Careful how you jack your Clios!

[Jamess182]

Halfway through jacking my 172 up I heard a massive thump and the whole thing nearly slid off the jack.
Lowered it back down (thankfully still had the wheels on) and was greeted with this.

Photo doesn't show it too well, but what's happened is the whole sill seems to have folded in.

Unfortunately my Clio is too low to get the jack in anywhere else (even using my low entry one), so will now have to roll it onto some planks from now on before jacking it from elsewhere! Subframe or wishbones?

 

[botfch]

Very common problem unfortunately.

Jack it on the subframe bolt to the chassis.

 

[davo172]

If you using a trolley jack get a small rubber slotted pad off eBay

 

[McGherkin]

Yeah, the sills are notoriously weak on these

 

[JB21]

Yeah very common on these. My sills are pretty much flat now.

 

[Mr R.]

I used to drive my Clio up onto wood, i still do with the Impreza.

Or just buy something like this.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SUPER-SA...365109?hash=item542e704f35:g:rKcAAOSwFqJWolPo

 

[chris blue]

Yep. Couple my jacking points are mush
Low entrance trolley jack just to the side of the mushed up bit does me, just for lifting
If working on the car, as said, axle stands on the chassis

 

[Louis]

The rear sills are usually strong enough, but not the fronts.

 

[Jamess182]

There was some loose sound-deadening flapping around under the car, so only jacked it up to reach under to pull it out, hadn't even bothered getting the axle stands out as I was gonna be under the car for 10 seconds, lucky the sill didn't give way whilst I was underneath the damn thing!

 

[Jamess182]

Very common problem unfortunately.

Jack it on the subframe bolt to the chassis.

directly underneath the bolt mate?

 

[Crybert]

I use a piece of wood with a slit I cut out of it made to measure which sits on the jack. Really daft design that they made the metal so malleable

 

[chris blue]

hadn't even bothered getting the axle stands out as I was gonna be under the car for 10 seconds,

No intention to lecture, but Axle stands every time for me even if i go under for 5 seconds.
Someone killed themselves when there car dropped on top of them earlier this year down this way. was on all the local news etc/

 

[DrR]

I’ve never had acar that doesn’t have a crap jacking point. And another thing is when you jack it up there is then never an obvious place to put the axle stands.

 

[JamesBryan]

Drive the car on to some small ramps and then jack it on the chassis rail.

 

[JB21]

My low entry jack gets under my Clio and it's lower than my nans nipples. I just jack it on the chassis beam just forward of centre and one axel stand on the chassis beam just before the a-frame and one on the rear sill or rear beam depending where I'm working on the car.

 

[chris blue]

And another thing is when you jack it up there is then never an obvious place to put the axle stands.

Had this debate on several car forums, and u r right. If the jacking point is a mess where do you go? I use the metal bar that looks like a piece of 2 x 2 inch wood, but is steel. The chassis beam. You wont be able to use oem jack, and a low entry trolley jack is needed to jack up at that point, then put axle stands alongside it.

I carry a standard 2 ton jack to raise the car in cased of flat tyre, as it hasnt got that notch insert, which you cant use if the jacking point is knackered, A standard 2 ton jack, you can place just before or after the knackered bit

Hope all this makes sense LOL

 

[mossyv6]

Thought I would just show how I do mine. Drive up on to a brick and jack up on the bottom sub frame bolt.
Rear I drive onto bricks and Jack up on ends of the rear beam.

 

[Coops Mk1]

I jack on the chassis rail further back slightly so there is enough space for an axle stand on the rail too in front of the jack once I'm at height I need

 

[R3k1355]

I don't think I've ever jacked anything up by the sill, just not strong enough for it.