Glad to see that keeping the jack lightly raised and putting the wheels under the side of the car is widely accepted. My dad always taught me to do those two things and I’m sure glad he did. My buddy nearly died after a jack stand slipped and pinned him. Gotta be as careful as possible!
@@pepeclippz7921 somewhere in the area of where the jackstands are positioned in this video. It really depends what you are doing and how many jacks/jackstands you got going at the time
Or an alternative solution would be to put 2x8's stacked under each wheel (if the wheels are still on the car) I've also used those plastic car ramps and slide them under the wheels. I don't like driving up onto them though but they work great if you've jacked the car up then put under tires. I think 2x8's stacked are best though.
One extra thing I like to do is take the weight off and reposition my stands slightly once I get the vehicle where I want it; this is especially true if I'm jacking high or I'm going to have it up there a while. These stands can bind and get side loads when jacked like this. That little lift off and set down can eliminate a lot of that.
Yep! That's how it should be done. Particularly when using the regular floor jacks. which have a radial lift movement, not straight up/down. Like many scissor or bottle jacks. When lifting high in these conditions. Eyes and ears are your best friend. Observe and listen CAREFULLY! All the signs are there to be seen or heard! Don't be lazy, get down on your knees and look at what you're doing, correct as needed! Been lifting cars for almost 40 years with all sorts of lifting equipment, thankfully never had a single failure. Laying under a car is uncomfortable, don't make it dangerous as well! Take your time, so it don't take your life! ;-)
Justin Lynch....Thanks for sharing your valuable tip with RUclipsrs. It will certainly help others from being the unfortunate victims of jack and jack stand accidents. .
While I already know how to put my car on all 4 stands, I still watch all your videos Incase I learn something new. Great content Charles, keep it up brother!
I am surprised you didn’t mention after setting the first pair of stands, you need to keep an eye on these while jacking the other side, the car can pull on the stands and pull them over if you are not being careful especially if the jack can’t roll and shift while jacking the car. 👍
This is why I watched this video, every time I do this the first two Jack stands end up all kinds of crooked and I was trying to see how to avoid it. Seems like it may be time for a new jack that can roll easier 🤣
This is probably the best video explaining how to lift a car on 4 jack stands, and I've seen many. Having said that, I've made the decision that if the job involves lifting the car completely (front and rear), I'd take the car to the mechanic. It's not worth it.
Yep. I don't trust my made in China jackstands, even though they're rated for 3 tons each. Good for taking off the wheels at the same time but no way I would go under there.
Yeah same. I just purchased an adjustable front sway bar and some other small front suspension parts for my MK5 GTI and have been debating on whether I want to attempt the job myself or take it to a shop. It's not that I can't do the install, it's getting the car jacked up on all 4 corners and getting underneath to drop the subframe and then having to torque the new subframe hardware in once I'm done installing the sway bar. The thought of being under there for that long sketches me out plus when I have to lift the car to get all 4 corners up the car shifts when I'm jacking up the other side. It's definitely sketchy af lol. After writing this comment I think I'm just going to take it to a shop lol
I disagree. Just take the necessary precautions! I put the car on jack stands. put ramps under the wheels, put a jack under the car (I just bought a new one so now I have 2 jacks under the car). and if any wheels are taken off I slide them under the frame. Essentially, My jack stands need to fail, my jacks need to fail, the car has to somehow break the ramps and crush wheels in order to land on me. I feel really safe under the vehicle!
This is a perfect video for anyone new to working on a car. I showed this to my son on his car about a month ago. I bet he will remember it after watching your video. Thanks again for another great video. Also this is why I buy jackstands in sets of 4. Getting 2 brands of stands to be even never works.
Charles always thanks for showing high standards when it comes to working on vehicles properly. Ive learned the standards from place to place carry. Sometimes if people are educated the wrong way first, they teach other's the wrong way. I'm very grateful for your integrity and the peacefulness you find. One bolt turn might help a thousand more.
In many (many) cars the pinched weld is just an indicator and the OEM car jack distributes the load on reinforcement pads located near the pinched weld. Putting a stand or using a flat surface to lift will crush the pinched weld and possibly make some damages to the vehicle.
Thanks for those safety recommendations. Having the jack with slight pressure AND the wheel/tire slid assembly underneath are two reasons I am alive today. The secondary jack specifically kept the vehicle from crushing my sternum, when I stupidly reached underneath to reposition something.
Phew! So glad you made it out. An acquaintance of mine was crushed by his car doing an oil change and did not make it. Just like firearms. There are no accidents. Just gross negligence. When I started taking auto shop freshman year of high school our first lesson was lifting a car using a jack and securing it on stands. Even though we had a full blown shop with lifts. I am sure those safety lessons saved a bunch of people from being negligent and causing harm to themselves or others. Very nice that this video went up sharing invaluable safety tips.
Good video! If actually going under the car (eg, DSG service), as opposed to just jacking it up to bleed brakes, some folks actually insert an additional pair of jack stands as a backup. And get the second pair from a different manufacturer. Seems like overkill, but with 3000 lbs overhead, better safe than sorry.
In My case, i have 2 pairs of stands, that are different brands, and i have 2 floor jacks, so i use both floor jacks as backups to the standards. Another thing you could do if leaving the wheels on such as when doing fluid services, is to put something like blocks under the wheels so if the jacks fail, the wheels will land on the blocks affording you some clearance to GTFO from underneath asap.
In 35 years, I’ve never personally had any luck, not crushing a pinch-weld with a jack or jack stand. Due to that, I always use suspension/frame points. 🇨🇦👍🏼
The earlier generation VW group cars had a pad just inside the pinch-weld where the factory tyre-change jack lifted the car, so the pinch-weld didn't take the weight. The current generation like the Golf mk7 in the video, the factory jack does sit on that part sticking down from the pinch weld where he's jacking it and that's what takes the weight. So I think they've made it a lot stronger than the old easily-damaged pinch welds.
And that's why i love my bimmers, already equiped from the factory with central lifting point under the engine and rear end. Some says that's because they knew they would have to spend a lot of time on jacks but hey, cant complain
This is a great video. There are a lot of videos about jacking up GTi’s where people just say to use the pinch welds but you invariably need to jack somewhere else to put it on the 4th pinch weld… Good for me to know as my laziness has had me jack up next to the jack point so I can put a stand under the pinch weld. I’m sure my car has loved that.
Going to be painting my calipers and being that the paint has a catylist that is time sensitive, i need to paint all of them at the same time...this is very informative!!
I did almost the same steps on my 2002 A3 8L last year... except I used the standard VW jack, and after lifting one side, it was bending its base whenever I tried to lift the other side - quite dangerous, as the car was slipping a bit even with properly placed jackstands! Managed to lift it with two such jacks, but now I know - I need to buy a proper 2T jack to securely lift the other side, as its lower and it makes for even more lifting for the jack.
nice video, thank you. I suggest to get yourself some rubber pads to match the pinch welds or lifting points instead of rag. You won´t do any damage to the car and you can get a set of 4 for around 20€. When i buy used car, i hate when the pinch welds are bent from bad lifting :/
This really helped me. Was jacking up my car earlier today and got so confused on where to place the jack and where to place the jackstands. This solved my issues :)
One thing i would like to add is that when i lower the car i always check the jackstand now and then because if they are really high and the weight shifts its possible that they flip over. So i always check to see if they still have all three legs to the ground and/or the bottomplate still rests flat
No matter what I'm looking to do to my 13 MK6 R, I always trust your experience over anybody. Wish you lived near by, I would trust you to work on my vehicles 100%!!! As Always, Thanks 😁
I've put my car up on jack stands in the dirt with remnants of rocks that were put there a few times. Wish I had a concrete floor. You can do it, but you need to make sure you're using at least 3/4" plywood cutouts for the stands to rest on. Also make sure the stands are the same height as the dirt might be higher on one side. Possible, but still feels sketchier than a nice flat floor. You also need a nice solid piece of wood for your floor jack.
I've seen warnings that you should not jack up opposite sides; when jacking up the 2nd side the other side's jack stand may wobble or fall. In fact there was some wobble when you jacked up the 2nd rear corner. Maybe this affects certain vehicles more than others. I had the notion to have 2 jacks simultaneously lifting the back (also the front if still using the pinch welds). Do you think this would be safer/better?
@@francophysique5192 Well for upstate NY, everytime it snows they put down chemicals that instantly rust your car. If you don't wash it (even that may not be enough), eventually it totally rots out.
Each side of the car usually has 3 notched out parts on the pinch welds to jack. There’s the two you showed on each side and usually one midway down the car in the middle somewhere. What I do is jack on the middle notched out section it lifts both wheels front and back off the ground then I put my jack stands on the areas that it recommends in the manual. Then repeat on the other side and if you need more hight jack up the one side fix the stands and repeat on the otherside. Also take the tires off and place them at the four jacks stands incase the jack stands fails and take the jack and have it holding either the front or back of the car for extra protection
Properly jacking up cars is actually more important than you think. Thanks for the great video Charles! Would be curious to see how you can jack up even higher for transmission jobs that need more clearance.
Some cars like the camaro actually have a jackup spot at center mass on each side so you can lift and put the two stands under without the need for additional jacking points, but beware, slotted pucks are required.
+100 for the Hockey Pucks. Bought a bag of them. OCD = cut and trimmed for BMW Jack Points, (bonus there was they fit wifes Mercedes also) cut and slotted to fit GTI PInch Welds. For when wheels do not have to come off, my son and I bought Race Ramps Wheel Cribs. 2 piece 8" lift inch ones. I love em'. Money well spent!
never thought about it..hockey puck!...never liked metal on metal with the jack on the lift points..doing it for years and just watching this vid for the hell of it...good to learn a new trick...thumbs up! man
For the other jackstands you showed briefly at least for the ones sold at Harbor freight , they sell nice tight fitting resting rubber pads so no need for a cloth .Thanks
Thanks for the tip Charles! I was able to use the recommended jack points on the front subframe to install the Audi jack pad adapters. It was very stable. But now that I have the jack pad adapters, I won't be using the subframe. Too bad I did not find your video and the adapters earlier, my rear pinch welds are in really rough shape after years of abuse.
This is the best how to I've seen on how to properly and safely get your Golf on jack stands. On my Mk4 Jetta I've used a 4x4 about 3ft long on the jack and jacked the sub frame in front and in the rear same thing but on the beam axle it worked perfectly with a Mk4 just make sure the jack is centered pretty easy to tell if you've got it balanced correctly , but these Mk7 AWD are a different animal
great video!! learned great information! thank you. I bought the best jack stands that you never have to worry about failing they have two versions. I bought low profile Esco 10499 3 Ton Performance Adjustable Shorty Style Low Profile Car Jack Stand. I have used 4 of them to jack my entire car and it sat on them for over month. Base is three points flat which makes it secure. I felt competely safe under them. They are expensive but well worth the money for safety.
One additional note - if you have an auto-leveling air suspension - make sure you disable it before lifting. You wouldn't like it adjusting while you're under the vehicle.
I think 99% of people who are watching this video cannot afford auto-leveling air suspension vehicles. If they could, why can't they afford to pay a mechanic or buy a lift? Jacking up a car is for poor/middle-class people
Watching this really makes me miss my old Mini. Only one jacking point on each side, right under the door - so it raises front and rear wheels at the same time - and the subframes are exposed and so easy to find the right spot for the stands. And the jack is a vertical screw, so there's no need to kneel down and look under the car to find the right point for the jack. The only downside was the door needs to be open to jack the car up - so if you get a puncture when it's raining, both you _and_ the car's interior get wet. :-P
I don't know if it ever changed - my last one was a '77 Clubman, and the last model in Australia was the '78 - but the jacking point should be right under the door. It's just a single horizontal hole in the sill that you stick the jack into, then crank the top to screw the car upwards (so it obviously doesn't use the common style of scissor jack either.) Be warned that if there's bad rust in the sills, the reduced sill strength could be a problem...but that means the rust needs to be fixed properly, rather than trying to work around the problem like so many youtube warriors seem to be suggesting lately. :-)
I gave away my jack stands many years ago and switched to what first responders use, CRIBBING. Proper cribbing doesn't crush, fracture and is stronger then most jack stands. I don't even want jack stands for free and I'm a mechanic. (If I worked 18-wheelers or heavy equipment I'd just industrial stands but those are different from consumer toys.)
you need to make a video doing this method with 6 ton stands that have a 23 inch lift on them. (on a passenger car) in order to do transmission replacements. I dont think the side to side method is going to work very well, especially since the car will be tipping so much on the sides to just get them under there at even the lowest positions. on my car i have to do front to back instead of side to side with 6 tons.
Last year I picked a car up by the front subframe with a jack. Got it half way up and the jack slipped off the subframe, car came down and the jack went through the radiator, and condenser. Cussed for about 5 minutes on that one. Also for some of the older cars in the rust belt, it gets kind of dicey trying to find a decent place to pick them up. The pinch welds, the jack will go right through some of them.
I drive the front end up on ramps, and lift the rear with beam jack. Set the rear end a few inches higher than the front on jack stands. Then, I use the beam jack to lift the front end off the ramps, that way it's not at risk of tipping over the rear stand since I've started with 7 inches of lift from the ramps (safety 1st) and lower the front end onto jack stands as close to level as possible. A good jack, with the beam is well worth the investment, and starting off ramps to avoid tipping jack stands prevents possible damage to the vehicle.
Those stands are pretty sweet! Unfortunately I don't have the option of a smooth level surface. I have a gravel driveway that ain't flat! I make it work though.
this is much better than what scotty kilmer uploaded. don’t get me wrong, he’s an awesome guy but he literally told people they can drop the car on the jacks and showed himself doing it. i get that it may be working for him by some miracle but if he’s promoting that, he’s gonna get himself into trouble
Nice video. If you can afford it, a set of QuickJacks is the way to go to get all 4 wheels off the ground, perfect for tire rotations, brake jobs, brake bleeding, even oil changes. 👍🏼
Very useful video, but those jack stands are really squirrelly. The Esco tripod stands with the flat rubber saddle are a lot more stable. They also have the advantage of not needing any sort of padding.
Came here to ask this as well. Seems way easier if you can reach subframe initially. Need a long reach jack but still, any reason we shouldn't do this??
@@HumbleMechanic Some rumors say that those pads are designed to be used at the factory and only 4 corner jacked all at the same time. It would be awesome if you could confirm/deny those rumors.
I actually have a thick horse stall mat in front of my workbench that I custom cut things from. Pieces for the floor jack, the jack stands, etc. you can stack and attach pieces together to make a custom rubber lift puck.
I get super nervous jacking up that second side, I feel like the jack stands are gonna slide out from under the other side. It hasn't happened yet, it's just an all-hands-on-deck thing where you better pay very careful attention to what you're doing! Thanks for the video!
With more people undercoating with fluid film- make sure to wipe it off first anywhere the jack saddle will be placed along with the jack stands, especially if you use some type of puck or pinch adaptor. If there is any resistance between the floor and the jack wheels, the saddle WILL slip and shoot the puck because of the overall lack of friction, allowing the entire car to instantly fall onto the jack saddle.
Thank you for creating this video. It proved extremely useful when I swapped my winter wheels the other day. In the interim, I’ve ordered the Audi jack pad kit as I don’t trust these pinch welds for the long term.
I've read and seen video using the Audi jack pad kit and it's pretty tight getting a jack into those Audi pads and placing jack stands at the pinch weds simultaneously you have to have certain jack stands (and jack) (like the ones shown in this video) AND position the jack a pretty sharp angle to accomplish it.
The problem is you can’t consistently lower the jack slowly so you may damage the car or it can even fall off the stands, at least that’s true for my jack and I’ve seen others with the same problem So a solution would be having some jack stands with fine adjustments but those are only available for trucks and are too heavy too high and expensive. Another option is to use a scissor like jack but if you want to use the hidraulic jack as well you may run out of jack points.
On the Mk6 models I like to place the jack stands under control arm bushing brackets (rear position) at the front of the car. If it’s a quick job I usually leave the stands there, if it’s going to be up for a while I’ll move the stands to the pinch welds.
only set car in park or put brake on if jacking from side , if you jack from front or back of car, the car needs to be in neutral so it can move slightly so it doesn't slide off the jack as the jack moves forward as it goes up. set brake and block after it is raised, then unset before lowering.
Hi, it’s nice and informative thank you, But I have on question that if we used only two from side to lift up for engine oil drain , if you can show the possible way please Thank you
Yea, get some spacers on that sucker. I did 15mm front/20mm rear spacers on our R to push the wheels out a little bit and it looks way better. When we bought our Mk7 R I had the dealer swap the Watkins Glen 18's from our MK6 GTI and put the Pretorias from the R onto the GTI. Some lucky buyer at Carmax got a brand new set of Pretorias with summer tires when they bought that GTI.
My question I was really looking for was what way is better/Safer? Putting a car on jack stands by supporting the front first then the rear or supporting each side first like you did in this video ? Thanks
I was always thinking I would jack up my Mazda 3 on four jack stands for things, but I have come to the reasoning that it’s not worth all the back and froth between jack and jack stand repositioning and especially not worth the risk of jack stands tipping. I think I will just stick to two jack stands and jack holding up slightly as a back up. For brake bleeds or tire rotations I will just lift up one side of the car at a time, or front or back. For brake bleeds I will just jack up one side or corner at a time with the regular precautions. For oil changes I have metal harbor freight ramps I drive up on and then put jack stands underneath and a jack as another backup.
Question : How could you slowly lower the Trolley Jack arm. ? As soon as you unscrew the little pressure screw, the jack's lifting arm will goes down instantly due to the car weight.
I have a forklift. I was thinking drive forklift into side of vehicle with 1 fork on each side of tire. Now bring forks fully together . Lift ... the tires will slightly deform on the forks. The Vehicle may have some awkward forces on frame as it lifts. If you lifted the front first it may lift the whole.side. it would be easy to get the jackstands under at that point on one side. Repeat on the other side and your whole car off the ground. Any thoughts or ideas?
I use 2 airbag lifts. They are amazing because they do not arc and they go straight up.... only downfall is they dont fit under lowered cars. I hate car manufacturers that don't leave metal exposed to support the car... They try to make it difficult without a 2 post (cough cough dealership)
Thank you for the informative video ! I always wondered how can I jack the car up while using the floor jack and adding the jack stand.. Now I get it, jack up the back side first and put the jack stand in the front . Thank you
I know for the transmission fluid change you will need to shift all gears, this means you'll have to spin the front wheels at some speed, would a configuration like this hold properly?
Just one mistake, you will bend the metal. Its bend @ 1:45 front right and straight @ 1:53 You wont be able to use the original Jack anymore and there will be rust. Just look at the VW Jack an build a similar thing, for example make a groove in the Puck. this Lip is NOT for lifting, its so that the car doesnt slip of the jack. the part right and left of the lip is the structural part for liftig. So many are bend, its a stupid system, most car machanics with a lift will flatten them....
It's always challenging to find a support point for the stand when you are using the jack on the factory recommended lift point? I wish there was a jack stand that can be lifted and placed using the jack?
Great video. My only recommendation would be to keep your fingers out of the area between the stand and the car. You had your fingers in there a lot, but I imagine that was just for the sake of the video.
![Blox Fruits Dragon Rework Update [Full Stream]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EqDAp8udhm0/mqdefault.jpg)
Glad to see that keeping the jack lightly raised and putting the wheels under the side of the car is widely accepted. My dad always taught me to do those two things and I’m sure glad he did. My buddy nearly died after a jack stand slipped and pinned him. Gotta be as careful as possible!
@@pepeclippz7921 somewhere in the area of where the jackstands are positioned in this video. It really depends what you are doing and how many jacks/jackstands you got going at the time
@@pepeclippz7921 Under the control arm or the lift points
Or an alternative solution would be to put 2x8's stacked under each wheel (if the wheels are still on the car) I've also used those plastic car ramps and slide them under the wheels. I don't like driving up onto them though but they work great if you've jacked the car up then put under tires. I think 2x8's stacked are best though.
Wdym if you don't mind me asking?
One extra thing I like to do is take the weight off and reposition my stands slightly once I get the vehicle where I want it; this is especially true if I'm jacking high or I'm going to have it up there a while.
These stands can bind and get side loads when jacked like this. That little lift off and set down can eliminate a lot of that.
Yep! That's how it should be done. Particularly when using the regular floor jacks. which have a radial lift movement, not straight up/down. Like many scissor or bottle jacks. When lifting high in these conditions.
Eyes and ears are your best friend. Observe and listen CAREFULLY! All the signs are there to be seen or heard! Don't be lazy, get down on your knees and look at what you're doing, correct as needed! Been lifting cars for almost 40 years with all sorts of lifting equipment, thankfully never had a single failure.
Laying under a car is uncomfortable, don't make it dangerous as well!
Take your time, so it don't take your life! ;-)
Justin Lynch....Thanks for sharing your valuable tip with RUclipsrs. It will certainly help others from being the unfortunate victims of jack and jack stand accidents.
.
This is a good point. I also prefer to jack the car from the ends, rather than from the sides. It's a PITA doing this on my car, because it's too low.
While I already know how to put my car on all 4 stands, I still watch all your videos Incase I learn something new. Great content Charles, keep it up brother!
Completely correct I've been working on cars 15yrs and still find tips even now 👍👍👍
Been doing heavy work on cars for years, still find myself watching videos like this
I tried the hockey pucks but a fight broke out. So I had to get the puck out of there.
As hockey should be. Lol
@@HumbleMechanic total Joe Thornton beard, you love to see it i never come in these comments haha!
😐ಠ_ಠ
Get the puck outta here!
I've tried several times with various slot depths and they always split.
I am surprised you didn’t mention after setting the first pair of stands, you need to keep an eye on these while jacking the other side, the car can pull on the stands and pull them over if you are not being careful especially if the jack can’t roll and shift while jacking the car. 👍
This is why I watched this video, every time I do this the first two Jack stands end up all kinds of crooked and I was trying to see how to avoid it. Seems like it may be time for a new jack that can roll easier 🤣
Especially something to watch out for on an old driveway that doesn’t have a smooth surface for the jack to roll as it’s lifting.
This is probably the best video explaining how to lift a car on 4 jack stands, and I've seen many. Having said that, I've made the decision that if the job involves lifting the car completely (front and rear), I'd take the car to the mechanic. It's not worth it.
Yep. I don't trust my made in China jackstands, even though they're rated for 3 tons each. Good for taking off the wheels at the same time but no way I would go under there.
Yeah same. I just purchased an adjustable front sway bar and some other small front suspension parts for my MK5 GTI and have been debating on whether I want to attempt the job myself or take it to a shop. It's not that I can't do the install, it's getting the car jacked up on all 4 corners and getting underneath to drop the subframe and then having to torque the new subframe hardware in once I'm done installing the sway bar. The thought of being under there for that long sketches me out plus when I have to lift the car to get all 4 corners up the car shifts when I'm jacking up the other side. It's definitely sketchy af lol. After writing this comment I think I'm just going to take it to a shop lol
I disagree. Just take the necessary precautions! I put the car on jack stands. put ramps under the wheels, put a jack under the car (I just bought a new one so now I have 2 jacks under the car). and if any wheels are taken off I slide them under the frame. Essentially, My jack stands need to fail, my jacks need to fail, the car has to somehow break the ramps and crush wheels in order to land on me. I feel really safe under the vehicle!
@@GageDrums Sounds like an excellent plan
If you don't trust the Chinese jack stands, then get some 8x8 lumber as backup support.
This is a perfect video for anyone new to working on a car. I showed this to my son on his car about a month ago. I bet he will remember it after watching your video. Thanks again for another great video.
Also this is why I buy jackstands in sets of 4. Getting 2 brands of stands to be even never works.
You just saved me a headache. Thank you, sir.
Charles always thanks for showing high standards when it comes to working on vehicles properly. Ive learned the standards from place to place carry. Sometimes if people are educated the wrong way first, they teach other's the wrong way.
I'm very grateful for your integrity and the peacefulness you find. One bolt turn might help a thousand more.
🐰💐🎂😊🙏🏼🙋🤷😷😔❤️
In many (many) cars the pinched weld is just an indicator and the OEM car jack distributes the load on reinforcement pads located near the pinched weld. Putting a stand or using a flat surface to lift will crush the pinched weld and possibly make some damages to the vehicle.
This is what drives me crazy, how inconsistent each and every make and model are. Why isn't this stuff standard? Money has to be the answer right?
Thanks for those safety recommendations. Having the jack with slight pressure AND the wheel/tire slid assembly underneath are two reasons I am alive today. The secondary jack specifically kept the vehicle from crushing my sternum, when I stupidly reached underneath to reposition something.
DAMN! So glad you made it out. Scary stuff
Phew! So glad you made it out. An acquaintance of mine was crushed by his car doing an oil change and did not make it. Just like firearms. There are no accidents. Just gross negligence. When I started taking auto shop freshman year of high school our first lesson was lifting a car using a jack and securing it on stands. Even though we had a full blown shop with lifts. I am sure those safety lessons saved a bunch of people from being negligent and causing harm to themselves or others. Very nice that this video went up sharing invaluable safety tips.
Good video! If actually going under the car (eg, DSG service), as opposed to just jacking it up to bleed brakes, some folks actually insert an additional pair of jack stands as a backup. And get the second pair from a different manufacturer. Seems like overkill, but with 3000 lbs overhead, better safe than sorry.
Hey I’m good with it. I’d rather 4 extra minutes and 2 extra stands and not being dead. Lol
In My case, i have 2 pairs of stands, that are different brands, and i have 2 floor jacks, so i use both floor jacks as backups to the standards.
Another thing you could do if leaving the wheels on such as when doing fluid services, is to put something like blocks under the wheels so if the jacks fail, the wheels will land on the blocks affording you some clearance to GTFO from underneath asap.
same, even if just positioning them under with no weight bearing on them. takes 30 seconds
I generally don't even take the wheels off to bleed brakes.
@@macfady2181 Same. Just cut the wheel the left or right and you can normally access the bleeder.
Always hard to find lifting points on newer vehicles.
Nice video, good advise/safety tips.
Feeling for the pinch weld with your boot will become a lost art
In 35 years, I’ve never personally had any luck, not crushing a pinch-weld with a jack or jack stand. Due to that, I always use suspension/frame points. 🇨🇦👍🏼
my pinch welds are shredded from 10 years of oil changes
The earlier generation VW group cars had a pad just inside the pinch-weld where the factory tyre-change jack lifted the car, so the pinch-weld didn't take the weight. The current generation like the Golf mk7 in the video, the factory jack does sit on that part sticking down from the pinch weld where he's jacking it and that's what takes the weight. So I think they've made it a lot stronger than the old easily-damaged pinch welds.
And that's why i love my bimmers, already equiped from the factory with central lifting point under the engine and rear end. Some says that's because they knew they would have to spend a lot of time on jacks but hey, cant complain
But driving BMW just screams “I’m an a hole!” BMW=Big Money Waste
This is a great video. There are a lot of videos about jacking up GTi’s where people just say to use the pinch welds but you invariably need to jack somewhere else to put it on the 4th pinch weld…
Good for me to know as my laziness has had me jack up next to the jack point so I can put a stand under the pinch weld. I’m sure my car has loved that.
Going to be painting my calipers and being that the paint has a catylist that is time sensitive, i need to paint all of them at the same time...this is very informative!!
I did almost the same steps on my 2002 A3 8L last year... except I used the standard VW jack, and after lifting one side, it was bending its base whenever I tried to lift the other side - quite dangerous, as the car was slipping a bit even with properly placed jackstands! Managed to lift it with two such jacks, but now I know - I need to buy a proper 2T jack to securely lift the other side, as its lower and it makes for even more lifting for the jack.
Hockey pucks are always good to have around when working on a car.
Never heard of using a hockey puck. I use cut 2” x 4” s.
@@CopCat34 wood can split and eject itself. new hockey pucks won't do that.
Yup I’ve been using them for about the past 5 years since I found out about using them, they’re great much better than using wood
I have had wood explode on me before, very scary
Flyin Miata jack pads have 2 slots cut in them to go around the pinch weld which seems like a good idea.
nice video, thank you. I suggest to get yourself some rubber pads to match the pinch welds or lifting points instead of rag. You won´t do any damage to the car and you can get a set of 4 for around 20€. When i buy used car, i hate when the pinch welds are bent from bad lifting :/
This really helped me. Was jacking up my car earlier today and got so confused on where to place the jack and where to place the jackstands. This solved my issues :)
One thing i would like to add is that when i lower the car i always check the jackstand now and then because if they are really high and the weight shifts its possible that they flip over.
So i always check to see if they still have all three legs to the ground and/or the bottomplate still rests flat
Good tips here, I use a hockey puck as well. If you cut a small slot into the puck with a table saw it sits on the pinch weld a bit better.
No matter what I'm looking to do to my 13 MK6 R, I always trust your experience over anybody. Wish you lived near by, I would trust you to work on my vehicles 100%!!! As Always, Thanks 😁
I've put my car up on jack stands in the dirt with remnants of rocks that were put there a few times. Wish I had a concrete floor. You can do it, but you need to make sure you're using at least 3/4" plywood cutouts for the stands to rest on. Also make sure the stands are the same height as the dirt might be higher on one side. Possible, but still feels sketchier than a nice flat floor. You also need a nice solid piece of wood for your floor jack.
YES this makes me get started on working on my car from the bottom as well, already got the 4x set with a jack.
I've seen warnings that you should not jack up opposite sides; when jacking up the 2nd side the other side's jack stand may wobble or fall. In fact there was some wobble when you jacked up the 2nd rear corner. Maybe this affects certain vehicles more than others.
I had the notion to have 2 jacks simultaneously lifting the back (also the front if still using the pinch welds). Do you think this would be safer/better?
Thanks for this one Charles. Lots of good points. If you live in Southern California the car may come down no matter how well it's supported. :)
if you Live in upstate NY, same risk, because the jack point is going to be a rusted mess.
Why is that?
@@francophysique5192 Well for upstate NY, everytime it snows they put down chemicals that instantly rust your car. If you don't wash it (even that may not be enough), eventually it totally rots out.
@@francophysique5192 My guess is So Cal has earthquakes.
Each side of the car usually has 3 notched out parts on the pinch welds to jack. There’s the two you showed on each side and usually one midway down the car in the middle somewhere. What I do is jack on the middle notched out section it lifts both wheels front and back off the ground then I put my jack stands on the areas that it recommends in the manual. Then repeat on the other side and if you need more hight jack up the one side fix the stands and repeat on the otherside. Also take the tires off and place them at the four jacks stands incase the jack stands fails and take the jack and have it holding either the front or back of the car for extra protection
Properly jacking up cars is actually more important than you think. Thanks for the great video Charles! Would be curious to see how you can jack up even higher for transmission jobs that need more clearance.
Some cars like the camaro actually have a jackup spot at center mass on each side so you can lift and put the two stands under without the need for additional jacking points, but beware, slotted pucks are required.
Everything in your video, car, jacks and floor, look in mint/clean conditions. They show you a very tidy mechanic besides doing great work, well done!
+100 for the Hockey Pucks. Bought a bag of them. OCD = cut and trimmed for BMW Jack Points, (bonus there was they fit wifes Mercedes also) cut and slotted to fit GTI PInch Welds. For when wheels do not have to come off, my son and I bought Race Ramps Wheel Cribs. 2 piece 8" lift inch ones. I love em'. Money well spent!
never thought about it..hockey puck!...never liked metal on metal with the jack on the lift points..doing it for years and just watching this vid for the hell of it...good to learn a new trick...thumbs up! man
For the other jackstands you showed briefly at least for the ones sold at Harbor freight , they sell nice tight fitting resting rubber pads so no need for a cloth .Thanks
Thanks for the tip Charles! I was able to use the recommended jack points on the front subframe to install the Audi jack pad adapters. It was very stable. But now that I have the jack pad adapters, I won't be using the subframe. Too bad I did not find your video and the adapters earlier, my rear pinch welds are in really rough shape after years of abuse.
This is the best how to I've seen on how to properly and safely get your Golf on jack stands. On my Mk4 Jetta I've used a 4x4 about 3ft long on the jack and jacked the sub frame in front and in the rear same thing but on the beam axle it worked perfectly with a Mk4 just make sure the jack is centered pretty easy to tell if you've got it balanced correctly , but these Mk7 AWD are a different animal
Your videos are Head and shoulders above all other channels
Thank you so much
thank you for posting this video - it makes it easier to know how to safely lift a car
great video!! learned great information! thank you. I bought the best jack stands that you never have to worry about failing they have two versions. I bought low profile Esco 10499 3 Ton Performance Adjustable Shorty Style Low Profile Car Jack Stand. I have used 4 of them to jack my entire car and it sat on them for over month. Base is three points flat which makes it secure. I felt competely safe under them. They are expensive but well worth the money for safety.
An idea for safety. Place some camco rv leveling blocks under the tires if you're not removing the wheels, for an added safety measure.
One additional note - if you have an auto-leveling air suspension - make sure you disable it before lifting. You wouldn't like it adjusting while you're under the vehicle.
I think 99% of people who are watching this video cannot afford auto-leveling air suspension vehicles.
If they could, why can't they afford to pay a mechanic or buy a lift?
Jacking up a car is for poor/middle-class people
@@g_rr_tt what about people who enjoy working on their own car, or who don't trust "professionals" to do a half-decent job?
@@g_rr_tt Sorry but what DUMB statement
I do it because
1: Dont trust mechanics to do the job right
2: Enjoyment
Great job Charles. The edit/camera work on here is top notch. Good info too!
Thanks dude 💛💙💛💙💛
Watching this really makes me miss my old Mini. Only one jacking point on each side, right under the door - so it raises front and rear wheels at the same time - and the subframes are exposed and so easy to find the right spot for the stands. And the jack is a vertical screw, so there's no need to kneel down and look under the car to find the right point for the jack.
The only downside was the door needs to be open to jack the car up - so if you get a puncture when it's raining, both you _and_ the car's interior get wet. :-P
Interesting... I've just bought a 1990 Mini which is in need of some(a lot of) work but I did not know this about the lifting points. Thanks
I don't know if it ever changed - my last one was a '77 Clubman, and the last model in Australia was the '78 - but the jacking point should be right under the door. It's just a single horizontal hole in the sill that you stick the jack into, then crank the top to screw the car upwards (so it obviously doesn't use the common style of scissor jack either.) Be warned that if there's bad rust in the sills, the reduced sill strength could be a problem...but that means the rust needs to be fixed properly, rather than trying to work around the problem like so many youtube warriors seem to be suggesting lately. :-)
2:00 made me cringe as that Jack stand in the rear wobbled. Your videos are always soooo clean with perfect lighting. :)
GOOD EYE....
I gave away my jack stands many years ago and switched to what first responders use, CRIBBING. Proper cribbing doesn't crush, fracture and is stronger then most jack stands. I don't even want jack stands for free and I'm a mechanic. (If I worked 18-wheelers or heavy equipment I'd just industrial stands but those are different from consumer toys.)
Thank you so much for your video, I just finish preparing my Golf R because I will be out of town in a few months
you need to make a video doing this method with 6 ton stands that have a 23 inch lift on them. (on a passenger car) in order to do transmission replacements. I dont think the side to side method is going to work very well, especially since the car will be tipping so much on the sides to just get them under there at even the lowest positions. on my car i have to do front to back instead of side to side with 6 tons.
Last year I picked a car up by the front subframe with a jack. Got it half way up and the jack slipped off the subframe, car came down and the jack went through the radiator, and condenser. Cussed for about 5 minutes on that one.
Also for some of the older cars in the rust belt, it gets kind of dicey trying to find a decent place to pick them up. The pinch welds, the jack will go right through some of them.
I drive the front end up on ramps, and lift the rear with beam jack. Set the rear end a few inches higher than the front on jack stands.
Then, I use the beam jack to lift the front end off the ramps, that way it's not at risk of tipping over the rear stand since I've started with 7 inches of lift from the ramps (safety 1st) and lower the front end onto jack stands as close to level as possible.
A good jack, with the beam is well worth the investment, and starting off ramps to avoid tipping jack stands prevents possible damage to the vehicle.
Those stands are pretty sweet! Unfortunately I don't have the option of a smooth level surface. I have a gravel driveway that ain't flat! I make it work though.
Damn.
this is much better than what scotty kilmer uploaded. don’t get me wrong, he’s an awesome guy but he literally told people they can drop the car on the jacks and showed himself doing it. i get that it may be working for him by some miracle but if he’s promoting that, he’s gonna get himself into trouble
Yeah.....
What would be the approach if you wanted only both the ftont wheels or both the rear wheels jacked up?
Nice video. If you can afford it, a set of QuickJacks is the way to go to get all 4 wheels off the ground, perfect for tire rotations, brake jobs, brake bleeding, even oil changes. 👍🏼
You got me off to a good start on my first brake job. Ready for April!
Yassss
Very useful video, but those jack stands are really squirrelly. The Esco tripod stands with the flat rubber saddle are a lot more stable. They also have the advantage of not needing any sort of padding.
Thanks for the video Charles! Is there a reason not to lift the car from the subframe initially rather than moving the jack stands after the fact?
Came here to ask this as well. Seems way easier if you can reach subframe initially. Need a long reach jack but still, any reason we shouldn't do this??
🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗
Awesome!!! I was looking for a subframe lift!!!! I've rarely seen a mechanic use the pinch welds.
That’s car wow how clean , every car should be like that , trying to get my car as clean
I bought the Audi jacking kit and installed it on my MK7.5R
I need to look into that.
@@HumbleMechanic Some rumors say that those pads are designed to be used at the factory and only 4 corner jacked all at the same time. It would be awesome if you could confirm/deny those rumors.
I've used the pads on my RS3 when jacking up the corners multiple times. They are holding up fine. I use those softer red polyurethane pucks.
ShopDAP.com
I actually have a thick horse stall mat in front of my workbench that I custom cut things from. Pieces for the floor jack, the jack stands, etc. you can stack and attach pieces together to make a custom rubber lift puck.
I get super nervous jacking up that second side, I feel like the jack stands are gonna slide out from under the other side. It hasn't happened yet, it's just an all-hands-on-deck thing where you better pay very careful attention to what you're doing! Thanks for the video!
With more people undercoating with fluid film- make sure to wipe it off first anywhere the jack saddle will be placed along with the jack stands, especially if you use some type of puck or pinch adaptor. If there is any resistance between the floor and the jack wheels, the saddle WILL slip and shoot the puck because of the overall lack of friction, allowing the entire car to instantly fall onto the jack saddle.
Thank you for creating this video. It proved extremely useful when I swapped my winter wheels the other day. In the interim, I’ve ordered the Audi jack pad kit as I don’t trust these pinch welds for the long term.
I've read and seen video using the Audi jack pad kit and it's pretty tight getting a jack into those Audi pads and placing jack stands at the pinch weds simultaneously you have to have certain jack stands (and jack) (like the ones shown in this video) AND position the jack a pretty sharp angle to accomplish it.
The problem is you can’t consistently lower the jack slowly so you may damage the car or it can even fall off the stands, at least that’s true for my jack and I’ve seen others with the same problem
So a solution would be having some jack stands with fine adjustments but those are only available for trucks and are too heavy too high and expensive. Another option is to use a scissor like jack but if you want to use the hidraulic jack as well you may run out of jack points.
This is gonna make my life so much easier.. thank you!
The car fell on me, luckily it was Chest day... so i had to bench press using my car.
Thanks China
That first gear tip is a life saver 👍👍👍
On the Mk6 models I like to place the jack stands under control arm bushing brackets (rear position) at the front of the car. If it’s a quick job I usually leave the stands there, if it’s going to be up for a while I’ll move the stands to the pinch welds.
But how do I set it back down?
Reverse order
@@Pyth110 make sure someone is reving the engine first....
That cant be a serious question..
only set car in park or put brake on if jacking from side , if you jack from front or back of car, the car needs to be in neutral so it can move slightly so it doesn't slide off the jack as the jack moves forward as it goes up. set brake and block after it is raised, then unset before lowering.
Corrrect super important
thank you..Possible video showing how to adjust the caliber of the golf 5 rear tire..Tilt the tire and it touches the ground
Is there a risk of the jackstands on one side tipping over when you jack up the other side? See the later motion of the jackstand at ~ 4:53.
Hi, it’s nice and informative thank you,
But I have on question that if we used only two from side to lift up for engine oil drain , if you can show the possible way please
Thank you
Any chance you could do an updated video for something like a mk8 golf that has a plastic under tray covering the subframe
Yea, get some spacers on that sucker. I did 15mm front/20mm rear spacers on our R to push the wheels out a little bit and it looks way better.
When we bought our Mk7 R I had the dealer swap the Watkins Glen 18's from our MK6 GTI and put the Pretorias from the R onto the GTI. Some lucky buyer at Carmax got a brand new set of Pretorias with summer tires when they bought that GTI.
what about putting some thick stone slabs underneath the wheels? feel like that may also be a really good way to prevent a car from crushing you
Love the Mk. 7.5 R in yellow. That colour was never available in Australia. Great video - thank you.
My question I was really looking for was what way is better/Safer? Putting a car on jack stands by supporting the front first then the rear or supporting each side first like you did in this video ? Thanks
I was always thinking I would jack up my Mazda 3 on four jack stands for things, but I have come to the reasoning that it’s not worth all the back and froth between jack and jack stand repositioning and especially not worth the risk of jack stands tipping. I think I will just stick to two jack stands and jack holding up slightly as a back up. For brake bleeds or tire rotations I will just lift up one side of the car at a time, or front or back. For brake bleeds I will just jack up one side or corner at a time with the regular precautions. For oil changes I have metal harbor freight ramps I drive up on and then put jack stands underneath and a jack as another backup.
Thank you Charles! That’s my favourite way to put my mk6 Gil on stands!
Question : How could you slowly lower the Trolley Jack arm. ? As soon as you unscrew the little pressure screw, the jack's lifting arm will goes down instantly due to the car weight.
I have a forklift. I was thinking drive forklift into side of vehicle with 1 fork on each side of tire. Now bring forks fully together . Lift ... the tires will slightly deform on the forks. The
Vehicle may have some awkward forces on frame as it lifts. If you lifted the front first it may lift the whole.side. it would be easy to get the jackstands under at that point on one side. Repeat on the other side and your whole car off the ground. Any thoughts or ideas?
I use 2 airbag lifts. They are amazing because they do not arc and they go straight up.... only downfall is they dont fit under lowered cars. I hate car manufacturers that don't leave metal exposed to support the car... They try to make it difficult without a 2 post (cough cough dealership)
But, when did you remove the fairing on the bottom of the car body (sorry for my english)????????????
Thank you for the informative video ! I always wondered how can I jack the car up while using the floor jack and adding the jack stand.. Now I get it, jack up the back side first and put the jack stand in the front . Thank you
It makes me really scared to place a flat topped jack stand on the thing "pinch" weld area. It seems like it would bend and drop the car, right?
That’s how vehicle lifts are.
How would you recommend just jacking up the front only with two jackstands for front bumper removal works?
Used the hockey puck the other day. Great idea! Thanks
I know for the transmission fluid change you will need to shift all gears, this means you'll have to spin the front wheels at some speed, would a configuration like this hold properly?
Is it really safe to jack on the subframe? I see 50/50 on this with some recommending and some not.
If it is steel, and not rusty, and you know there to jack it up, and the car is not heavy, then it might be safe.
Just one mistake, you will bend the metal.
Its bend @ 1:45 front right and straight @ 1:53
You wont be able to use the original Jack anymore and there will be rust.
Just look at the VW Jack an build a similar thing, for example make a groove in the Puck.
this Lip is NOT for lifting, its so that the car doesnt slip of the jack. the part right and left of the lip is the structural part for liftig.
So many are bend, its a stupid system, most car machanics with a lift will flatten them....
Can you lift on a subframe and then put jack stands on pinch weld?
1:57 You know you have the right equipment when your jack is called Roadster
To the point, with no fluff. Excellent
It's always challenging to find a support point for the stand when you are using the jack on the factory recommended lift point? I wish there was a jack stand that can be lifted and placed using the jack?
Have you ever used the VAG OEM jackpad snub and grommets?
Great video. My only recommendation would be to keep your fingers out of the area between the stand and the car. You had your fingers in there a lot, but I imagine that was just for the sake of the video.
Usually I will put 4 stacks of square wood blocks at the 4 jacking points. It gives better stability on side ways than jack stands.
A very good and clear presentation.