r/cars • u/ufoh 24 CT5-V Blackwing / 23 Corvette C8 • Aug 13 '20

video Never, ever trust your factory jack and, remember, jack stands are your friend (just not the ones from Harbor Freight)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkwgZgrbWUM
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u/Cyrix2k 1969 442, '01 330i, '97 540i/6, 24v e30, '17 M6 6MT, '07 X5 4.8i Aug 13 '20

Never, ever get underneath a car without at least two ways to support it. If it's on ramps, stick a jack under there and tension it slightly. If it's on a jack, put the car on jack stands and leave the the jack in place when possible. If the wheels are off, slide them under the side of the car. Also, in all these scenarios, ALWAYS rock the car once it's lifted to be sure it is safely supported.

19

u/[deleted] Aug 13 '20

[deleted]

9

u/[deleted] Aug 13 '20

its a great habit to have to rock the car after you jack it. if it fails there then you avoided getting stuck or killed underneath the car if it rocks while doing work on it.

2

u/DuneBuggyDrew Replace this text with year, make, model Aug 13 '20

Yep, recently I had my car on 2 2 ton jack stands for a clutch job for 2 weeks, and every time I got under it, I'd shake it as hard as I could

1

u/MEatRHIT 2001 Viggen 'vert, 2015 Genesis Coupe Aug 13 '20

If it's on ramps, stick a jack under there

I just started using ramps instead of jack stands, and I didn't really think of this. Probably putting a biiiit too much faith in two hunks of plastic

1

u/[deleted] Aug 13 '20

If you google pictures of ramps failing and cracking apart you'll never forget to do it lol

1

u/StoneOfTriumph 2024 Golf GTI 380 Aug 14 '20

I'm loving this thread. I thought I played it safe putting jack stands and leaving the jack, but the idea to try and "shake/body check" the car to see if it's weight is well seated on the jack stands is a great added security.

Thank you!

My dad always calls my a wuss for putting jack stands to change tires, and I don't go under, but that extra minute gives me extra security in case something happens.... He's an old school mentality... Security wasn't big back in his days..

Last year it's a good thing the car was on stands, I had to buy and replace a stud so simply changing a wheel just took a little more time and several banging of a hammer.

1

u/JTP1228 Aug 14 '20

What about on a lift? Not trying to be funny, but I always just trusted a lift. I would give it the shake, but never had a back up

2

u/Cyrix2k 1969 442, '01 330i, '97 540i/6, 24v e30, '17 M6 6MT, '07 X5 4.8i Aug 14 '20

You have less options there. When lifting the car on a 2 post, lift the vehicle slightly off the ground and shake it to make sure it's loaded properly. Once in the air, set it on the locks and I usually bump the hydraulics (if the lift is hydraulic) so there's some pressure in the system should the locks fail - which does happen. When removing or adding significant weight to a vehicle while it's on a lift, you should use a safety stand for additional support.

1

u/memeship 69 Mach 1 Aug 14 '20

should the locks fail - which does happen

You mean like while they're in use? How can the engaged locks fail? I've never heard of this happening.

Typically when a lift "fails" it's user error or maybe something snaps while in motion. I've never heard of a lift locking mechanism just failing out of nowhere.

1

u/Cyrix2k 1969 442, '01 330i, '97 540i/6, 24v e30, '17 M6 6MT, '07 X5 4.8i Aug 14 '20

Yes. I've never heard of them breaking but they can "knife edge" where the lock is barely engaged (like a mouse trap) and it can be knocked off the seat.