Wouldn't a lift would pay for for itself in a heartbeat?

[The motor guy]

Most things seem to be more accessible from underneath vs trying to learn over from the top. It's amazing how many jobs I end up paying someone to do because its too hard or dangerous to do laying underneath. Or you end up tweaking a muscle or something becaise you're in a weird position trying to install something. Obviously it would take a few jobs to pay for it, but over the years I think it would become priceless. Opinions?

 

[02SE]

I don't know about paying for itself, but I valued having a 2-post lift enough, that I had one installed when the garage and house were built years ago.

 

[Kurtatron]

Hah. No. Lift is like 8k+. That’s a lot of automotive jobs you’d need to perform to rationalize that. What you working on, a Bentley? Sounds penny wise, pound foolish to me.

 

[SC Maintenance]

I suppose it depends on the vehicle. Engine out on FWD these days involves dropping the subframe. I don't think I have done that any jobs on my Nissan's that made a lift required, or at least I didn't require them. But I am still nimble enough to get under without issue.

 

[ClutchDisc]

Not everyone has a garage tall enough for a lift either… so add garage remodeling to that cost too…

 

[clinebarger]

You can buy a used lift pretty cheap, Most driveways & garage pours will NOT support a 10K 2-post lift which is the minimum for a diesel 2500 truck.

 

[dogememe]

What am I going to do on my cars, add washer fluid?

But seriously, if you own a home with a garage that’s suitable for a lift (height, floor, etc) you can probably afford to take your car to a shop.

I think that’s why that’s pretty rare.

 

[Lubener]

A lift is a convienience thing to me. I have gotten away for around 45 years without a vehicle lift using a jack and jackstands. For someone who works on cars for a living or hobby, I can justify a vehicle lift.

 

[CarLuver]

a lift is one of the things i want to have in my next home , which will be in a year or two . either in the garage or work shop . when i was a young man i was poor, could not afford a lift so did everything on jackstands . My back is no longer what it was when i was young .

Now that i am older and can afford one , i will get one in a heartbeat . there are plenty of new and used lifts out there .

 

[The motor guy]

a lift is one of the things i want to have in my next home , which will be in a year or two . either in the garage or work shop . when i was a young man i was poor, could not afford a lift so did everything on jackstands . My back is no longer what it was when i was young .

Now that i am older and can afford one , i will get one in a heartbeat . there are plenty of new and used lifts out there .

My shoulder is acting up for some reason, so im going to just pay a shop to chabfe out the power steering pump and reseal the vacuum pump too since im not going to be able to wrangle that whole setup back up where it needs to go.

 

[The motor guy]

a lift is one of the things i want to have in my next home , which will be in a year or two . either in the garage or work shop . when i was a young man i was poor, could not afford a lift so did everything on jackstands . My back is no longer what it was when i was young .

Now that i am older and can afford one , i will get one in a heartbeat . there are plenty of new and used lifts out there .

Its also a safety thing. Easier to get out of the way when you're standing up vs laying underneath it once that last bolt is loose

 

[4wd]

Hah. No. Lift is like 8k+. That’s a lot of automotive jobs you’d need to perform to rationalize that. What you working on, a Bentley? Sounds penny wise, pound foolish to me.

Yeah - 3/4’s of my vehicles will go up 4 ramps if I need a bit more space - or level for driveline fluids etc …

 

[CarbonToast]

To make it pay for itself you need a large fleet with alot of miles driven to support or a bunch of hobby projects.

If your annual mileage is 20k miles and you have 2 cars. It takes 10 years to get to 200k miles on both vehicles. If you had really bad maintenance and luck you might change transmissions or drop the drive train out 2 times in that 200k miles. That is 4 jobs over a 10 year period which doesn't pay for a lift.

Brakes, suspension, "normal" repairs and maintenance are easy enough to do on jackstands or are topside work.

In the 10 years time your $8k could double in value being invested, the opportunity cost of the lift is pretty high.

They make tall jackstands, get it up a little higher, sit on the ground and do the brake job without bending over. Get a nice creeper and lay down while working.

 

[CarLuver]

There is a lot of stuff in life that does not justify itself , but want it anyways . my hobby has always been cars and fixing them. with a lift can pull trannies etc. . its always been a dream of mine to have one

 

[shortyb]

What about something along the lines of a Quick Jack? No where near the cost or space needed for a decent 2 post, or the foundation requirements. Mine gets the vehicle up far enough to do most any work underneath, albeit sitting or on a creeper. If it's the danger of being under the car, or just plain difficult GETTING under the car, pay someone else to do the work and forget the lift.

Another thought, do you have a military base close by? Some have shops that rent bays with lifts for personnel who need/want to work on their cars. There are also places that do this for those without access to vehicle lifts, tools etc. At least there used to be. I'm kinda fortunate to still have lots of mechanic friends at the local dealership I used to deliver parts for. If it's something where I need a lift or specialized tools for, I just call one and contract them out on a Saturday when they can access the shop. Obviously, I get to "assist" .

 

[SC Maintenance]

What am I going to do on my cars, add washer fluid?

But seriously, if you own a home with a garage that’s suitable for a lift (height, floor, etc) you can probably afford to take your car to a shop.

I think that’s why that’s pretty rare.

I can afford to take my car to the shop and I don't. Whats income got to do with getting your car repaired.

If I could not DIY I would likely just buy new cars often.

 

[4wd]

Just thought of something useful for the pool …
Let me see what she thinks

 

[jetman]

Most things seem to be more accessible from underneath vs trying to learn over from the top. It's amazing how many jobs I end up paying someone to do because its too hard or dangerous to do laying underneath. Or you end up tweaking a muscle or something becaise you're in a weird position trying to install something. Obviously it would take a few jobs to pay for it, but over the years I think it would become priceless. Opinions?

10 yrs or so ago When we remodeled/enlarged our shop we had a 10k# Challenger 2 post lift installed. Game changer big time for me as a DIYer. Also insulated the shop and installed a mini-split heat pump. I have no excuses anymore. Love it.

 

[rijndael]

If you get a lift, you'll also want pole jacks, extended reach oil drain pans, large catch basins (coolant), etc.

If you think you'll do bigger jobs, add in jacks for that stuff too (transmission/subframe table/etc).

 

[KrisZ]

Can your concrete slab support it?