Hi Bimmer5project,
OK I'm a bit lost here, if the front wheels are on the ramps why do you need to raise the rear wheels?
After my 530i is driven up onto my Rhino Ramps I have more than enough room to get under the car and remove the oil pan drain plug.
I slide in under the car from the front inward between the ramps.
The side of the car by a ramp is still to low to roll under from the side.
But I'm a big guy and I have plenty of room.
I could even do my water pump and thermostat if I had too.

I'm really sorry to hear of your mishap...You can always be happy that it did not end worse! Your alive! The rest can be repaired.

Regards,
Bud
PS. I'm just sorry that you did not have a video camera setup, painful to watch now but probably win you $1000,000.00 on America's Funniest Video's

 

The idea of raising the rear end also is to have the car "level" to drain out the oil. That's the standard procedure and may or may not be necessary to get the most oil out. Some car are more sensitive to this than others.

 

My solution: back the rear wheels onto the ramps, set the e-brake, then jack up the front end. Solved.

 

My next house needs one of these:

 

Oh come on, I took it to stevencreek bmw, my local dealer. Normally it cost $89.99, but sometimes the have a special and such. Cost $85 out the door the last time with a wash job. Yeah I know, it is a half ass wash, but still looks cleaner than before I brought it in. I used to do the oil change myself. 6 qt synthetic Mobil $48+tax+ $15 oil filter+ have to disposal the old oil is not = time you can to take a little break. And the car won't accidentally roll or jump off the jack or rams on you.

 

I'm not really arguing with you, it really isn't about the money....if you really really want to do your own oil...

Get the 5 quart jug at Walmart for $25 ($35 for 7 quarts) and a filter from your local BMW dealer that does gives a discount for online ordering $12 for a total of $47.

 

Yes I know, I used to do my own oil change too. But with the price and time to get all the parts, i don't save much. If it is like $150 for the service like years ago at the dealer, then I would do it myself.
And if it is $5/qt, then it is not synthetic. I'd preferred to run synthetic on my car

 

Walmart sells 5 quart jug of Mobil 1 0W-40 for $25-ish. Single quarts are not a deal over the local auto parts store, but 5 quart jugs are.

 

[For me] it's not just about saving few dollars. While changing oil, I inspect the underside of the engine bay for leaks or impending problems such as oil leaks, coolant leaks, tears in the boots for all the ball joints and sway bar links, etc.

Some techs are careless and don't care [about my car as much as I do]. Hence, I try to do all the repairs/preventive maintenance as much as possible. When I can't, I buy all the necessary parts and take the parts and the car to couple of mechanics I know.

At the end of the day, I fix my car the way I want to, save some dollars, learn new things ...

 

exactly.
while going to the dealer is better than a quicky lube, i've even seen bmw techs not bother to put back the splash panel for the filter.
i've seen quick lube places strip pan bolts, and even forget to put oil back in.
and the free car wash the guy above mentioned....enjoy your swirl marks