# Changing a wheel.

If you get a flat tire, keep a firm grip on the steering wheel and avoid sudden movements. Do not hit the brakes hard, especially if the flat is in the front , as this can decrease stability of the vehicle. Instead, brake slowly, moving off the road as soon as safety permits.

Place vehicle in reverse gear and apply parking brake firmly.

Once a safe distance off the road, remove the spare wheel. It is located under the trunk carpet and secured by a wing nut and securing plate. Early cars have a solid securing plate that requires complete removal of the wing nut. Later versions have a slot in the securing plate so that the wing nut only needs to be loosened, and the securing plate slid out.
Lift off the black disc that acts as a support for the carpet, unscrew the wing nut and remove the securing plate.

Remove screw cap securing jack cover on left side of trunk. |
Turn jack cover upside down to reveal jack handle and lug wrench. |
Remove the two wing nuts securing the jack and wheel chock. |
Place chock under wheel on axle without the flat tire. Kick chock firmly under wheel. Do not jack car without placing a chock on at least one wheel. Place chock on downhill side of wheel if on slightly uneven ground. |
Break torque on wheel before jacking car, loosen each lug bolt approximately 1/4 of a turn.
Place jack on solid ground, under correct jacking points, see owners manual, and raise vehicle by winding jack handle.
DANGER: Do not, for any reason, place any part of your body under the vehicle while it is raised on a jack. Potential of serious injury or death exists any time the vehicle is supported by a jack.
Once wheel is clear of ground, remove lug bolts and wheel
Get centering tool from toolkit and install in one of the lug holes. |
Mount wheel over centering tool, and push on until wheel sits on hub center. |
Install lug bolts in 4 holes, remove centering pin and install 5th lug.
Tighten lugs as best as possible, and gently lower wheel to ground. Use lug wrench to tighten lug nuts to approximately 100 Nm (72 ft lbs.). This requires some force on the factory lug wrench to achieve. As tight as possible is a good rule of thumb.
When installing jack cover, ensure that the rear edge sits in the groove in the trunk trim. |

E30 M3 Repair Manual V2.7. Copyright ©1999-2001 Koala Motorsport & Brett Anderson