Correct Jack Stand Placement

volksman1950

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 23, 2007
Location
Basking Ridge, NJ
TDI
2000 A4 Jetta
Hi,

Just want to confirm. I jack up my 2000 Jetta TDI at the notched jacking points with a floor jack on the outer side body points and place the jack stands directly behind the jack opposite the notched points on the frame rails. Is this correct? Don't want the car to fall. It seems solid.

Thanks,

Larry (Volksman1950)
 

Variant TDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2002
Location
SS, MD.
TDI
2002 Golf Variant, Reflex Silver
You'll get conflicting opinions, but I've never lifted my car by the pinch welds. And it's easy to tell... because my pinch welds are still intact, and not bent, crushed, or raped of their paint. You can still use the widowmaker in emergencies too.

This is how I lift.



If I'm lifting quick, I'll use the floor jack to lift the subframe bolt.
 

nokivasara

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 25, 2008
Location
Sweden @ Lat 61N
TDI
Tiguan 4-motion, Golf mk7
Variant TDI said:
You'll get conflicting opinions, but I've never lifted my car by the pinch welds. And it's easy to tell... because my pinch welds are still intact, and not bent, crushed, or raped of their paint. You can still use the widowmaker in emergencies too.

//deleted the image//

If I'm lifting quick, I'll use the floor jack to lift the subframe bolt.
X1

Subframe bolts in the front and in the rear I place the jack where the axle pivots, at the bushing.
 

ruking

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 27, 2003
Location
San Jose area, CA
TDI
2003 VW Jetta, 5 M, Reflex Silver: 09 Jetta, 6 Sp DSG, Candy White: 12 VW Touareg, 8 Sp A/T, Flint Gray
volksman1950 said:
Hi,

Just want to confirm. I jack up my 2000 Jetta TDI at the notched jacking points with a floor jack on the outer side body points and place the jack stands directly behind the jack opposite the notched points on the frame rails. Is this correct? Don't want the car to fall. It seems solid.

Thanks,

Larry (Volksman1950)
Actually there are a lot of unofficial ways. However the official ways are the 4 point pinch welds (marked with the indented "arrows") . To avoid bending them you can either buy or fabricate dado or u shaped adapters or notch a dado deep enough in a wood block/2 x 4 to cradle the pinch welds.

You can also use the plastic covered cut outs (you can get puck converters from the holes) to put the jack stands.
 
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Keith_J

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2007
Location
West
TDI
2000 Jetta MT
Be careful with dadoed wood as it likes to split. Especially a 2x4.
 

ruking

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 27, 2003
Location
San Jose area, CA
TDI
2003 VW Jetta, 5 M, Reflex Silver: 09 Jetta, 6 Sp DSG, Candy White: 12 VW Touareg, 8 Sp A/T, Flint Gray
Keith_J said:
Be careful with dadoed wood as it likes to split. Especially a 2x4.
My fav's are the plastic formed adapters, but the ones I used that are the cheapest (free actually) and works just as well are: hard rubber cut outs. Indeed you can use cut out sections of old hard rubber or of old tires for all that matters. After 11 or so years of use, not a bent weld (or even scratched) in the lot.
 
Last edited:

thebigarniedog

Master of the Obvious
Joined
Oct 14, 2007
Location
Fail Command (Central Ohio)
TDI
1998 Jetta tdi
volksman1950 said:
Hi,

Just want to confirm. I jack up my 2000 Jetta TDI at the notched jacking points with a floor jack on the outer side body points and place the jack stands directly behind the jack opposite the notched points on the frame rails. Is this correct? Don't want the car to fall. It seems solid.

Thanks,

Larry (Volksman1950)
Here you go:

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2951609

Please, no wood or concrete blocks.
 

gforce1108

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 2, 2006
Location
Newburgh, NY
TDI
04 Jetta GLS BEW, 14 Audi A7 V6 TDI, 13 Porsche Cayenne V6 TDI
I use two floor jacks at the same time - one on each of the large subframe bolts. They fit in the center of the jack cup.

I also use 2 jackstands in the location shown above (no wood), but leave the jacks in place too.
 

Variant TDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2002
Location
SS, MD.
TDI
2002 Golf Variant, Reflex Silver
gforce1108 said:
I also use 2 jackstands in the location shown above (no wood), but leave the jacks in place too.
Yeah. The wood isn't necessary if you're just jackstanding the car in that area... but it's very necessary if you lift from the center of the subframe. It's a lot weaker then the Mk3 subframe, which you can jack from directly.
 

B100

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 7, 2003
Location
Berkeley, Eastbania
TDI
2003 Golf
I would jack from the rear of my DieselGeek skid plate, if it were always in place, but it's not...

Is there a definitive thread on best jacking-up locations, front and rear, as well as best placements of jack stands, front and rear? I thought I knew this, but now not so sure... I have a single 2-ton hydraulic floor jack, two 2-ton jack stands, and that thing in the trunk (which I use successfully on the seam welds when changing one tire at a time).
 

Keebler145

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2008
Location
Niles, Ohio
TDI
Jetta MKIV 2000, 2003, and MKV 2006 PD DSG
You'll get conflicting opinions, but I've never lifted my car by the pinch welds. And it's easy to tell... because my pinch welds are still intact, and not bent, crushed, or raped of their paint. You can still use the widowmaker in emergencies too.

This is how I lift.



If I'm lifting quick, I'll use the floor jack to lift the subframe bolt.

works great until you need to drop the subframe :rolleyes:
 
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