Where to place jack stands?

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gregk24

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Apr 13, 2013
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Location
FL, USA
I just keep reading “it’s in the owners manual”, yet all I can find is where is shows the jack points. No where to put the stands when you get it up.

I don’t want to guess and end up ruining or bending something that wasn’t designed to bear weight.

The car in question is our 2021 VW Jetta.
 
Subframe base. Avoid the circle rubber dogbone near the middle. That cannot support the weight of the vehicle, and you'll tear it and break the mount.

Red circle is where I'd place the rubber jack pad. The dogbone is the circular thing up and to the left of it.


img1.jpg
 
You’re not going to crush anything if you put them under a part of the engine cradle/crossmember. Just put them on each side where the weight is distributed pretty well between the two jack stands.
 
DemoFly said:
Subframe base. Avoid the circle rubber dogbone near the middle. That cannot support the weight of the vehicle, and you'll tear it and break the mount.

Red circle is where I'd place the rubber jack pad. The dogbone is the circular thing up and to the left of it.


img1.jpg
Click to expand...
Thank you! What about the rear? These have a semi independent rear setup.
 
Must make sure the surface you're putting your jackstands on is level and hard. Asphalt or gravel can let one or more corners of the stand sink unevenly putting a side load on it in ways they're not engineered for.
 
gregk24 said:
Thank you! What about the rear? These have a semi independent rear setup.
Click to expand...

I have found that most of these unibody cars can be jacked up on one side and it will lift the whole side of the car up. (They’re very rigid) Place the jack under the front lift point and jack it up. Put the jack stand under the lift point in the rear and place the jack stand under the cradle in the front Since your jack is occupying the lift point there.
Move to the other side and jack it up at the front and it will lift the back up on that side as well (basically leveling it out with the other side) so that you can put a stand under the rear lift point as well as a stand under the cradle.
Some cars that have an AWD option have a frame for the rear diff to bolt to and I’ll jack them up from there to put jack stands under the lift points in the rear,….but not all cars make it that convenient for me.
 
atikovi said:
That jack you linked to says 11-21 inch lift range. No passenger car I know has 11 inches clearance to the ground. The one I have is good to about 4 inches. Slides under the lowest cars made.
Click to expand...
The Jack I linked comes in two sizes.
I have the shorter one (same design).

I like your Jack Stand, who makes them?
 
Read the owners manual—you should be getting the impression that you really should just let the dealership deal with all the servicing needs.

I’ve been thinking that there is a lack of suitable jack/lift/support places on cars lately. I’m about to toss in the towel on messing with my wifes car.
 
I wonder if a jack stand cross beam might aid on difficult cars? Jack in the middle and jack stands under the beam?
1665934005454.webp
 
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