A car jack is needed whenever you need to raise your car to carry out an emergency repair – such as to change a wheel when you get a puncture – or if you need to spend more time under it, to renew the engine oil or replace the exhaust system, for example. Show What car jack do I need?There are three main types of car jack: the trolley jack, bottle jack and scissor jack. They all do fundamentally the same thing, but in a slightly different way, and some types are more stable than others (as we explain below). How does a car jack work?In all three cases, make sure your car is on an even, level surface; it should also be on solid ground such as Tarmac or concrete, and not gravel or turf, which will cause stability issues. Now locate the car's jacking points – your Haynes Manual shows you where these are within Roadside Repairs. Your owner manual will also tell you where it is safe to lift the car from. Watch: three types of car jacks and how to use themEmbedded video  What is a scissor jack and how do I use it?A scissor jack is the one you'll usually find in your boot, together with a spare wheel. It's the cheapest and smallest option available and comes with a handle to wind the arms apart, which then lifts the car up. Position it under the jacking point and wind it clockwise until the car is lifted off the ground. To lower it back down, it is simply a case of winding the handle the other way. How does a trolley jack differ?A trolley jack is a safer, more stable and quicker option and is the choice of professional mechanics. Its wheels mean you can roll it into position easily, but before you do, start by making sure the relief valve is closed – refer to your jack's instructions but this is usually done by using the end of the removable handle. Then it is simply a case of inserting the handle and pumping it until the cradle reaches the jacking point. To lower it back down, take the handle out and twist the relief valve anti-clockwise to open it, taking care to do so steadily to lower the car slowly. What about a bottle jack?The bottle jack works in much the same way as a trolley jack, using hydraulic force to lift the car. It has the bonus of being smaller and easier to store than a trolley (so you may be able to carry it in your car boot) but this means it isn’t quite as stable. Again, make sure the relief valve is closed, then unscrew the top of the jack to the correct length – the instructions should tell you how far you need to extend it. Then position it under the jacking point, insert the handle and pump until the car is raised. Lower it again in the same way as the trolley jack. Do I need axle stands?If you plan on raising the car because you need to get under it, then yes, you'll need axle stands to support the car safely. You must never get under the car with just the jack supporting it. As with any type of car jack, axle stands must only be used on firm, level ground. Make sure the ones you buy can support the weigh of your vehicle. derass wrote: ↑ A quick search shows that the Elantra does not have central floor jack points like most other vehicles. Only the side points which are intended for the emergency jack, or a hoist. That's what I was afraid of. That seems so silly! I wonder what other Elantra users do then (or ppl who have cars that also has no jack spot).I was thinking of just getting a pinch weld adapter like this: Anyone have experience with these?
Oct 5th, 2020 8:52 pm Pinch welds are good, especially if thats whats in the manual.
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Oct 5th, 2020 9:00 pm I've always used the pinch welds to lift my car up, and work on it. I've had all of my cars on jack stands supported by the pinch welds. Never had an issue with any car i've owned. I could see this the pinch welds rusting out on older cars, but i see no other issues than that. If it is rusted out, then yeah look for anothet spot to lift the car up. If the pinch welds have no issues, i'd definitely say use them. For Sale +3
Oct 5th, 2020 9:03 pm I wouldn't bother with that adapter. The jack will be fine by itself. But if you want to get underneath the car (like for an oil change) you need to use jack stands. And you can't lift from the side point, and place a jack stand under it at the same time.
Oct 5th, 2020 9:38 pm This is what I do with my mazda (lift at pinch welds using a trolley jack), using a similar adapter. Never had any issues.
Oct 5th, 2020 9:49 pm Always test your jack before you start what you want to do, especially if your jack can't lift high enough to put a jack stand under or if you just want to cheat and lift the car just enough to change your tire, but jacks can fail anytime even if you test it before hand. [FS] N/A [WTB] N/A +1
Oct 5th, 2020 11:46 pm The manual only mentions using a scissor jack with the pinch welds. And everywhere I read online says to NOT use them with floor/trolley jacks as it'll cause the pinch welds to basically cave in/bend/fold. I have a trolley jack that looks like this:
Oct 5th, 2020 11:47 pm What kind of jack are you using with the pinch welds? And how are you getting the jack stands under the pinch welds?...wouldn't the jack be in the way?
Oct 6th, 2020 12:38 am I've always owned a floor jack, never owned a trolley jack. No the jack doesn't get in the way. If you put the jack a bit further away from the wheel. When i put my car on 4 jack stands. I lift from the middle of pinch weld, and put 2 jack stands at a time. So either left side of the car first, then right or vice versa. I never do one corner of the car at a time. For example, if your car is a 4 door. You put the jack under the pinch weld where the front and rear doors meet, the B pillar. Possibly a bit closer towards the front of the cars, because most cars would be front heavy, due to the engine being there. For Sale
Oct 6th, 2020 1:33 am The ability to use a flat floor jack on your pinch welds depend on the style of pinch weld. You can see what it is by either looking at the pinch welds themselves, or looking at the scissor jack in the car. The above is from a Honda Accord. As you can tell from the flat surface of the scissor jack and the pinch weld in a capital "L" shape, the scissor jack sits on the pinch weld directly. This pinch weld is also compatible with a flat floor jack and will not damage the pinch welds if used to lift the vehicle one corner at a time. In comparison, this is the scissor jack and pinch weld from a Kia Soul (Images courtesy of this thread which also has good info) As you can see from this scissor jack and pinch welds, the scissor jack doesn't actually sit on the pinch weld, it sits on the car body surrounding the pinch weld. If you try to lift the car at this point with a flat floor jack, depending on how weak or strong the pinch weld is, it can damage and bend the pinch weld. OP, you will need to measure the depth of the channel of your scissor jack and buy a corresponding floor jack adapter that rests on your car instead of the pinch weld. This might be better than the shallow Ebay ones https://www.flyinmiata.com/fm-jack-adapter.html +1
Oct 6th, 2020 7:14 am That's the issue with pinch welds - the groove in the scissor jack doesn't damage the car's pinch weld's metal tongue because the pressure point is moved to either side of the tongue when the scissor jack is used. Trolley jacks don't have that groove so their pressure point is directly on the tongue and they will definitely damage the pinch weld without an adapter. I learned this the hard way years ago and learned to run hockey pucks through my table saw to make adapters - and have never had problems with jacking using trolley jacks since. +2
Oct 6th, 2020 3:48 pm Yeah you can damage pinch welds with a floor/trolley jack if you're not careful. Any sideways load/movement and you can bend up the weld. Back when I was young did bend up the pinch welds on my old car here and there Pinch weld adapters are not 100% necessary but will make your life much easier, won't damage your car as easily, and are safer when used correctly.
Oct 6th, 2020 3:51 pm Yeah see a jack like that I would not recommend lifting via the pinch weld directly. That's a recipe for bending it up, lol. Narrow/small saddle on light-duty jacks like that is not at all ideal to lift via the pinchweld. Def use an adapter if one will fit (might not find ones that work with that jack) or jack up elsewhere.
Oct 6th, 2020 5:00 pm I also made my own pinch weld adapter from a hockey puck. I don't have a table saw. Just used a hand saw. It works perfectly for me. Not too shallow at all. +1
Oct 6th, 2020 6:15 pm On your floor trolly jack, you can remove the jack pad and replace with one that fit it. Problem is finding one that fits. What I did was I bought oversized pad and shaved it. Now you don't have problem with slippage, only if and when the rubber pad will crack in half. Time will tell. Can you lift a car with a trolley jack?LEVEL GROUND
Never, ever jack up a car on anything other than flat, level ground. Ideally this should be concrete. Trolley jacks have been known to dig into bitumen, causing the car to slide off because the jack's wheels can't roll.
Where are the jack points on a car?Typically, there is a jack point on each side behind the front wheels and in front of the back wheels. This will often be next to the rocker panels (the metal or plastic strips beneath the doors). Sometimes, there are two more central jack points located just behind the front and rear bumpers.
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Where to jack up a car with trolley jack
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