Viraj's Weblog

Post details: BMW Tire

12/15/05

01:50:13 am, Categories: Car, 232 words

BMW Tire

I went out to dinner with some friends and we decided to change a low tire on a BMW 325. Sounds simple right? Well first of all they have this wierd contraption to jack the car and alter the space-time continuum. Once that was figured out, we lifted the car and took all the bolts out, but the wheel would not budge. After a ring to BMW, they said to kick it a few times. We threw some really hard kicks at it but still no budge.

Then we took the emergency brake off. Not a good idea. The car fell off the jack and the wheel came off due to the pressure. Luckily the wheel stayed on and the axle didn't hit the ground. We raised it again and put the new tire back one. Afterwards, the towing service came by and explained how to change a BMW tire. He said to first loosen the lugnuts a bit while the car is on the ground, then drive and slam the breaks a few times. This loosens the wheel. After that, jack the car up and take out the wheel. Hmm, who could possibly figure this out? The manual says nothing about it.

Just some advice on how to change a tire on your ultimate driving machine. But if you're driving one you may as well call for service than do it yourself.

34 comments

Comments, Pingbacks:

Comment from: Mahesh Neelakanta [Visitor]

haha, that's what you get for driving a Japanese SUV for too long. Don't go knocking Fine German Engineering.

12/19/05 @ 20:02

Comment from: boris [Visitor]

thanks i try same thing on my 733 but it did not work i guess i will try to drive it tommorow hope it will work cause cant get my back tires off

01/11/06 @ 01:44

Comment from: Visitor [Visitor]

When you put wheels on the car, put a little anti-seize compound on the hub centering flange. Once I started doing this, removal of wheels from my BMW became as easy as a car with studs.

03/30/07 @ 11:43

Comment from: David [Visitor]

Found your post after i couldn't get the tire off - jamming the brakes worked like a charm but what a pain in the neck.

05/24/07 @ 02:21

Comment from: Jay [Visitor]

I was very frustrated that I couldn't remove the tire from my mom's 1992 325i. Before calling a tow truck I tried to get information from the web. Because the tire wasn't flat (had a nail in it) I was able to try your advice and it worked great. Thank you for the post. But what do you do if the tire is totally flat...

11/06/07 @ 14:44

Comment from: marc [Visitor]

Thank you so much - it doesn't say anything about this in the manual. Many hours of sweating and swearing today;)

12/03/07 @ 08:40

Comment from: Adams [Visitor]

I am sooo angry, my husband and I were teaching our 16 year old how to change a tire. NO LUCK! My tire is completely flat (thanks to the 16 year old) After spending about 45 minutes in the freezing cold trying to figure this out we came home. I decided to go on the web to see if others were having the same problem and lo and behold here I am. My car is still in the school parking lot with a flat tire. I'll let you know what happens tomorrow when we go back to change this !S(!! tire.

02/28/08 @ 18:10

Comment from: Brent [Visitor]

My friend had an old BMW and believe me I know what your saying..if it needs new parts, or needs something done you need a specialist for it..one of the downsides of such a great make. Now he said he would rather play a virtual BMW and just talk about it via http://www.characterplanet.com . I guess to each his own.

03/01/08 @ 07:31

Comment from: Brent [Visitor] · http://www.characterplanet.com

03/01/08 @ 07:31

Comment from: rob [Visitor]

dude you saved me with this information, I was stuck on the NJ turnpike and the road side service couldn't get the tire off, thank god for the iPhone I googled remove BMW tire removalcame across your information and it worked like a charm, I can't even express how much I appreciate the iPhone and your blog.
Rob

03/07/08 @ 16:22

Comment from: greg [Visitor]

A co-worker was stuck on the side of the road with a flat, car jacked up and couldn't get the tire off. I am not familar with bimmers but he is my relief at the end of the shift, need I say more...

06/02/08 @ 19:15

Comment from: Joel [Visitor]

I just purchased a 1997 BMW 540I and have loved it until I had to change the tire. I used every tool in my garage to crack the bolts and NUTHIN. I weigh just under 300 lbs and I was standing and jumping on the tire iron and couldn't move anything. It was locked in TIGHT.

So I wobbled it a block down the road and had Big O tire try and loosen it. They went through four different air impact tools and nothing could budge it either. Finally they pulled out a breaker bar the length of a yard stick and managed to crack the grip. After that it was a piece of cake but if I hadn't read this post I would STILL be sweating it out!

10/15/08 @ 18:32

Comment from: Winnie [Visitor]

I attempted to change my flat but couldn't get the tire off so I called Alberta Motor Association. I watched the road side assistant guy do the job on my 2001 BMW 530. After removing all the lugnuts, he took a giant mallet/sledgehammer and hacked super hard all around the tire till it popped off. He said the end of the mallet is filled partially with sand so that it has enough momentum when you use it. I guess if you own a BMW that is something you should own if you ever plan on changing your own tires!

01/12/09 @ 18:52

Comment from: siva [Visitor]

Awesome!!! Your idea works..

01/22/09 @ 15:38

Comment from: Eh [Visitor]

Heh, interesting article. I once had the very same problem on Chrysler/Dodge Intrepid. So I guess it's not just BMW.

BTW, re Joel's comment. In his case, the problem actually had nothing to do with BMW as such. It was some idiot who used compressor tools to tighten the bolts when the tires were changed last time. In some shops they do that to save few seconds of time. It's dangerous as it may damage the threads or in extreme cases cause bolts to fail. And of course, good luck changing the tire when you are stuck in the middle of nowhere (even road side assistance might not be able to help). I always make sure that they tighten the bolts by hand using torque wrench. That's the only proper way to tighten the bolts.

01/22/09 @ 19:43

Comment from: Carlo [Visitor]

This info is far from useless. I was having the exact same problem on my 87 325. The tip worked excellent. Thanks for the info!

02/01/09 @ 13:05

Comment from: Ohms [Visitor]

This info rocks! I was stuck until I tried this.

02/27/09 @ 17:31

Comment from: LC [Visitor]

Just gave a bud this advice. Will see if it works, thanks in advance if it checks out. This is the only site I found with any relevant info. Thanks

04/13/09 @ 23:35

Comment from: sim [Visitor]

Thanks for the help. I had to get on the way to the airport and had a flat tire. Did everthing possible to remove the tire and gave up. Last checked this site, driving and slamming the brake a couple of times worked for me. Thanks.

06/10/09 @ 13:47

Comment from: Rich [Visitor]

Thanks for this info! Went to change a tire on my E46 and couldn't get it off. LMAO at the comment you made on the "space jack".

I loosened the bolts a bit and did the brake jam like you said. When I jacked it back up, I could tell the wheel was a bit looser, but still wouldn't come off. My solution:

Sit on your ass facing the wheel. Put one foot at 1 O'Clock and the other at 7 on the wheel. Alternate kicking the wheel back-and-forth that way. You don't have to kick really hard , just kick back-and-forth and it will start to loosen-up fine.

Thanks again!

06/17/09 @ 22:55

Comment from: John From Galifornia [Visitor]

this site saved my a#$ Thank you. I did a little different technique. Since I was parked next to a wall. I turned my back on my car and repeatedly kicked the tire using a back kicking motion. it worked on two or three blows. i was pissed so i was able to get my frustrations out.

thank you again.
useless information I think not.

09/09/09 @ 19:58

Comment from: Josh [Visitor]

Thanks so much for the tips. I thought I was doing something wrong when I turned to the net and found this lifesaver. Unfortunately, my tyre was completely flat so driving on it wasn't an option. However I gave it a few good kicks and then wound down the jack and the tyre popped off. Awesome!

11/12/09 @ 05:21

Comment from: Glen [Visitor]

Thanks for the tip. my son just called and was helping a stranded motorist that could not get the tire off. i told him to kick it but no go. i googled how to change a tire on BMWs and told him to try your trick. it worked and the guy is on his way. good thing too cause its only 20 degrees outside! thanks again!

11/12/09 @ 23:31

Comment from: Tall Dude in Chicago [Visitor]

Wow! It actually worked! I put on four snow tires this evening, and was skeptical of the trick...but it works! Instead of having to whack the $#!+ out of the wheels, I followed the advice here: I loosened the lugs on all four wheels about 3/4 of a turn, and then accelerated and slammed on the brakes about three times (my neighbor now thinks I'm nuts). Once I jacked up the car, three of the wheels came off with no persuasion required, and the fourth required only minor whacking with a rubber mallet. Thanks!

12/01/09 @ 20:33

Comment from: Chevy body parts [Visitor] · http://www.iautobodyparts.com/dodge/

The Chevy body parts never did give names to their cars, instead consistently using

letters and numbers to designate the coupes, sedans and the SUVs. With the Chevy

body parts Q45 being the flagship sedan, the Chevy body parts found its place in the

American market.The Chevy body parts never did give names to their cars,instead

consistently using letters and numbers to designate the coupes, sedans and the SUVs.

Thanks

Chevy body parts

http://www.iautobodyparts.com/ Chevy body parts/

12/31/09 @ 00:56

Comment from: rfoco [Visitor]

Thanks for your help. It worked like a Champ!

01/02/10 @ 10:57

Comment from: Frozen in MN [Visitor]

Awesome, thanks for the post. Was second site I found, so gave it a go. Finger tight on the nuts, given snow and ice, did it twice, and then the kicks finally worked.

can not remove 330xi tire wheel
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cannot remove 330xi tire wheel
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Oh, and in case you come back from the airport and your gas cap lock mechanism is frozen shut, 32 oz of hot water from the gas station store sink did the trick. Clerk said a guy tried a lighter. Seriously?

What next my BMW friendly nemesis of late?

02/15/10 @ 23:26

Comment from: Ray [Visitor]

Well my daughter called and has a flat tire. I drove to her location but couldn't get the flippin' tire off. Man I kicked it quite a few times to no avail. Tmarrow, i'll go back and try a sledge hammer and block of wood (since the tire is flat. If that doesnt work, i'll give your tip a try!

Thanks for the info. I was going crazy, thinking I was missing something!!

03/05/10 @ 19:52

Comment from: Matt [Visitor]

So kicking worked like a charm, those years of soccer finally paid off.

03/10/10 @ 16:52

Comment from: Google keyword tool [Visitor] · http://hubpages.com/hub/Google-Keyword-Tool-For-Search-Engine-Optimization-SEO-Research-Mistakes-Bes

Great info, also very well organized.

09/08/10 @ 19:57

Comment from: tyre equipment [Visitor] · http://www.tyrebaydirect.com

hhhhh ,it was not in the manual !!!
that's what we were taught from the begennig and not trying to deal whith the situation-problem.it was funny.

10/01/10 @ 17:03

Comment from: bmw parts wholesale [Visitor] · http://www.carpartswholesale.com/cpw/bmw-car-parts.html

ha ha. it's alright. the best way is that you experienced lifting your car. LOL. do your car weighs heavy? guess you're really have bad luck by that time.

10/08/10 @ 21:47

Comment from: Luigi Fulk [Visitor] · http://hubpages.com/hub/How-Long-Does-It-Take-To-Pass-A-Kidney-Stone

Interesting post and like it.keep update and more on.
what we were taught from the begennig and not trying to deal

11/13/10 @ 02:34

Comment from: David [Visitor]

This explains a lot. My first time to the website and feeling better now. We are in the middle of a blizzard on East coast and my tire went flat tonight. I could not get the tire off the car, 3 other people stopped to help, (all BMW owners) and we could not get the tire off. If I can find the buggy tomorrow I will give it a try. Thank you

12/26/10 @ 17:19

Post details: BMW Tire

12/15/05

BMW Tire

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