Car Jack & Axle Stands

[markjp]

I seen elsewhere that it is not recommended to use the standard car jack.

What alternatives would anybody recommend.

I want to swap my wheels front to back & I have a pair of axle stands.

Can you use the jacking point to lift the car and place an axle stand at the jacking point at the same time? i.e is there enough room?

Never jacked my Roc up so a bit clueless as to the best option

[uklee]

I've got a 'low profile' alloy trolley jack - its wasn't cheap - but it's a great piece of kit and especially useful on a car that has been lowered .
It's a bit like this one - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Arcan-Racing- ... 43b8bdbc85

At the front use the trolley jack on the front jacking points , and put the axle stands on the subframe bush mounting .

IMG_2758small.JPG

At the rear , you can jack both sides up at the same time - use the trolley jack in the centre of the rear subframe to lift the car , then put the axles stands under the jacking points at both sides.

IMG 1.JPG

I've found that this method of jacking and supporting the car is safe , quick and causes no damage.

The low profile jack is a great piece of kit , conventional trolley jacks are a bit of a struggle under a standard scirocco - and you can forget it , if you've lowered the suspension.
There are dozens of types ( and prices ) on ebay . Ones with a rubber lifting pad are good for non-slip / non-damage . Alloy bodied ones are more expensive , and are way lighter and far easier to move around - but the low profile steel ones do the job just fine.

Lee

[Cuprabob]

In case anybody is looking for one, Costco regularly have Arcan trolley jacks for a very good price, if you or a mate are members.

[selleym]

Hi uk lee does yours have a rubber pad on it? My biggest fear is the trolley jack slipping and doing some nasty damage!

[markjp]

Uklee, thanks for your post, very informative as usual

Can't justify spending £170 on a trolley jack, although I can see its a quality piece of kit.

I am like to only use a trolley jack 2-3 times a year to clean and swap round wheels.

Halfords do a low profile jack for £40, would that suffice for my needs?

[uklee]

Selleym Yes , my jack has a rubber pad in it -it's only about 4mm thick but is enough to help with grip.
To be fair , you could achieve the same thing by cutting out some rubber car mat , and sticking it to your jack pad with evo-stick - cheap , but effective !

markjp You really dont need to spend big money on a low profile alloy jack - it's just what i use . As Cuprabob has pointed out , Costco sell the same jack for £115 inc vat.

If you can get your existing trolley jack under the jacking points at the front and in the centre of the cross member at the rear , then you don't need to spend anything ! . Just use your existing jack , and place the axle stands where i've indicated. I use the cross member at the rear because it gets both rear wheels off the ground at the same time , and if you jack at the rear jacking points , then there's nowhere really suitable to put axle stands.

It's not shown in the pictures , but i also actually use a rubber ice hockey puck , with a slot cut into it. This fits the rocco jacking points like a glove and further reduces the potential for slippage / damage to the under seal / paint. My old trolley jack was a beast of a thing (ex-landrover workshop) and weighed a tonne. It wouldn't even go under the jacking points when the car was at standard ride height ! . I'm sure the halfords one would work just fine for your needs , and if you're at all concerned about damage - then like i said , i bit of old rubber mat or a hockey puck are great for adding a bit of extra protection and grip.

There is also another option - permanently installed jacking pads . Take a look at this great article on roccopedia http://www.sciroccocentral.co.uk/roccop ... _Jack_Pads . I intend to keep my rocco for a bloody long time , and like you i'll be swapping around wheels and fiddling about without throughout the years - this mod makes sense , and uses all factory parts which i like the sound of even better . I'm seriously considering this as my 'next-up' modification

Lee

[andyy]

SGS engineering sell pretty well made bits of kit for a reasonable price

[markovic87]

What sequence do you jack up the car first when using all four stands? Is it rear first then front or vice-versa?

Cheers

Nick

[CleanDiesel]

I can second SGS engineering. I have a jack and stands from them and they're solid and well made. Unless you hve an easy route to drag your Jack from storage to your car definitely go for an aluminium one, the full steel ones weigh an absolute effing tonne.

Make sure to put cardboard strips in your stands to prevent scraping off the underseal and you can use cardboard in your Jack cup as an alternative to rubber. It works well.

[yellowplum]

Costco dropped the price of the Jack, also you can buy it on the website if you are a non member, you just have to pay a 5% premium.

http://www.costco.co.uk/view/p/arcan-20 ... 0eu-900930" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[dimexi]

So glad I stumbled on this thread. Fantastic detail by UKLEE as usual! I'll be changing my brakes and pads soon, so I was curious about use of axle stands and jacking points.

I did the small mod of fitting the jack pads to my car in preparation. Just a few points... I didn't have a 26/27mm socket, so I improvised with what I had. You just need a a socket long enough to fit into the centre of the rubber buffer and push it in with the jack.
I didn't have a block of wood to offer up the jack pads, so I taped pieces of cardboard together till it was stiff enough. That did the job.

Also, those torx 25 screws holding on the front access cover were a bitch to get off without having the car on jacks or a ramp. And my screwdrivers were all too long. So I stuck a T25 on an Allen key like so


And finally, the parts don't cos £40 anymore, they're up to £60.....