How To Safely Lift and Support Your Vehicle -EricTheCarGuy

**Note, I forgot to mention about setting the parking brake or leaving the vehicle in gear when lifting. Chalking the wheels is also a good idea. This slipped my mind during production but keep in mind I have a level floor and I don’t often concern myself with this part of the procedure. I just wish I had put it into the video for those that don’t have solid level floors like I do. Once again the take away is to be smart and careful when you’re lifting a vehicle. If not, you could be seriously injured or killed.

I've been asked about doing this video about How To Safely Lift Your Vehicle for some time. In this video I cover the basics of jack, and jack stand placement for working on your vehicle. I can't stress enough how important it is to take this seriously and do this properly. Failure to do so can result in damage to your vehicle, or worse, damage to you. That said, with a bit of common sense and effort you can safely lift your vehicle for access to it's undercarriage.

Camera Brian Kast

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Due to factors beyond the control of EricTheCarGuy, it cannot guarantee against unauthorized modifications of this information, or improper use of this information.  EricTheCarGuy assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. EricTheCarGuy recommends safe practices when working with power tools, automotive lifts, lifting tools, jack stands, electrical equipment, blunt instruments, chemicals, lubricants, or any other tools or equipment seen or implied in this video.  Due to factors beyond the control of EricTheCarGuy, no information contained in this video shall create any express or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result.  Any injury, damage or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not EricTheCarGuy.

[freespeechisdead]

Be careful, Jack Stands can also fail. I always keep the jack activated as well. I back off on the jack just a bit to let the Jack Stands take some pressure, but I keep some of the weight on the jack as well. I also put a wheel/tire under the car frame or even under the tire on the side im working on. If the car falls on one my wheels I don't care, as long as it doesn't fall on my face. Be safe everyone.

EDIT: But to be clear I haven't had a jack fail on me, ever. And especially with all the precautions I take I've never had a car fall. But it's that one time out of a million that gets you, so I try to be as careful as I can.

[MK-expb]

Companies should Mark the lift points with a color or something

[livewireOrourke]

If I have to take the tire off, I normally put the tire under the car as well for added support.

So in all, I have the jack, two jack stands, the tire, my neighbor's grandmother and two bagel sandwiches (with cream cheese btw) underneath the car for extra safety.

[kvjackal]

This, rather surprisingly, was the ONLY video I could find (after hours of searching) that explained both where to jack in order to place stands and also the optimal location for the stands. Thank you so much!!!

[AmazonplayerOne]

Etcg made this 8 years ago, and it’s still teaching people to not get crushed !

Id like to go back to when jacks were 50-100 bucks .

Man that was great . Thanks Eric !

[BilgeDweller]

A 40+ years marine engineer here who has always done his own wrenching on our cars. A quick thanks for your videos. You're clear, concise, accurate and articulate. I've steered a few young guys I know that want to start working on their own cars towards your channel for good, solid basic information. Thanks again, and keep them coming. :-)

[kensendelofski]

in the 70s and 80s I worked in a garage, and most of my life have been doing minor repairs on family vehicles, mostly helping my father. having lifted probably about 200 vehicles I still found this very informative. I'm currently working on two uni body vehicles. and there's a big difference in these compared to the old muscle car's. Thanks for the video.

[juliantapia]

Love how you said ”RESPECT the Process” that’s exactly how I was tough and how I do so myself to new guys in the field

[spamanator]

When I and a friend were young, 16-17, he was crushed when changing the starter on his '78 Trans Am and the thing slipped off the hydraulic floor jack. He got his chest crushed by front crossmember.  He had cracked ribs and bruises, lacerations, a punctured lung, but he lived.  If I hadn't been there to lift it back up when it slipped from the floor jack he would been one dead dude from lack of air!  I will never forget it, and I always use jackstands ever since, never did much before that though, got lucky.  Very glad to also see you give it the shake, people should always do this! You should also try to shake it on the front in addition when suspended all four like you had.

[poolsidepapi]

its people like you that make YouTube an incredible platform for learning. Thanks Eric!

[JPNR]

As a certified airline tech, I've come to think that those with "macho" attitude are the ones who don't know the basics.  They would sneer at a vid like this, then do it completely wrong & damage something/someone.  True top techs are humble as they know their weaknesses.

I appreciate anything to do with basics & safety.  

PS: I use Powerzone's aluminum + steel combo floor jack (seems no longer available) and just love it (the only thing I don't like about it is it's made in China).  I also give a good margin for the jackstands; my 04 TL weighs about 1.5-ton but I use 3-ton jackstands.

[rjk]

Make sure the small wheels of your trolley jack are free to roll as the saddle gradually moves towards you when lifting. It can slip off the jack point. That's what happened to me when the wheels got stuck in a crack in the floor. Solution was to lay some plywood down first.

[BigJwlz]

I've had a situation where I was using jackstands to lift a car off a paved parking lot on a hot day. The heat made the blacktop soft enough to let the feet of the jackstand push down through the pavement; and unbalance the car. These days, I put a piece of plywood under the jackstands to distribute the weight better.

[LoudProudNPunk]

I noticed some people on here whining and complaining about this not being a repair video. These people must not really understand the extreme importance of safety and proper procedure. I mean, what good is learning how to perform a certain repair only to be made dead by having the car fall on you because you weren't taught how to properly jack up the vehicle?

Eric, I think you touched on an extremely vital subject here. You did forget to mention chocking the wheels, but you did mention it in the description. Either way, let the whiny babies whine and let them go elsewhere. Hats off to you sir, and keep up the good work and keep the educational videos coming! I look forward to your future vids. :)

[genenelson]

Thanks for this very useful information, Eric. I learned a better, safer way to use jack stands. I always set the parking brake, make sure the transmission is in park, and use a set of four wheel chocks on the axle that I'm not working on.  For redundancy, I also place solid objects such as bricks solidly under any raised wheels that I lift that I'm not working on - if I'm not powering that axle while the vehicle is lifted. The whole idea is to prevent the raised vehicle from moving!

[hickorystx]

Excellent safety video. Great use of laser pointer also. Came very close to being crushed many years ago when I jacked up one side of the front to change the oil. Problem was that the lack stands were on asphalt on a hot summer day and the hack stand literally started to sink into the asphalt. Luckily I saw this and got out in time. Lesson learned not to use asphalt. I did redo the job but with wide wooden flat boards as a base under the jack stand. Thank you for such an important yet critical topic often overlooked.

[my-rocket]

A young man in my community lost his life, the evening after graduating with his mechanical engineering degree. Jack failed/tipped.
He’d worked on that same car with my son, in my driveway. I insisted on the usage of:
Low & Solid ramps first
Metal Ramps as second choice
Dual Jackstands third
Solidly block every wheel remaining on the ground
I can’t imagine the pain his parents are having.
A month later, it was hard to not think of him when I jacked up my car for brake work. Wife gave me the stink eye until I put the tall ramps under the side rails in case a jackstand Harbor Freighted on me.

[DavidKHill]

Very informative. I've been working on vehicles for 40 years and Eric does a good job in illustrating this safety tip in jacking up your car. I can't say that I didn't learning anything new.
Thanks Eric!

[giddycat]

"If you jack in the wrong place bad things will happen"
-ErikTheCarGuy 2017

[andrewelliott]

I cannot imagine why there is such heavy-handed criticism of this video. I suspect a generation of selfish individuals lacking the capacity to care about the learning of others. There are people who will comment many years later after they began their repair endeavors in front of one of this man's videos. Were it not for 6-7 major producers on youtube, and my dad's advice, I would not have repaired half of what I've done. You pros, read one of your dusty, forsaken manuals if you're "bored" here. I'm sure you'll find big, complicated words and terminology to better suit your needs. Lay off this man!
-Thanks for the details sir and best regards from those of us who care for proper technique! And for goodness sake, recommend a good shower between every 5th-6th "stay dirty."