Jacking points

[Buzzark 0]

Ho hum. Was having a check under my car today as when dlea MOT'd it he mentioned about the jacking points being bent saying it seems a common thing if I remember rightly. I've pretty much done any work on the car myself since I got it so it had to be the local garage that I used previously when I took it in for tracking and a couple of minor things I didn't have time to get done.

Anyway, I felt like crying today after having a proper look, as not only are the sills bent over and dented (could see that bit without going underneath) but there seems to be some bending on what I think is the service lifting point, a little behind when the sill jack fits and before the raised ridge that follows on from the front subframe mounting... that also looks to have a slight deflection.

The question is, where is safe to jack the car now at the front end? I don't want to experiment and do any more damage. I think I'm also going to get a proper low trolley jack too as my existing one required the sill jack to lift it a little to get underneath.

Hopefully this is the worse side, I didn't get round to looking at the other side.

PS, no rust under there, it just seems a pretty weak design?

[SankysVR6 1]

Got this picture from the E38 forum.

Jack on the No.1 and axle stands should go N0.2

[Damo 85 0]

HAHA i was looking at the white numbers thinking my GOD don't jack it up on the oil filter and stick a stand under the sump... bu i see what you meant now!!!

[xyber 1]

I did the same haha

My front jacking points are mashed aswell and I cant get a trolley jack under it as its too low, so ive made a ramp to drive onto, then trolly jack it, annoying but ive never like scissor jacks anyway

[Ciaran 4]

u need a decent jack. Bought a 2 ton motorsport one an it goes under my car by about 2 inches where as before i used to have to drive onto something to get my jack under.

did the same thing with the numbers on the pic above lol

[Buzzark 0]

Sanky, you're a star!

Looking at that pic, where the number 1 is (not the arrow, the number) I think is supposed to be the service jacking point? That's a bit squished anyhow. I guess they just aren't that strong underneath, never come across that sort of generic weakness on any other cars I've had before and wouldn't have expected that on a VW.

I've got some ramps for normal type work which are quick and solid for getting under the front or back. Next on the shopping list is a good jack, I've seen the type sounds like Ciaran's wide and low.

Another thought though - Axle stands, mine are \_/ shaped, which works really well if you actually have an axle I guess... do I need some with a flat top or something for more general use?

[xyber 1]

u need a decent jack. Bought a 2 ton motorsport one an it goes under my car by about 2 inches where as before i used to have to drive onto something to get my jack under.

did the same thing with the numbers on the pic above lol

Got my eye on one at machine mart

[dubdub 0]

This seems to be a common fault with many brands NOT JUST VW..

Point one on image would seem most logical.

The sill bending can be caused several ways:-

1/ Poor location by user.

2/ Soft uneven ground like the side of the road. Where you end up when a puncture occurs.

If you are one the move and get a flat stay on hard ground. Avoid soggy ground at all costs.

Some twisting if the sill edge is inevitable and common with scissor jacks. It does not mean you have a rust bucket.

3/ The third and maybe the worst problem may be excessive corrosion of the sill area.

The use of a trolly jack at point 1 of the image will require a longer reach jack than many you see in shops. So before you shoot off to buy one, measure the distance you intend to reach, otherwise you may find you cannot operate the handle.

TIP OF THE DAY;

Check underbody chassis when buying, then waxoil it from within to prevent future problems.

60 years ago you could could jack many cars up by the bumper support brackets! Mind you. Chassis still rotted like carrots!

[Buzzark 0]

This seems to be a common fault with many brands NOT JUST VW..

.....

The sill bending can be caused several ways:-

1/ Poor location by user.

....

TIP OF THE DAY;

Check underbody chassis when buying' date=' then waxoil it from within to prevent future problems.

[/quote']

Yes, I'm sure it's not just a VW thing but I've never come across it being reasonably common before.

Mine seems to be point 1 above as would have been done in the workshop and fortunately Vince fully waxoyled the car before I owned it so it's pretty decent underneath, just bent.

I'm pretty sure I'll be able to bend the lip back to make it useable in case of a puncture, I'll look at that when it warms up a bit. Definately need a low slung jack too as the body's too low for a standard trolley without assistance.

Thanks for the suggestions and advice chaps.

[drue1 0]

when i fitted the collies on my motor i needed to use the standard jack got half way up and it broke and bent my lip under neaf.but i have to use that first and then get the trolly jack on after

[Dave Lea 4]

mine has done this ..have just got a low acces jack for trips to the pod

[dubdub 0]

This may sound daft. But when you use a trolly jack. Place it on the smoothest concrete you can.

This allows the jack to move a bit as the car raises and reduces the chances of flattening or bending the floorpan jack points.

The scissor jack cannot move with the car so the sill edges bend as the car goes up.

[Buzzark 0]

Not so cheap the low profile jack's are they?

I've sure I saw a good one on offer somewhere a while back but can't remember where.

Might have been GSF or I know Costco have offers on so it could have been there...

[Dave Lea 4]

piad 110 for mine prob get them cheeper if i looked about but not got the time

[toofunkyhouse 0]

was working on mine the other day and as mine is low i have to use the vw jack then a trolly jack but it decided to fall off the vw jack and put a nice big hole in one of my sills! have wax oiled the hole but i need to get it welded up! not a happy bunny, also bent the skirt a bit

[Buzzark 0]

Isn't waxoyling it going to make it a problem to weld? i.e. difficult and likely to set on fire!

[toofunkyhouse 0]

well i guess the garage can sort that out for me...... i hope! couldnt just leave a hole with the weather as it is

[Buzzark 0]

Duct tape

I'm sure it'll be sortable one way or another.

[jesterwalker69 0]

Twice i've seen my car jacked up on trolley jacks located under the sill, and that was by tyre fitters

So now my skirts have got rectangles missing out the front of them

[cadguy77 0]

same prob on mine, only have the crappy scissor jack, bent my sill the other day doing my wheel change

[Buzzark 0]

IMHO any point marked on the car as a jacking point should be more than able to take the weight with headroom for errors.

Clearly the mk3 golf ones are marginal at best.

[jws vr6 0]

HAHA i was looking at the white numbers thinking my GOD don't jack it up on the oil filter and stick a stand under the sump... bu i see what you meant now!!!

Yip me too!!

Mine are all mashed up aswell, work in a garage and see alot of mk3 golfs like this, infact pretty much all of them!! Not really a problem though, just makes a puncture even more of a pain in the ass trying to get it jacked up without it falling on you!!

[ben_notts 0]

mine are smashed in too - as i discovered the first time i went to jack it! the scissor jack slipped out and the threaded rod mangled a nice mark in my skirt! they do seem worse than other cars to be fair.

[ric_vr6 0]

Mine is the same too, used the scissor jack to change a wheel and the jack slipped and put a hole under the car, as you can imagine i was pissed.

I took mine to a friend and he welded steel plates just past the jacking point, i now use a low blue print trolly jack with the rubber plate.

[vw_golf_vr6 0]

mine are fine luckily