How to use a car jack safely | Pal Auto Garage

June 7, 2022 6:00 am

Getting a flat tire on your car in the middle of nowhere could be an inconvenient experience. With no one to offer help and if there is no car service nearby, changing the flat tire yourself or with the help of the others in your car is the best possible solution is better than waiting for any auto workshop. And for doing it the right way with proper safety measures, you need a car jack.

A wide variety of automotive tasks – from replacing the brake pads to changing a flat tire – require the car to be lifted up so that you can access the exact locations conveniently and do the needful repair. Garages usually have an in-house hydraulic lift, using which the mechanics can easily lift the vehicles. But how would you lift your car when you’re stuck in the middle of nowhere?

Don’t worry! A car jack can help you lift your vehicle and change a flat tire like vehicle garages, without having to depend on anyone. However, you need to take proper safety precautions and follow the right procedures while using the jack, as it could turn dangerous if used carelessly. Let’s, therefore, have a look at how to use a car jack safely:

• Find a safe place to pull over

Once you’ve confirmed it is a flat tire, try to get the car off the road safely and as far from the traffic as possible. In case you are on a highway, you can take the nearest exit to the service road.

After finding a safe spot that is on flat ground level, you can park the car and then go out to ensure that the surface is solid enough so that the jack doesn’t sink into the ground or lean onto one side.

• Secure your vehicle

Once you have found the perfect spot and ensured it is safe, make sure that the car’s engine is off and the parking brake has been engaged before start doing flat tyre repair. If you have any co-passengers with you, you ask them to exit the car so that you can reduce the unnecessary load on the jack.

You can also use a brick, piece of wood, or a large rock that you can find near you, to block the tire at the opposite corner of the tire you’re going to jack up as an additional precaution that will ensure that the car will not roll off the jack.

• Locate the jack and jacking points

Once you’ve parked the car safely and are ready to lift it, you can pick up the jack; which is usually stored in the trunk or in an SUV’s way back, under the cargo-floor cover. Once you have it with you, you need to locate the jacking points on the car’s body where the jack engages.

Commonly there are four jacking points under the car’s rocker panels (just behind the front wheels and just ahead of the rear wheels) and they are reinforced metal ribs specifically designed to safely hit the vehicle.

• Position the jack

Once you’ve found the jacking points, make sure the correct side of the jack is facing up, and then slide your jack underneath the point. You can slide it around until it is touching the car and it does not require to be lined up perfectly.

Commonly, the jack will have a wide, flat base and a smaller upward-facing arm with “teeth” at the edges pointing up into the body of the car.

• Jack up the car

Once you’ve positioned the jack under the car, (scissor jack) you can turn the jack handle slowly in the clockwise direction, until the flat tire comes off the ground. You can take your time and just make sure that the jack remains positioned straight up and down as it is lifting the car.

Once the car is lifted and before starting to remove the tire, just give it a wiggle to make sure it is secured and balanced.

• Lower the car

Once the flat tire is replaced with a stepney, and you’re ready to lower the car back to its actual position, you can slowly turn the jack handle in the opposite direction (counterclockwise, in case of a scissor jack) until the car’s tire is firmly in contact with the ground.

Afterward, you can remove the jack and then return it back to its storage location. Also do not forget to remove whatever object you had used to block a tire.

Pal Auto Garage, one of the best vehicle garages in dubai is equipped with the right expertise and technology to repair and restore your car to its best standards. Learn more about our automotive services at: https://www.palautogarage.com/