I had that job once ... I jacked it in  At work
At home

"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

chicken george wrote:

I had that job once ... I jacked it in

Why? were you chicken  2002 Honda VFR800
2002 Toyota Celica 140 Silver (mid life crisis - again!)
2007 FL2 GS Manual Army Reconnaissance Green + freel2.com sticker
2004 Toyota Celica 140 Black - Gone
2000 Toyota Celica 140 Silver - Gone
1998 Toyota Celica ST Pearl Green - Gone
1996 Nissan Primera 1.6 - Gone
1994 Rover Montego 1.6 Auto - Gone

Nah, too many ups and downs I expect

There are plenty of people with plenty of experience of just using jacks who have never had a problem.

I work in the Ambulance Service, and just recently went to one such person. Had all the tools, clearly knew his car maintenance, was just completing a pad and disk change on all four wheels.

Sould he have been trusting the jack that some assure us is capable of the job, suitable if only for short periods, designed and tested to be ok so long as chocks are used?

When the jack gave way/fell he was under it...........he is now dead.

YER and theres also been people been killed because the jack failed and there was nothing to stop that person being crushed. Tell me, whats a life worth for the sake of an axle stand or two. Its your last and only line of defence. Any one willing to take that chance is a complete and bloody FOOL.

Just last year I came across a man sitting on the roadside next to his Merc. I stopped to see if there was a problem? It transpired that he had a puncture and tried to jack up his car whilst it was on a slope! the jack slipped and trapped two fingers between the sill and the jack. The fire service was required to lift the car to free him.

superspark and Commadore are 100% correct.
Forget H&S rules, common sense is as soon as a vehicle is lifted, support it ! End Of
I have spent over 35 years in the trade and experienced a car comming off a 2 poster ! Yep the posts actually spring outwards ! and an Opel Record Est with only 600 miles on it comming off a 4 poster ramp during a lunch hour !
Locally only weeks ago we had a guy killed working under his car without support on his driveway. Always support a jacked up vehicle.
AS for pads and Discs I ran an independant clutch and brake centre for 20 years and aftermarket parts often wore out a lot quicker or suffered with judder and squealing whereas genuine never gave us any hassle ! we used to have a through put of 100-150 cars a week !
You would be amazed to find that some aftermarket parts are actually originally destined for the Original equipment manufacturer but dont quite pass a quality check so go into the aftermarket ! so sub standard parts !

LRcrazy321
"Just put 1 or 2 wheel chocks in behind your wheels and you will be fine."
I feel thats a little bit or an irresponsible statement !
OK so a family member is involved in the jack industry, thats fine but in no way does it take in account for a sill collapsing, the ground the jack is supported on suddenly collapsing , gust of wind twisting the car on a jack or someone laying under the vehicle !
My 2 poster ramp that collapsed was a 3.5 ton, 3 years old and a German make, it only had a Vauxhall Cavalier on it ! the ramp was subject to regular mechanical inspections and it was just what the insurance company stated as " One of those things " not so good if your under it though !
NEVER EVER RELY on just a jack without secondary support. Titanic wasnt supposed to sink but it did.,
I'm sure that Commadore would support me when I say you only get one shot at life ! and there are many that would like a 2nd chance. Please take care. Its not a HSE lecture its just fact. Dont rely on a jack for support.

If changing a wheel at roadside always take spare and tools out of car first and shut all doors to avoid any unnecessary movement.Jack up car place spare under car until punctured wheel removed then change them over while fitting nuts or struggling if car has bolt type fitting. All FL2's (3) Gone
2011 Mercedes C180 CGI Gone
FL2 GS Auto SD with heated leather, factory tints, alloy spare and a few other bits.

I hate "Elf & Safety", because it's an industry and not an advocate of common sense. ANYONE who goes under a car that is not supported by axle stands just a jack is nuts.