car jack

[Battis]

Not the criminal kind - a scissors jack.
My car did not come with a spare or a jack. In fact, they don't make a spare tire or a jack for that car, just the foam injecting compressor/pump, which is useless if the tire is destroyed (which it was last week).
Anyways, I found a spare doughnut that fits. Now I need a jack.
I have three scissor jacks from other cars. The top of the jacks don't fit the jacking point on the car. I could cut the top of one of the jacks with a grinder to make it flat, which would fit the car. I could even leave a "lip" on the jack to fit the car better. Is there a safety issue doing that?

[gwpercle]

Not having a "spare" of some sort and not having a jack to use to mount the spare ...
Should be against some "Safety Law" ... the can of Fix-A-Flat is not a proper substitute for a spare (even a small spare temporary tire) and a proper jack . That kind of nonsense can leave you stranded and get you killed ...
There outta be a Law but the deck is stacked in favor of the car maker's profits at the cost of taxpayers lives .
I don't have an answer to the jack modifications ... somebody will I'm sure ...
Sorry about the rant ... but no jack / no spare shouldn't be allowed ...
At least the car mfg. should offer a properly fitting safe to use jack and even a spare that you could purchase ... at nominal extra cost .
Gary

[cwtebay]

I can tell you from experience that you need to find the right one. I have had excellent luck by either contacting the dealership or manufacturer. That failed once, but I easily found one on eBay.


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[358429]

Not the criminal kind - a scissors jack.
My car did not come with a spare or a jack. In fact, they don't make a spare tire or a jack for that car, just the foam injecting compressor/pump, which is useless if the tire is destroyed (which it was last week).
Anyways, I found a spare doughnut that fits. Now I need a jack.
I have three scissor jacks from other cars. The top of the jacks don't fit the jacking point on the car. I could cut the top of one of the jacks with a grinder to make it flat, which would fit the car. I could even leave a "lip" on the jack to fit the car better. Is there a safety issue doing that?What vehicle are you trying to lift?

Scissor jacks are sketchy at best, limb traps at worst.

Regardless how you lift the car place a wheel between the frame rail and the ground if you can.

I strongly recommend a mid range or better floor jacks from harbor freight.

I own a yellow three ton daytona hf jack, have used it side by side with the snap on that it is a copy of. My opinion is the hf pump jack is stronger and better built and assembled.

The snap on stands are wayy better tho...

[TyGuy]

It may help for suggestions if we know what type of car you’re dealing with.

Many cars are not coming with spares and tools anymore but usually include free roadside assistance in the case of a complete tire failure. Some models are even trim level dependent. For example, the 2016-2021 Civic LX and EX come with a spare and tools but the Sport and SI trim do not. Instead you get the little electric pump with “mechanic-in-a-can” gel built in. Like you said, if you hit a pothole and blow out the sidewall you’re stuck waiting for a flatbed. I’d rather slap on a spare myself and be on my way but most modern drivers don’t even know how their wheels come off.

We had one guy blow out both passenger side tires and proceed to drive all the way to our shop on the aluminum wheels. Ground the wheels down about inch and a half before he made it to us… and then was irate when he heard how much the wheels were. Ironically, his car had a spare but that only would have fixed half of his problem.

[Scrounge]

Not the criminal kind - a scissors jack.
My car did not come with a spare or a jack. In fact, they don't make a spare tire or a jack for that car, just the foam injecting compressor/pump, which is useless if the tire is destroyed (which it was last week).
Anyways, I found a spare doughnut that fits. Now I need a jack.
I have three scissor jacks from other cars. The top of the jacks don't fit the jacking point on the car. I could cut the top of one of the jacks with a grinder to make it flat, which would fit the car. I could even leave a "lip" on the jack to fit the car better. Is there a safety issue doing that?

Look at the underside of your car, and see if it has marked jacking points. Then either get a jack that will work with those jacking points, or modify one to do so. AND get one of the smaller 3-ton or better floor jacks, and a pair of jack stands that are rated for as close to the total weight of your car each as possible. Avoid the ones that are made of thin sheet metal, or thin tubing. Had one of those collapse on me (just barely not literally so) very early in my young adult life. Also, get a few squares of plywood to set them on when you're not on pavement. That would have prevented the one that collapsed for me from collapsing. You ARE going to get a flat tire. Might as well prepare for it.

I've been driving Hyundai Elantra's for the past decade or so. They generally come with a jack and donut, and a small compressor with a foam canister. I've been putting a full-size spare in there in place of the donut.

Speaking of which, anyone more or less local to me (OKC Metro) who needs a 16" donut for an 2017 or later Elantra or anything compatible is welcome to the one I have cluttering up my living room.

Bill

[Winger Ed.]

I never appreciated any factory car jack I've ever had.

For our cars, I get a med. duty bottle jack, and carry a block of wood in case I need to use it on dirt.
For the truck, a medium-ish size floor jack.

All our vehicles have a real, '5th tire' for a spare.
One didn't years ago, so I got a decent 'pull off' tire from the junk yard and carried it in the trunk-
which it almost filled.

[Battis]

It's a 2018 Buick Regal TourX Essence wagon(think I got all the parts of the name). Great car. No jack, no spare, just that little can of goo that was useless last week. They don't list a jack or spare for that car (per the dealer), but it's basically the same car as a Buick Sportback. I got a spare donut from Monster Junkyard (sent them a pic and the VIN number. Perfect match. Fits in the spare tire wheelwell with the subwoofer on top of it). There is a jack available for the Sportback that I'll probably get if NAPA doesn't have something better.
The jack that I have would fit the jacking points if I modified it a little.
We have AAA and GM roadside assistance, but I'd rather have a spare.

[GregLaROCHE]

You may find the correct Jack at a junkyard.

[Bazoo]

A cheap 29 dollar floor jack and a length of 2x4 to span the body seem and frame or whatever is what I use. Make sure you have chock blocks. I use a piece of 4x4. That’s handy for other things too occasionally.

[redriverhunter]

I use a 20.00 harbor fright floor jack and put it where ever the owner manual says to I have yet to damage my car but do this at your own risk.... When my daughter purchased her last a Hyundai, could not find a tire and rim at the junk yard because bolt pattern would not match. Went to discount tire and got a rim that was one inch taller and tire that was an inch shorter and that is her spare.

[redriverhunter]

the bottle neck jack and piece of wood is a great idea will do the same thanks


I never appreciated any factory car jack I've ever had.

For our cars, I get a med. duty bottle jack, and carry a block of wood in case I need to use it on dirt.
For the truck, a medium-ish size floor jack.

All our vehicles have a real, '5th tire' for a spare.
One didn't years ago, so I got a decent 'pull off' tire from the junk yard and carried it in the trunk-
which it almost filled.

[Winger Ed.]

the bottle neck jack and piece of wood is a great idea will do the same thanks

It's always worked good for me, and they don't take up much space.
Something else I've always kept in the vehicles, is a big RV size can of goo, a med. quality 12V air pump, and a small package of
tire plugs with the cheapie tools to poke 'em in. Also a cheap breaker bar with the lug nut size socket on it, or a '4 way'.

Over the years, I've picked up a nail here or there, and been able to fix it without taking the tire off, and get back on the road,
or top off a low tire until I can get home and fix it right.

[Battis]

The car is pretty low to the ground but I'll check out the bottle jacks. I'll also check the junkyard that sold me the tire.

[358429]

You're going to have pinch welds that run alongside both sides of the vehicle. There's going to be sections where there is greater reinforcements those are going to be where you're going to position the Jack and or stands. The owners manual should either specify or give you a website where you can download a PDF document that will explain this in Greater detail with pictures if you are unfamiliar.

As mentioned earlier the breaker bar is a very good idea. Sometimes the last person to work on it will just send the bolts or nuts tight with the impact gun.

[RogerDat]

I saw a fellow towing a trailer with the street side wheel worn flat and throwing sparks. He had flat and then drove on rim until it seized then drove dragging it along the shoulder until the bottom was flat. I'm pretty sure they were still a few miles from an exit. I would have bet against them making it.

I will sometimes stop to offer assistance but that was in direct conflict with my rule about avoiding crazy people in this case.

[Battis]

There's four plastic pop-in inserts at the jack points that pull off.

[Finster101]

You are going to have a hard time finding a bottle jack that will go under that car especially with a flat tire.

[ulav8r]

My grandaughter is getting a 27" HF breakover bar for Christmas with a socket to fit the lug nuts.

[Battis]

You are going to have a hard time finding a bottle jack that will go under that car especially with a flat tire.
Yeah, it's low to begin with. I'll just find a correct jack.

[358429]

I'm a fan of the ultralight aluminum Harbor Freight racing jacks they're pretty good to have next to the spare tire. They are extremely low profile and reasonably strong and easy to manipulate, they are so light.

[45workhorse]

Teach your youngins (male and female) how to change a tire, if you haven't already!
At home!
Zero dark thirty is not the time to try and find everything to change a tire!
I hate to say it, but your not always going to be there, to do it for them.

[brass410]

I'm a fan of the ultralight aluminum Harbor Freight racing jacks they're pretty good to have next to the spare tire. They are extremely low profile and reasonably strong and easy to manipulate, they are so light.

these are a very good choice coupled with a breaker bar, because you wont have to get underneath vehicle, and they're not nearly as tippy as a bottle jack.

[MaryB]

I have always carried a cheap floor jack, and these days I carry a battery operated impact wrench with the proper torque socket for the lugs. And a breaker bar just in case. I charge the battery once a month to make sure it is topped off after I run it flat in another tool(or the impact depending what projects I have in the shop). They also make the impact that clips to your battery, I used to have one until it was stolen when I used valet parking at a clinic in MPLS(I went up to see a sinus specialist). I suspect the valet stole it, it was laying loose in the back seat of the pickup. The 20 volt battery impact has more torque though! Either is a good choice for a wife or daughters who may not have the upper body strength to pop a lug nut loose with a breaker bar.

[nvbirdman]

I was at my daughter's house one day and my grandson was going to change a flat tire. I actually had to tell him to loosen the lug nuts before jacking up the truck, and also to block the opposite wheel with a couple of rocks.

[Battis]

For what it's worth, I ended up buying a 2-Ton Hydraulic Trolley Floor Jack at Home Depot ($34.00 and weighs only 18 lbs) and a breaker bar. Stronger and safer than a scissors jack, and a bottle jack won't fit.
Never woulda thunk there'd be this much planning to buy a jack.
I did find a jack kit at a junk yard that would have fit the car - $160.00 shipped (scissors jack).

[Tracy]

Another option is an exhaust jack. Basically an airbag that attaches to the tailpipe and uses the exhaust gas from the idling engine to inflate and lift the car. They are lightweight and fold into a small package.

[john.k]

I had one of the airbags years ago in a 4x4 as get out of trouble aid.......blow up the bag,then you can roll the vehicle sideways some.............however,I wonder if a modern car might have some problem with exhaust back pressure?

[Tracy]

I had one of the airbags years ago in a 4x4 as get out of trouble aid.......blow up the bag,then you can roll the vehicle sideways some.............however,I wonder if a modern car might have some problem with exhaust back pressure?

I can't think of any reason why it would.

[MaryB]

I can't think of any reason why it would.

My turbo engine would hate it, might trigger limp mode... lot of sensors on that exhaust now...

[jonp]

I carry a bottle jack and a PT 6x6 in my pick up. The factory scissor was a joke and broke first use. If I had the room in my other vehicles I'd carry one of the HF scissor jacks that comes in a plastic case but the bottle works fine.

[jonp]

Another option is an exhaust jack. Basically an airbag that attaches to the tailpipe and uses the exhaust gas from the idling engine to inflate and lift the car. They are lightweight and fold into a small package.

I've watched those bags life semi's that have tipped over but never knew you could buy them to jack up a car.

[country gent]

I taught all 3 to change a tire before they started driving. Showed them how and then walked them thru it. Found out the middle daughter needed a length of pipe to break lugs loose. They also learned to check the oil, change wiper blades, and check add other fluids.

[mjwcaster]

Not having a "spare" of some sort and not having a jack to use to mount the spare ...
Should be against some "Safety Law" ... the can of Fix-A-Flat is not a proper substitute for a spare (even a small spare temporary tire) and a proper jack . That kind of nonsense can leave you stranded and get you killed ...
Gary

Gary you have to realize that the majority of the current driving population would just hurt themselves with a jack and lug wrench, if they could even find it in the car.

If there isn’t an phone APP for it, it can’t be done.

I’ve been helping a young man work on his van this last week, he wants to learn.
To me the sad part isn’t that he doesn’t know how, it’s that he doesn’t have a group of friends to help him.
In my youth fixing cars was a social activity for us guys, many a night was spent in someone’s garage. And if needed someone could reach out to the older crowd for tools or expertise.
There was always a brother, dad, uncle, someone who would stop by and help us out before we did too much more damage.

Used to be able to cruise around the neighborhood on a Friday night and see garages lit up with music blaring and a bunch of wanna be grease monkeys playing around.


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[MaryB]

Gary you have to realize that the majority of the current driving population would just hurt themselves with a jack and lug wrench, if they could even find it in the car.

If there isn’t an phone APP for it, it can’t be done.

I’ve been helping a young man work on his van this last week, he wants to learn.
To me the sad part isn’t that he doesn’t know how, it’s that he doesn’t have a group of friends to help him.
In my youth fixing cars was a social activity for us guys, many a night was spent in someone’s garage. And if needed someone could reach out to the older crowd for tools or expertise.
There was always a brother, dad, uncle, someone who would stop by and help us out before we did too much more damage.

Used to be able to cruise around the neighborhood on a Friday night and see garages lit up with music blaring and a bunch of wanna be grease monkeys playing around.


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Wasn't just the guys in the group I hung out with LOL 3 of us girls drove dragster and worked on them... our car club garage was always busy, 4 stalls and 1 lift, always had it full with people working in a car for the track or their street car. Beer fridge, and 2 bunk rooms and a full bathroom with shower for overnight stays. I often spent the weekend there working on the drag car or on my daily driver or helping somebody else... music blared, beer was drank(yes we were underage but nobody drove after drinking, crash in the bunk room or on a chair in the shop if getting up the stairs was to much work. Cops let us be, they knew we were safe and didn't allow driving if you were drinking. To get a beer you had to turn in your car keys, they went in the safe for the night. We always had a designated driver available too who would drive you home and the next day come get you to get your car.

I drove a 1974 Gremlin X on the track, 750+HP 401 V8 and a 4 speed, wheelie machine without the wheelie bars on it! mid 9 second car... the stock car was stored there and worked on as needed too but that was the adults in the club...

It was a fun place, we had a kitchen too, plus the BBQ pad outside with 2 grills and a smoker... couple of the guys from bad family situations often ate there to get some food... their parents were to busy getting drunk at the bar to care... we were a giant car family and nobody went without.

[mjwcaster]

MaryB, we weren’t that organized nor blessed with gearhead ladies.

In college my then best friend was all sorts of upset when I let my GF drive my mustang but not him.
He was complaining when she took it to go get us food.
When she got back she said that it was missing at high revs. He laughed and made some joke.
I knew what it was right away, I had forgotten to fully tighten the distributor hold down after resetting the timing the day before.

And that is why she got to drive it and not him, she had car sense from helping her brother.

I let my friend drive it one time, he about put us in a ditch, never again.


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[fiberoptik]

I've watched those bags life semi's that have tipped over but never knew you could buy them to jack up a car.

I didn’t know they even existed!
What next? The 4 tires are extras???


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[Wayne Smith]

At my age and condition I'm glad I've paid for AAA for the past 20+ years!

[john.k]

Back in the 70s ,even used to change our own tires......not wheels,tires....its was easy until car makers put a safety ridge on rims......Nader ,I imagine,...then you had to use the jack to get the bead past the ridge .....I used to buy el cheapo remoulds for $1 each...all the taxis used them........When I bought a new car (Ford),I pulled the engine to bits ,and it had a small piece broken off the block ,took it back to the dealer and demanded a new block......ended up Ford gave me a new motor in exchange for all the bits of the old one.