I was always nervous about this happening, I was lifting my '06 TL from the front (used a 3-ton, Sears floorjack, I was going to do my first transmission fluid drain/fill). Since my jack is not low profile, I removed the sadle from the jack and started lifting. I was one pump away from getting the jackstands underneath when the car just fell. radiator fluid all over the place, and I couldn't get the jack out from under the car. I called AAA roadside service, the guy lifted the car from the side, and had to really pull/tug/wiggle the jack to get it loose and remove it.

Its clear that something involving the radiator is damaged (I can't tell if its the radiator, or maybe a hose?), and perhaps the engine mount in the front of the car, I can't tell for sure (the jack was "stuck" between the radiator and the engine mount somehow). Frame all looks to be fine. I'm kicking myself for not leaving the "saddle" on the jack, I keep thinking this would've "caught" the car instead of letting it fall even if it was shifting somehow.

Major lessoned learned due to stupidity on my part, I'll never lift a car without the saddle on the jack again. My questions for this forum (you're all awesome by the way, always have such great ideas/suggestions) are:

- is there a "best" way to lift our cars? (I'm thinking that lifting one side, then the other is best, but I don't know).

- Do you think the saddle would've kept the car from slipping off the jack?

- I'm also always worried that the jack will be pushed out from under the car (like a watermelon seed between 2 fingers) - is this possible and how can it be prevented)? I ask this because as I'm lifting my car, I always see the wheels on the floor jack move slightly, and it makes me very nervous, is this possible?

- Has anyone here been through this unfortunate experience? What was the extent of the damage?

Sorry that I don't have any pictures, I was too panic'd to do anything at the time. for now, I had my car towed to a body shop, I'd like them to inspect the frame to ensure no damaged (visually,the tow truck driver, and I couldn't find anything wrong with the frame).

does anyone know whether my comprehensive auto insurance will cover this kind of damaged (Geico)?

Thanks again for all the help, look forward to hearing from you!

 

Thank god you werent under the car! Glad your ok.
Maybe your jack points were slightly off. Ive lifted my car plenty of times with no saddle on my jack. Were you lifting the car on your garage floor or asphalt driveway?

 

The jack points are on the sides of the car near the front and back . Look for cutout in the side skirts and the metal flange hanging down is a jack point. I definately wouldn't be jacking these cars from the front. Sounds like the jack probably damaged the radiator. Glad your ok.

 

I always lift my car from the sides, never front and back. The jack points are very easy to find. I park my car on a large piece of particle board then put the jack on that. The weight of the car pushes the jack through the board so it doesn't move. I still get nervous everytime I lift the car. So lucky you weren't under there when it fell. Happy you're fine, feel sad for the car though. Hope nothing is too messed up!

 

Front and back are fine as long as you keep the saddle on the jack. As you raise the front of the car, either the car is going to be pulled forward, or if the e-brake is on or the rear wheels blocked, you'll see the jack move as the car is raised, so the jack must be on a hard smooth surface. If no saddle, there will be nothing to keep the jack under the car and let either move, so the jack slides off the mounting plate. In raising from the side, one must make certain that the hydraulic jack is able to move as the car certainly isn't going to be pulled sideways across the ground.

Hopefully it's only the rad as the A/C condensor is also in the area.

 

I did this once.
I used a block of 4x4 to help raise the car even higher.
as turbo nut explained the car will move forward.

As I was lowering the vehicle, the block slipped and punctured the radiator.
I assume this is what happened to you.

I went to a junkyard to pick up a TL radiator for $100. installed it and i was good to go.

member 94eg! of the forums, had advised me where I could find a radiator replacement.

 

If a car is too low for my ol'floor jack (Sears too), I'll lay out old pieces of 2x4 in front of the tires and drive the car up on those first - - that gives needed clearance without having to alter the Jack!

 

Thanks all for the good wishes/helpful responses!

Turbonut, I had the rear wheel chocked and the ebrake on. I had laid out a thick blanket and put a cordboard box on top of it because I wanted to make sure none of the fluids hit the garage floor. Sounds like,if I had left the saddle in place, it doesn't matter how much "shifting" the wheels on the jack do,the "teeth" on the saddle will keep the jack firmly under the car?

Does anyone know whether this would be covered by insurance, just in case it proves to be more than the radiator? (Geico)

Thanks all again!

 

Can't think of any way insurance would cover the cost of the repairs for an owner's negligence, but coverage under collision would be available if it were an on road accident with a foreign object. Tough to prove that an object would do that type of damage.

 

^ Sorry to hear about your troubles Ace. I suggest getting the Harbor Freight low profile floor jack for $69 or buy some ramps which are very convenient for oil and ATF changes.
I hope everything turns out well in the end.

 

Another alternative is to take the saddle off the jack, slide the jack under the car, then replace the saddle before lifting. This assumes of course that the lift point is not so low that the saddle simply cannot fit.

The other, obvious, alternative is to get a low profile jack. They can be pricey, but I guess that's what it takes to have a slammed car.

Don't lift from the sides if you have any other choice. I've heard/read of the lift flanges bending from the weight. They are for occasional use - like if you get a flat on the side of the road.



Glad to hear you planned on using Jack Stands.

Better the radiator getting crushed than you getting crushed.

 

A few months ago, I was jacking my car up from the side but I was rushing it so I didn't see if the saddle was completely on the frame rails. The car slipped off the jack pushing the jack forward and punctured the floor pan. My stupidity of course.

I told insurance what happened and they covered it. I worked out a deal with my shop that if I stripped out the interior myself, they wouldn't charge me a deductible.

Basically, got the repair done for free, but I consider myself VERY VERY lucky and I will never do anything like that again. I probably won't be as lucky the next time around.

 

this is why I always use jack stand, glad you are ok OP.

 

glad you are ok OP and you too justin but I am not surprised lol

 

i got a low profile jack from harbor freight. Pittsburgh is the brand.. and it works good.. 3 ton + 2 year warranty for less than 100 bucks.

but yea, i never lift from front or back.. ive heard of too many horror stories..

 

You could maybe have insurance cover it but you would have to fabricate yourself a story. Such as you you hit a stump or something?? If you did they would want to replace your radiator support. If it was me I would replace the radiator and bend the support back into shape and call it a lesson learned.

 

comprehensive should cover this. its no different from accidently breaking a windshield.

Costco has a low pro jack that goes up to ~21" high. its heavy duty and feels solid. I use it on my 6K lb truck and my teg. it was under $200 too.

harbor freight stuff scares me, its usually realy cheaply made products that no other place will sell.

 

for 100 bucks for a low profile jack.. harbor freight is your best bet.. ive had this for 6 months and im satisfied with it..

though i would only use it to jack up my car one side at a time see as though i do not trust any jack out there to begin with.

rule of thumb, you never get under the car with a jack just holding it up.

plus it has great reviews and harbor freight has excellent coverage plan. 4.7/5 review.

http://www.harborfreight.com/2-ton-l...ump-68050.html

 

I had a scary moment this weekend replacing my LCA compliance bushing. The car was on the lift and I was trying to compress the suspension by lowering the lift on to a 5' 4x4 block placed under the control arm. I wasn't paying attention and didn't realize the car was being lifted off the front-right lift arm. Well, the 4x4 wasn't straight and the car started moving forward. It was a very tense few seconds watching my car fall off the lift. The car slid forward and right, about six inches. No damages but my nerves were fried after that.

 

Dangerous. Had the factory scissor jack break on me while my arm was in the wheel well above the tire. After it slammed down on my arm it kinda bounced back up just enough for me to yank it out.

 

@Justn.. you should just back away from the car bro.

 

Also front and rear jack points are fine. The biggest lesson here is to do it right, and never use your jack to hold the car up when you plan on working under it. Blocks, raise it up, insert stands, lower slowly.

 

Glad to hear your ok OP.

Just curious but is your car lowered? I'm going to be jacking my TL up for the first time myself to do my tranny fluid and you got me a little scared lol. Saw a few people mentioning lowered TL's in this thread.

 

I think I have the same jack... the Arcan XL35R? Costco was selling it for a little over $90 when I got it. It's a beast of a jack for that price.

 

Really appreciate all the feedback everyone. Anavrin, you're right, my insurance is going to cover the damage as a not-at-fault collision (wish it had gone under my comprehensive coverage as I have a lower deductible here but oh well, I'm just glad its going to be covered). The lady on the phone said that in my state (CA), not-at-fault collisions do not result in an increased premium so a little more relieved at this as well.

The Bumbino my car isn't lowered.

According to the shop, will need a radiator, AC Compressor, undercarriage cover, some bar that holds up the radiator, he gave an estimate of $1,100.

On a different note, is there such a thing as a jack that allows you to control the speed of the release (drop)? I've never seen one but figured I'd ask. Thanks again everyone, this message board rocks!

 

I've had a cheap trolley jack and the aforementioned Harbor Freight jack. On both of them, you can just vary how much you turn the valve (using the lever arm) to lower the car. Turn it a little bit, and it will lower the car slower.

Hope I explained that correctly, but those who already have a hydraulic jack will know what I mean.

 

The 3G has front end and rear end lift points for floor jacks, just google and you'll find a few AZ threads with the manual pages. The rear is the tow hook, front is the engine cradle / sub-frame. I use these lift points all the time, with jack stands.

Never lift the 3G on the lower core support. I've never seen a modern car that was designed to be lifted by the core support.

Get a good floor jack. This is something worth spending extra cash on without a doubt. Mine can be gently released to slowly release. Its a super low profile Astro Pneumatics brand.

 

it's a "learning experience" breaux

 

You must like learning teh hard way.

 

when you have kids; i bet they learn the hard way too.

 

 

Scary stories in here. My car has been on jack stands on the side lift points for the past two days. Where are the alternative points that you can put jack stands under the car that is more secure and stable? I don't want to compromise those side tabs and risk them failing on me.

 

i honestly think the OP didnt place the jack on the right spot. on the front subframe its got a little protrusion in the middle to "sit" in the cradle of the jack. i've jacked my car through the front MANY times and havent had a single problem and dont see how any problem would arise unless placed improperly

 

He did, but he removed the cradle on top of the jack, so there was no lip to catch anything...in this instance, rather than pulling the car toward jack or the jack toward the car, when he jacked, the car was able to slide off the lip of the jack.

JJH, those jack points are double welded steel, they're fine. Those are really where you want your stands.

 

Sounds crazy. Just be glad you are not under the car.

 

I prefer to ONLY use the front and/or rear jack points. I don't like using the side ones because I always feel its twisting the car and just overall not the best way to go about doing it. Just seems like an awkward way to lift the car so I always like to raise it using the sturdy frame in the front or back. Never had a problem with the car sliding off the jack.

 

Do people usually work under the car only after jacking it up? I've always jacked it up, put in jack stands, and lowered it onto the stands before doing anything under the car.

Also, I use the front and back jack points all the time with no problem. The back is interesting, though, since it uses the rear tow hook, which doesn't look like much, but it works!

 

JJH, I've left the car on jackstands for a couple of weeks using the 4 corner lift points


its like standing on a bed of nails. the weight of the car is being held evenly.

 

for my lowered cars i drive up on some 2x4s to create space instead of removing the cradle on the floor jack.

 

guys please be careful, especially on an incline. I've actually been able to change the oil and tranny fluid without jacking up the car. Just need to turn the passenger side wheel to get to the oil filter.