raised just to the driver side and forward of the oil pan drain opening is a great piece of info and will definitely be of use to several on this forum in the future and would be "sticky" worthy.

[Opie55]

Just to close the loop, for those of you with RWD cars, here are the central jacking photos. Looks a bit different.

[pdxdbo]

Excellent sluething Opie!

[repz]

Originally Posted by Schantin

What you'll need:

1x low profile jack (two would be letter, but one will suffice.) I was using a crappy Harbor Freight Daytona 3 ton. It's perfect for the job and narrow enough to fit between RennStands.

Does this mean that a regular jack is too high and that a low profile one is recommended ?

[Opie55]

Originally Posted by repz

Does this mean that a regular jack is too high and that a low profile one is recommended ?

Generally, yes.