Hi. I know you all will say that it comes with experience, but I have yet to know where to jack a car up from. Maybe it's because I had a bad experience lifting my car with a jack, or maybe not.
My bad experience. My bad experience happened when I lifted my car with a jack, the usual floor jack, and placed the cup under the rear passengers floor (where the passengers feet go) on the part that looks like a rail. I always used a piece of hard, pressure treated 2X4 in between the cup and the car, but forgot. I lifted the car about 12 inches when I realized it wasn't getting any higher.
I dropped the car down to the ground and saw that I had bent in the floor. This happened because the edges on the cup of the jack caused irregular pressure. Not too bad, because I can bang it out with a rubber mallet.
Now on to the question.
Where is a good lifting point for any car? Many of the new cars (like a VW that I worked on yesterday) have plastic covering everything under the car. How is one supposed to know where to lift a car from?
Pass bye a shop and watch the mechanic kick the lift arms under the car and raise it. How do they choose a strong spot? Put it under and see what happens? No. Thats clearly wrong. And if it's your car, you definitely don't want to do that.
Advice please.
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I like using control arms but there are dedicated jack spots on the pinch rail. Check your owners manual, it has pics.
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I did my buddy a faver and put on his winter wheels, which we ended up taking off a day after we put them on because they were rubbing, and I was sitting there scratching my head and saying....where do I place the jack without damaging a 4 month old car .
I was using his jack, which I think may be short (Craftsman) because I couldn't reach my desired spot (the control arm bushing mount).
Time to get a light weight jack that I can transport.
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Visit my website and watch my friend run his full weight stock MKV GTI to a record 14.2 @ 96. Record time for a stock VW 2.0T FSI! LINK
On a maxima, the pinch welds, but those are only good with the scissor jack or that adaptor, or for jackstands. If you follow the engine crossmember towards the bumper cover, you will see a pyramid looking protrusion, that is for a floow jack & makes life easy. On the rear axle, there is a small circular hole near the middle of the beam, this is put there to identify exactly where to put a floorjack on the rear beam.
You can also use the rails that you did, but only at the front, and only right were the weld seam is, you can also jack up in the area of the rear of the control arm where the big bolts are. IMHO there isn't a safe spot to jack up on the control arm/suspension itself on a maxi. And jacking up the entire front or entire rear with the spots in the middle is the easiest/safest, just make sure to pull the e-brake & chock the tires before lifting so the jack will do the rolling, not the car, that makes life easier when lowering the car onto the jackstands placed under the pinch weld notches.
On a maxima, the pinch welds, but those are only good with the scissor jack or that adaptor, or for jackstands. If you follow the engine crossmember towards the bumper cover, you will see a pyramid looking protrusion, that is for a floow jack & makes life easy. On the rear axle, there is a small circular hole near the middle of the beam, this is put there to identify exactly where to put a floorjack on the rear beam.
You can also use the rails that you did, but only at the front, and only right were the weld seam is, you can also jack up in the area of the rear of the control arm where the big bolts are. IMHO there isn't a safe spot to jack up on the control arm/suspension itself on a maxi. And jacking up the entire front or entire rear with the spots in the middle is the easiest/safest, just make sure to pull the e-brake & chock the tires before lifting so the jack will do the rolling, not the car, that makes life easier when lowering the car onto the jackstands placed under the pinch weld notches.
This helps. Thanks.
I am also going to cu round pieces of wood that fit inside the cup. I have to look around for a new lighter jack and accesories.
Thanks for the answers, and keep them coming.
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Visit my website and watch my friend run his full weight stock MKV GTI to a record 14.2 @ 96. Record time for a stock VW 2.0T FSI! LINK
On a maxima, the pinch welds, but those are only good with the scissor jack or that adaptor, or for jackstands. If you follow the engine crossmember towards the bumper cover, you will see a pyramid looking protrusion, that is for a floow jack & makes life easy. On the rear axle, there is a small circular hole near the middle of the beam, this is put there to identify exactly where to put a floorjack on the rear beam.
You can also use the rails that you did, but only at the front, and only right were the weld seam is, you can also jack up in the area of the rear of the control arm where the big bolts are. IMHO there isn't a safe spot to jack up on the control arm/suspension itself on a maxi. And jacking up the entire front or entire rear with the spots in the middle is the easiest/safest, just make sure to pull the e-brake & chock the tires before lifting so the jack will do the rolling, not the car, that makes life easier when lowering the car onto the jackstands placed under the pinch weld notches.
How about if you have a RSB, how do you jack the entire rear end?
Personally, I put some padding on a fork lift and lift whatever side I need up with that, but usually the raids near welds is a safe place to jack anything up.
On a maxima, the pinch welds, but those are only good with the scissor jack or that adaptor, or for jackstands. If you follow the engine crossmember towards the bumper cover, you will see a pyramid looking protrusion, that is for a floow jack & makes life easy. On the rear axle, there is a small circular hole near the middle of the beam, this is put there to identify exactly where to put a floorjack on the rear beam.
You can also use the rails that you did, but only at the front, and only right were the weld seam is, you can also jack up in the area of the rear of the control arm where the big bolts are. IMHO there isn't a safe spot to jack up on the control arm/suspension itself on a maxi. And jacking up the entire front or entire rear with the spots in the middle is the easiest/safest, just make sure to pull the e-brake & chock the tires before lifting so the jack will do the rolling, not the car, that makes life easier when lowering the car onto the jackstands placed under the pinch weld notches.
i Lifted my Car up by the Pinch Welds near the Drivers Side door. it bent them a little bit but my shop teacher said that would effect anything. i was checking the brakes on my car. and he told me where to jack it up. ill be sure to look for the "triangle" in the front next time. that way i wont have to use the pinch welds. my teacher said i could either put it on jackstand's which i did or i could put it on the lift obviously i chose jackstands. but it worked fine.
Yeah what about the guys with RSB's. Even though they are probably strong enough to jack on lol, it bends pretty good, is the only real way to jack up on the pinch welds on eitehr side? Thats what ive been doing so far, i wish i could do i in a central place though.
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Here's the spot I use to jack the rear, instead of the beam or pinch welds. My stands are always at the pinch welds though.
For the front I just use that "nub" in the middle like everyone else.
Whats the "nub"?
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Visit my website and watch my friend run his full weight stock MKV GTI to a record 14.2 @ 96. Record time for a stock VW 2.0T FSI! LINK
Wow thanks PuppetMaster. Never knew you could jack there, or actually that they existed! Next time ill jack it up there. With the addition of the RSB, its kinda hard to jack up the rear.
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VQ30DET - Holset HE351, Tial 38MM, HKS SSQ, MEVI, 3" Turbo back, Tein Coilovers, 17" Superleggeras, Full Z32 BBK
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Visit my website and watch my friend run his full weight stock MKV GTI to a record 14.2 @ 96. Record time for a stock VW 2.0T FSI! LINK
what exactly are "ben's stand points" and is it cool to jack there?
also.. how do you jack up the car on the pinch welds without bending that piece of metal under there? it may not do any harm, but it looks horrible, and makes you look like an idiot when you're jacking up someone else's car and pieces of their car start bending...
what exactly are "ben's stand points" and is it cool to jack there?
also.. how do you jack up the car on the pinch welds without bending that piece of metal under there? it may not do any harm, but it looks horrible, and makes you look like an idiot when you're jacking up someone else's car and pieces of their car start bending...
As far as the pinch welds are concerned, I put an eight inch piece of oak flooring (hard wood flooring) between the jacks cup and the pinch welds. Being that it's hard wood it doesn't split.
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Visit my website and watch my friend run his full weight stock MKV GTI to a record 14.2 @ 96. Record time for a stock VW 2.0T FSI! LINK
also.. how do you jack up the car on the pinch welds without bending that piece of metal under there? it may not do any harm, but it looks horrible, and makes you look like an idiot when you're jacking up someone else's car and pieces of their car start bending...
...looking like an idiot...Yeah, well, somebody(s) who are SUPPOSED to KNOW what they are doing did that on my minivan and it's been done more than once and it's been in very few shops and I know for darn sure it was not me!!! I just can't prove who did it 'cause I found too long after the damage was done and it pisses me off...bigtime.
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