2019 RDX Acura Jack Point Descriptions & Locations
 

I'm trying to discern the exact jack point locations for the 2019 Acura RDX. The manual shows in a very non-descriptive "x marks the spot" (from a side angle no less) picture, loosely indicating that the points are in front of the back wheels and in back of the front wheels. I've changed tires and brake pads previously, but those have been on older vehicles where I didn't use the pinch welds as jack points. I also never used jack stands previously. My assumption is that Acura wants us to use the pinch welds based on their awful photo and lack of description. However, I could be entirely incorrect. I didn't really see any other good, alternative spots in the area they tried to describe. I now own a 3 ton floor jack and four (4) jack stands. I want to be able to rotate my own tires, and swap out brake pads, etc. I was looking under the vehicle this weekend and took a look at the pinch weld locations near the wheels that appear to protrude a little bit further (maybe a little thicker?). Again, I assume these are the correct points. However, here's my question/problem/concern. There appears to be a hard composite plastic sheeting/covering on either side of the pinch welds. It's possible that there could be solid steel underneath, but i'm not positive, and i didn't knock on it too hard to see if I can make out if there was steel or not underneath. I want to be able to jack up the car using the floor jack in the center of the car (front and rear), and place the floor jacks on the proper jack points (maybe the pinch welds). However, the floor jacks "V" like cavity seems to be a little deeper than the length of the pinch welds. Again, I may be wrong. I didn't take any measurements. I'm thinking that it's possible, when attempting to put the floor jacks under these welds, and when I attempt to lower the vehicle, the tips of the floor jacks would push up against the composite/plastic sheeting on either side of the pinch weld instead of resting at the bottom of the jack stand. Hopefully i'm painting a decent enough picture of what i'm attempting to describe. I apologize if i'm not or just way off altogether. Unfortunately, I don't have any photos. Has anyone jacked up their 2019 RDX yet using a floor jack and jack stands? What was your method? I'm basically looking for the following after writing such a long post:

1) Can you describe the jack points around the wheels?
2) Did you use jack stands on the pinch welds, if the proper location happens to be the pinch welds? Any issues?
3) Can you describe the best floor jack points for the front center and rear center of the vehicle?

Thanks a ton in advance. It's greatly appreciated!

Apparently I wrote too much and people gave up reading my post half way through;) Seriously though, has anyone jacked up their 2019 RDX Yet? If so, could you let me know the specific jack points? Thanks!

I read your whole post, but can't be of assistance, as I have only owned my RDX 1 week, and don't own a floor jack anymore! Good luck, I'm sure someone will be able to assist you.

I would be interested in Jack Point Descriptions & Locations for the 2019 Acura RDX. Please advise. Thank you.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...ad96de95f1.jpg

Q: Anyone use lift pads (A) under the vehicle's front support points (B) and rear support points (C)? Please advise. Thank you.

If I had a hydraulic lift in my garage, I would. But sadly, I have to settle for a floor jack ( C ) under either the front ( A ) or rear ( B ) central lift point and put jack stands under the "pinch weld" support points under the sides of the vehicle.

And yes, I have done this on multiple Honda/Acura vehicles.

Having said that, the rear central lift point under this vehicle is less confidence inspiring than others I have seen.

For installing the trailer hitch, I just dropped the spare and shimmied under there without lifting it. YMMV

Q: Is it okay to put the jack stands directly under the "pinch weld" supports under the side of the vehicle. Won't the "pinch welds" crush with the weight of the vehicle directly on the jack stands? Please advise Thank you.

Yes, it's ok to put the stand on the pinch weld. The pinch weld in those jacking points will not crush. However, the floor will crush if the tips of the stand touches first. You may use a small 2x4 to fill in the gap between the pinch weld and center of the stand if need.

It's fine. They are designed to support the weight of the vehicle. Honest.

Note that jack stands have a little groove in the middle of the supports. The center of the "pinch weld" should rest in that groove, to help keep things from slipping.

The "scissor jack" that may be supplied with the vehicle also has a "pad" that fits around the "pinch weld" support. But this is to keep things from slipping, not to keep the support from folding over and collapsing. It's tougher than it looks.

Some people use a block of wood or a little hockey puck with a groove cut out for protection.
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....L._SL1200_.jpg

As much as I used to enjoy working on my own vehicles, deteriorating physical ability (AKA aging) has unfortunately caused me to stop this. I had hoped to pass many of my tools onto my sons, but one has shown that he tends to loose/break them (although not so much lately, since he became a home owner...hmmm!) , and the other has no interest in working on his vehicles. (nor does he have the time).

BTW, Discount Tire Stores (or in some areas known as "America's Tire Store" will do tire rotations and flat repairs free, even if you didn't buy your tires there. Make an online appointment, and there is virtually no waiting.

Solid Intel. Thanks! I used to have Discount Tire do the rotations when they were rotating tires I had purchased from them. Didn't think they would rotate tires I didn't buy there. Picked up Vredestein Quatrac 5's from Tire Rack. Great tire by the way! Threw the Continentals in some tire carriers for backup. Might get some other wheels at some point and have a set of winter and summer on rims. Buuuut......No Discount Tire Stores in my area unfortunately. Although, when I move back to my house next year (temporarily away), I'll start using them again. Much appreciated.

Thanks Wander for those diagrams.

About to do tire rotation, today. Just looked under my RDX, and confirmed those jack points. They are very easy to spot - the only exposed areas that look sturdy enough to support vehicle weight.

Attaching two photos of what the jack points look like from underneath the RDX.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...f2251e4f18.jpg
Front jack point - center of the horizontal metal bar where the rectangular bump is.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...5c958544f8.jpg
Rear jack point - the vertical metal bar that juts down.

I'm considering getting the necessary tools to do my own seasonal tire changes. In other words, I don't know what I'm doing.

If I buy a hydraulic jack, can I use the indicated jacking points to raise the entire front or rear of the vehicle, without using anything at the jacking points close to each wheel? (I think those are called "pinch welds" in the posts above.)

You could do so, but I'd only pull one wheel at a time, and I strongly suggest putting jack stands under the "pinch welds" for end you have lifted, and lowering the vehicle enough to put pressure on them.

The problem is that the vehicle is much less secure with the entire end lifted on a floor jack with rollers. ( And don't even think about getting under there with a scissor jack or a "bottle jack" with a short handle ).

What I do for seasonal swaps is just jack up one corner at a time with the hydraulic floor jack, using the pinch welds. I've swapped wheels for many years on multiple vehicles, some of them for up to about 15 years on a single vehicle, and I've never had a serious problem with those corner jack points ( knock on wood ). Just take your time and confirm that the jack is under the jack point, NOT surrounding plastic trim or the bodywork of the vehicle.

Set the parking brake, confirm that the transmission is in "Park", and place wheel chocks if you have them. ( Good idea, especially if there is any slope ).

Place the jack under a pinch weld and snug it up but don't lift the wheel just yet. Loosen all the lugs on the single wheel with the lug wrench about one turn, while the tire is still on the ground. This prevents the wheel from spinning and stabilizes it while you crank on it to loosen stubborn nuts. You don't want to knock the car off the jack while the wheel is lifted, especially for the last nut. Yikes. Finish lifting the wheel until it's about an inch of the ground, and remove all the lug nuts.

Swap the wheels, start the lugs on the studs with your fingers to make sure you don't cross-thread them, snug them up a bit with the lug wrench ( but don't fully tighten until all of them are installed ), then do the final tightening in a cross pattern rather than just going around the wheel. You want to distribute the torque evenly, and give the wheel a chance to self-center as the lugs nuts are tightened.

There is a circular ridge on the brake rotor than engages the central hole in the wheel ( assuming the wheels are hub-centric or have plastic adapters to make them so, and this is important ), and each lug nut seats into a recess in the wheel that will center it as it's tightened.

Use a torque wrench for the final tightening if you have one. Otherwise pay attention to how much force you are applying. They should be about as tight as you can make them with a short handled lug wrench, but don't jump up and down on the thing or you risk warping the brake rotors. ( BMW lug wrenches are designed to jump on to loosen the lugs... no joke. That caused me some consternation one time when my daughter's friend got a flat in her daddy's old car, and I got the call :scratch: ).

Now would be a good time to check and adjust tire pressure, if you didn't do so already.

And it's good practice to check the lug tightness ( or torque ) after driving it a while. I once saw a BMW in the middle of an intersection with a wheel off and a corner of the vehicle on the pavement. The driver standing beside it didn't look happy.

I agree with Wander in his post above. His advice is exactly what I would have said. I only lift one corner at a time with my trolley jack for fear of the car moving while lifted on a single point.

I also made something similar to this from an old hockey puck to place between the pad on the jack and the pinch weld.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...a882d5180.jpeg

Thanks Wander. Very helpful. I note that the Acura document linked earlier suggests to not apply the parking brake when the rear is lifted. Does that apply to your approach?

I reckon I would need to buy:
- a 3-ton jack, such as https://www.costco.ca/arcan-3-ton-pr...100317470.html
- breaker bar (e.g. https://www.princessauto.com/en/deta...ar/A-p8833824e)
- torque wrench (e.g. https://www.princessauto.com/en/deta...ch/A-p8533168e)
- deep impact socket set (e.g. https://www.princessauto.com/en/deta...et/A-p8638165e), or at least the 19mm one.

I know what some of those words mean.

Sounds like I don't need to bother with jack stands if just lifting one wheel at a time?

Never rely only on a hydraulic jack to support your vehicle. Always place a jack stand underneath. Safety first.

Correct. You don't absolutely need jack stands if you are only lifting one wheel at a time. But don't put any part of your body under the vehicle.

Of course, it's never wrong to use jack stands, but unfortunately it's not easy to place one along with the jack at one corner. There are sites under the suspension where you could place one, but IMO a jack stand that doesn't have weight on it isn't secure and may lend a false sense of security.

This is my personal opinion, and others will disagree. I'm not saying they are wrong.

Torque wrench will probably be 1/2" drive in the correct capacity, as will the breaker bar. 80 ft/lbs is typical torque spec for Honda/Acura lugs, including RDX. You don't really need impact sockets; those are for an impact wrench, but deep reach is helpful. Those are just longer sockets. A short extension will work too. A breaker bar is just a long swivel socket wrench handle. You shouldn't use a torque wrench to loosen stuff cuz it can affect the calibration, but sometimes people cheat...

Gorilla makes a lug wrench with a telescoping handle and socket set. It looks like there are other brands as well. I also like the traditional "cross-style" lug wrench, but that's personal preference.


You don't need a low profile jack for RDX, that's for low-slung sedans or sports cars, For a crossover, you need it to lift to maybe 14" or so, starting from about 9", because you need to overcome suspension sag. But it looks like that "hybrid" jack has two lifts?

For lifting one corner at a time you don't really need 3 ton capacity, but it may be hard to get the necessary lift height in a cheaper 2 ton or 2.5 ton jack. It really sucks to get the thing jacked up and find out you can't budge the wheel cuz it's still on the ground. In my foolish youth I would do things like stuff pieces of 2x4 in there, but I'm no longer immortal. I have an ACDelco 3 ton SUV jack.

I'm not sure why Acura says not to use the parking brake. Maybe they mean to use wheel chocks on the front instead, because the parking brake alone won't hold the vehicle when the rear is raised? ( The parking brake functions ONLY on the rear wheels ). Dunno.

I lift front end at center with hydraulic and set 2 jack stands under each side. Then lift back and set 2 more jack stands again. Whole car up on 4 jack stands so car is level. Never use hydraulic lift to hold car up while doing work. I remove all 4 tires, rotate to proper location, and then slide them under car as back up while I work under the car. I then do oil change, tire rotation and transmission fluid change as part of 3 x 3.

buy good tools once. The savings from dealership will pay off immediately. You can do the work when you want and don't have to hear the stealership service consultant tell me that my combustulator fluid change is overdue.

I concur. That works for me.

I just swapped my winters back to my all seasons with my floor jack, and jack stands, piece of cake, though my jack was pretty much maxed to get the front wheels off the ground. Was a bit nervous initially, but all went well and will be easy going forward.

You do realize that now it's going to snow 14" in your area next week ...