Is it important will I need to take it to a garage ASAP to have it put back on?Jacking point .View attachment 207461
Jacking point .View attachment 207461
As others have said front jack socket, left hand side! For future reference the part number is circled:Anyone know what this is just fallen off my car?
No harm in jacking there to place a jack stand at the pinch weld. Probably not advisable to leave it on a trolly jack there for a long period as it might distort the grommet by jacking form one side only I suppose.
It’s not the floor pan under there mate. It’s a reinforced section specifically for jacking.
View attachment 207474
Oh well then... if your mechanic friend said so
I apologise, I shouldn't be sarky. You're right, he does outrank me, I was only a mechanic for 12 years. A lot of MQB chassis folks jacking their cars all wrong I guess. Stick to the pinch welds if you have any concerns about using these points.
Of course lifting form the sills is the prescribed method, no argument there mate. Most MBQ cars don't have the jacking point pads that we do on our cars, but many add them so they can have the convenience. Don't think anyone has reported their car bending in half yet
Anyone know what this is just fallen off my car?
I have always used a 'puck' on my A3's when using a trolley jack to protect the paint/underseal in that area I have never had to use the oe jack. I would thoroughly recommend a 'Puck'
As an aside my current S3 came with a steel scissor Jack in the boot, whereas for several A3's now they have all had an aluminum contraption, what have others got in there boot???
Yes, I understand about using something to protect the paint/underseal, but that's not actually what I meant - the question is do you use something to apply the pressure to either side of the seam, or just push against the actual tip of the seam??
Yes, I think that's a really good point about the groove being for locating it, rather than to apply the load either side of the seam. I've got a couple of those pucks for my axle stands as well - they compress a lot, but it prevents metal to metal contact between the stands and any part of the car.I think that you are right, the sill is designed to take the weight of the car vertically through the seam, I do not know what the construction is like inside it but assume that there is a vertical piece of steel which takes the weight and the formed sections of the sill we can see hold that piece straight for strength.
I bought my 'Puck' off ebay and it already had the groove machined into it sold for 'Audi' - it wasn't much, the groove is not as deep as the projection at the bottom of the sill so it gets compressed before any load is applied to the curved sections we can see. I have used mine many times on many VW cars Lupo, Golfs, A3s and A4s so have tested it quite extensively. I think the grove is more for location and works well as that.
Having said that because lifting on any paint represents a risk of damage I will always chose a subframe, wishbone etc. and quickly support the body on several substantial blocks of timber, again because I feel axle stands present the risk of damaging the body if not protected.