Lads and Ladies, when conducting home work with your car be sure to be using jack stands not just leavong it there to ponder on your jack. I had just finished tightening up extractor nuts, cleaning rear plugs and rocker cover, had removed the jack stands and began lowering by standard jack that comes with the car when ......BANG :redface: jACK LET GO IN A BIG WAY CAR DROPPED TO GROUND (luckily wheels were on)
Now my car i've had since brand new and i've done some work on the car and plenty of servicing and fixing things on my own. So if your jack is beginning to get hard to wind up even just starting then i think it would be time to trade it in and get a new one, otherwise you'll be wearing some mighty heavy bling bling :shock:

A recent visit to MadMagna's place jumping all over a car that was on a simple scissor jack which amazingly did not collapse was pretty impressive but no, never trust a jack!!

Years a go a friend of mine, his brother was working under his car in their garage when the jack gave way pinning him down and doing some damage in the process. He called out for help and luckily his mother heard him from inside. She ran out, saw him under the car with it on top of him and guess what!! with fear for her son and with adrenaline pumping, she lifted the car off of him enough so he could get out (we are talking a heavy V8 Torana)... he was very lucky and needed a trip to the hospital. Subsequently his mother never worked again cos she did irreversable damage to her back from lifting it! :shock:

The fact is that so many people get hurt or even killed from this, but you rarely hear about it on the news. You can never be too careful. even if you take a wheel off and work under a car even if it is a fancy wheel, push the wheel flat underneath the car close to you, so that some structural part is above it. I would rather have my car fall on a treasured mag wheel than me! but yeah jack stands, ramps... essential and sensible. Don't skimp on safety.

Lads and Ladies, when conducting home work with your car be sure to be using jack stands not just leavong it there to ponder on your jack. I had just finished tightening up extractor nuts, cleaning rear plugs and rocker cover, had removed the jack stands and began lowering by standard jack that comes with the car when ......BANG :redface: jACK LET GO IN A BIG WAY CAR DROPPED TO GROUND (luckily wheels were on)
Now my car i've had since brand new and i've done some work on the car and plenty of servicing and fixing things on my own. So if your jack is beginning to get hard to wind up even just starting then i think it would be time to trade it in and get a new one, otherwise you'll be wearing some mighty heavy bling bling :shock:

:shock: MATE READ THE INSTRUCTIONS ON THE JACK!!! It says to NEVER get under the car while it is being supported only by the jack!! omfg you are so lucky that you wherent seriously injured by it collapsing before now!!

Other people out there NEVER EVER EVER GET UNDER A CAR THAT IS ONLY SUPPORTED BY A JACK!!!!

Never ever get under a car without stands just stupid!

i cant say id wana be under a car with just a jack! even on supercheap wheel stands it seems a bit iffy :P

when im working underneath a car iv usually got the car eithr on ramps or stands with the wheel underneath the side of the car just incase it falls down. i hate getting under cars it scares the crap out of me, im scared that it'll fall down on me

i hate getting under cars it scares the crap out of me, im scared that it'll fall down on me


hahahha, yep, me too, i get VVERRYY praranoid even if the car is on a ramp :doubt:

Pffft know the feeling. Just came back from K Mart where a bloody great big out door heater just collapsed next to me :shock:

Always bleed your hyd. jack before use if it's been sitting for a bit. Read the instruction book to find out how.

Cheap jacks will always fail.

Also, don't forget to chock, and ensure your handbrake is on/working...

I used to use ramps before working under my car. However since lowering my car I can't get the car to go onto the ramps as the front bar hits the ramp. :D

I'm planning on getting a set of jackstands but do not know what type to get. Also where do I place the jackstands? I'm a bit concerned about putting them on the standard mounting points for the scissor stands since the flat top of a jackstand looks like it would crush the standard mounting point.

(I might also mention that it may be worthwhile getting wheel chocks for about $10 which will stop the car rolling off the jackstands should your rear handbrake fail)