Why dont cars use standardized jacking pads?
This is so much safer, and better than pinch welds. A simple half a sphere can be put in all 4 corners of the car, and maybe elsewhere for servicing, and a jack can easy key in, and is less likely to slip.
Has anyone ever in the automotive field attached aircraft jack pads to their cars for easy lifting?
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>Why dont cars use standardized jacking pads?
Too many variables, cars are all different sizes, structures, etc. So are racks
>Has anyone ever in the automotive field attached aircraft jack pads to their cars for easy lifting?
No but I've worked on cars that have their own special rack fixtures (Carrera GT, F50, Lotus Elise). Does not make it easier, PITA to line up.
Do you have pictures? Also since you're one of the few mechanics on here and the 1 in a million that works on high-high end cars, what other quarks or procedures are involved when lifting a Carrera GT for example?
I'm curious if super cars with advanced magnetic suspensions must be disabled or put in "service height". Are they similar to land rovers or older GM cars with air suspension and the switch in the trunk?
I don't have any pics that show how to do it, but the CGT and F50 have the same issue, if you have to access the underside of the engine/suspension the rear jack point is way forwards of the balance point of the car, so you have to use plates with loops on them that let you strap the front of the car to the rack arm so it can't flip backwards. The Elise you can lift normally a few ways unless you are removing the rear suspension or taking weight off the front, in which case there is a rack adapter that picks up a higher up point in the back of the car. Magnet ride is internal to the damper, no reason to disable it when the car is in the air. You need to do it on air suspension cars because it uses the ride height sensor to keep air pressure adjusted, the car can't know it's in the air, so it will keep trying to adjust indefinitely without the possibility of getting to the correct height (because the wheels/front suspension are hanging from the bushings).
Most exotics spend time in the air on wheel lifts, not frame lifts.
They're usually too low to swing an arm under.
Pic related, sorry about the camaro, quick search and was easiest to post.
And I forgot pic, I suck.
I've never seen anyone use those in any shop and it would just be a pain in the ass for 0 benefit. You can see in this pic the arms are modified to be shorter (no middle slider) and you just use blocks of wood/thin race ramps for super low cars.
The 2 post lift is king because it lifts almost anything if you pay attention to center of mass. A wheel or chaissis lift is better for strange loads but center of mass is still important. I bent my chassis lift picking up a welding rig dodge 3500 because i underestimated the weight of the bed. That was 7000lb rated lift with 10k truck. Better judgment would have backed the truck on to balance load. As far as ops question 99% of the time its a non issue.
That's a Dodge Challenger.
cars should all have built in pneumatic jacks like race cars.
which also serve as lift points for the garage.
I've had blocks of wood crack on me so back when I was in a shop using in-ground lifts the 80's flip up adapters designed for frame rails and pinch welds never worked with BMW or MB rubber lift points . Instead of wood another mechanic showed me his set of hockey pucks he used to support the car without crushing the side skirts.
Anymore weird tips/tricks you have from your expirence with super cars and the like?
I occasionally do recall work on brand new cars but a shitbox is still a shitbox no matter how many km are on the clock. And some customers are still cocks, believing they drive a Ferrari when the badge says ford.
Yeah those are great, makes lifting Challenge cars a lot easier
I meant wood to drive on to be able to swing the rack arms under the car, not between the jack pad in the car, I've used hockey pucks too for jack pads (I've also found them stuck to cars since their last service). My main tip as far as racking cars goes isn't special, though I've seen tends of thousands of damage done by not following it - look up when lifting the car, look down when lowering it. I've seen hoods smashed into the rafters, tool carts crushed, happens all the time even to experienced techs. I try to not leave wheels/tires leaning against the rack uprights since that's the easiest one to forget, plus I saw one get shot out after the rack lowered on to it and flew across the shop.
>Challenge cars
missing one
My old E63 had jack points with plastic notches, and the only way you could jack up the car properly was by using rubber pucks with a square top. Like said it was mostly just a pain in the ass, the pucks had to sit on top of normal jacks anyway so it wasn't like it did anything to keep them from slipping.
Nissans cannot be jacked up unless you have a nissan jack. as the hard points for jacking have a ridge of welded sheet metal running through them.
the nissan LEAF doesn't come with a jack. just a can of fix a flat. so when my father's LEAF picked up a nail. I took care of it for him while he used my honda. I had to search his neighborhood for someone that had a nissan. so I could borrow their jack. get the tire off, and take it to the goodyear to get patched.
>The guy who never worked on cars
I own a VW Golf, same story.
Use pic related
one jacking point on my car is length of box section running the width of the car
and positioned about halfway along the wheel base
its easy and quick to lift one side of the car up
Kind of want to get a second jack to use on the other side at the same time
just to see what happens
lol you're funny dude, you don't need a special jack to fucking jack the car up
Mercedes? Mine looks almost identical. Funny how they always rust at the jack points, waiting for one of these days for the jack point to just crunch on out lol.
That said, I much prefer this style of jack for quick tire stuff, wouldnt trust stability to get undder the car tho
Fiat, much better system than the Mercedes one
even the jacking points can take a bit more force and rust
>wouldn't trust stability to get under the car tho
I always make sure to jam something under the car that is not a jack
even little things like chocks and dunnage help jacks work much better
bottle jacks are my favourite
a bit overpowered and heavy
but nice to use with a little preparation
The Fiat 126 of my grandma has the same system.
Hm, and how exactly is it different than Mercedes, other than hole placement?
That jack looks identical to the one in my car. You stick it in a hole specially made for jacking (there is also a pad on the underside near each hole if you want to use a traditional jack) and crank 'er up.
My complaint is that the jack pillar is at a slight angle usually, like, the outside of a V if looking at back or front of car straight on. And I worry if the car moves at all the jack will twist in the hole, and I dont carry chocks so it's a bit dicey.
But for lifting such a heavy car it is incredibly easy.
Sort of want a bottle jack, always kind of liked them but my cars are typically too low to fit a biggun under there. I don't lower my cars really they're just smaller vehicles.