Hey guys-

I was changing the tire on my cousin's car, and being the genius I am, I forgot to engage her parking brake. After I removed the flat, the car rolled off the jack and hit the floor w/o the tire on! My dad went insane. How bad is it going to be on the car? I'm going to take it in to the dealership and have it checked. I just hope there isn't any major damage. Anyone know how bad this is for your car? Am I the only person stupid enough to have this happen to them? Thanks.

-Burt

 

Assuming the jack didn't have the car 2 feet in the air, it probably didn't do anything. More than likely it hit the brake rotor. I'd check the otuer enge of the rotor for any flat spots or other damage. It should be just fine.

 

I have often thought while rotating tires this could happen and could be a nightmare. Fortunately this has never happened to me. Hope all is okay.

What kind of car?

Luckily it was not your TL or you may have gone insane, instead of your father.

 

You are not the only person this has happened to. A friend of the family was killed this way!

I'm glad you're OK. Don't kick yourself too much over it; you learned your lesson.

You really need to block the wheels when working on your car. You shouldn't rely even on the parking brake.

I'd bet the car is fine. I'm no expert though.

 

It is a 2000 Toyota Camry. All is fine. I drove it around and I actually took it into the Acura dealership. One of the service guys that always helps me out looked at it. Man, talk about customer service :-). I asked him if he'd check it out and he along with another tech took all the tires off, inspected it, and took care of it. Didn't charge me a thing. Anyways, I think you're right about me going insane if it was my TL. Thanks a bunch for the response.

-Burt

 

Well, in a way, I'm glad I'm not the only person to have ever done this because I couldn't sleep last night b/c I was scared I ruined the car. I understand what you mean about it being very dangerous. While I was doing it, I almost had my legs under the car just b/c it was comfortable and I wasn't thinking. Two or three minutes before it rolled off, my mom came out and screamed at me to get my legs out from under the car. I did what mom said and now I am forever greatful. Mom is always right I guess.

Anyways, what do you mean by blocking off the tires? My dad showed me and had me place the busted tire under the side of the car so if it fell, the tire would stop it from completely falling, but do you just mean putting wedges behind the tire? Thanks a bunch. Well now that this ordeal is over, I can be on my way to modding my car (I'll let JOTECH handle the installation tho. If I can't change a tire, imagine the damage I could do w/ headers or springs).

-Burt

 

Two words--jack stands!! *Especially* if you use a hydraulic floor jack. If a seal gives out and you lose hydraulic pressure, it'll drop without making a sound. Unless you're up on ramps, you should *always* place jackstands under the frame of the car just in case the jack lets go. They're cheap and keep you safe.

 

Didn't someone do the same exact thing to their car when installing an intake? Just check your rotors.

 

That's why I recommended putting the wheel you just took off under the rocker panel, if the car falls, it falls on the wheel..better to have to replace a wheel than a suspension component!
Ed

 

Yes, that's what I mean.

 

anytime i lift a car i put either the spare or the tire i removed under the car so that if the car does fall it will fall on an tire and not catch the floor. Thats just me though.

 

I second the use of jackstands. None of my cars go up without them if I'm working on them at home. Where they're not available, the tire under the rocker panel is better than nothing but if your TL is still under warranty don't you have the roadside service for that?
Think Safety and maybe you'll get to be an OT too. Yeah, I've done dumb things, but fortunately, I survived.

OT