Jacking & Axle stands

[jvbates]

Guys,

Wanted some advice about jacking the car (a B6 S4 - although I'm guessing the whole A4 range is the same!?) and using axle stands. What's the best/safest way to do this if I wanted to jack up...

1. Just the front or back (If you were getting under the bumper etc)
2. Just one side (If you wanted to rotate the front and back tyres)
3. The whole car (Using 2 sets of stands)

Thanks in advance.

Jay

 

[colemanlee76]

i would honestly go and get yourself a trolley jack, I rotated my wheels (B6 1.8T Sport) just before its MOT and I nearly C**ped myself felt like it was gonna topple of the jack that Audi supply and if you've an S4 thats even more weight you'll be lifting. You can get trolley jacks in Halfrauds for 10 - 15 quid:icon_thumright:

 

[jvbates]

Hi Colemanlee76 - yeah that's fine I've got (access to) a trolley jack - what I was wondering was where's the best location to place the jack in each of the 3 situations.

Is it always best to use normal indicated jacking points? Or can you use a strong point somewhere at the front or back with a trolley jack so you can place both axle stands under one end rather than doing it one corner at a time? Don't like the idea of having the car balanced on 1 axel stand whilst I jack up the opposing corner!

Also - where's the best place to locate the axle stands at each corner?

 

[trotman]

Jack at the jacking point - then place axle stands where the lower control arms meet the chassis is what i do

 

[Marko]

Jack at the jacking point - then place axle stands where the lower control arms meet the chassis is what i do

Agree. Trolley jack is the way to go then axle stands where trotman says!

 

[BahnStormer77]

trolley jacks are supposed to placed where they lift the whole front and whole rear of the car, so NOT at the regular jacking points (just infront of the rear wheels / behind the front wheels)....

where are the recommended central jacking points? I've not looked yet, but there's usually somewhere pretty obvious on the front, but I'm especially cautious since I know a few people who shagged their rear axles on the mk3 Golfs jacking in the wrong point and I've now got a quattro rear diff there to screw up, so it'd be a LOT more expensive!!

 

[quattrojames]

trolley jacks are supposed to placed where they lift the whole front and whole rear of the car, so NOT at the regular jacking points (just infront of the rear wheels / behind the front wheels)....

I didn't know that! Lots of tyre places do it...

 

[BahnStormer77]

it's okay if you're doing a trolley on each side and then putting the stands in, but you're NOT supposed to jack one corner (e.g. front left), put a stand in, lower it and then jack the other side (so in this case, front right).... you're supposed to jack up the whole front - either on one jack, centralls or both sides at the same time and then lower the car onto a stand on each side....

all the tyre places I've been to just put the car on a ramp, set the lifting points and then just lift the whole lot in one.... all four dangling, completely stable in about 5 secs....

 

[quattrojames]

it's okay if you're doing a trolley on each side and then putting the stands in, but you're NOT supposed to jack one corner (e.g. front left), put a stand in, lower it and then jack the other side (so in this case, front right)

Ah I see what you mean, yeah i wouldn't fancy putting an axle stand under one side while the other side was still on the ground!