How do you safely lift an E Class MB without a garage lift?

[LGGVW]

I am hoping to be forgiven for not knowing this, but the fact is experience levels vary and mine are not great as I have always used garage services.

Obviously I do know how to lift a corner to change a tyre.

But a different beast entirely is to lift the whole car on all 4 points, without having one of those platform lifts we see in any garage.

I understand the logic, I believe... Presumably by lifting one end first with an hydraulic jack and place 2 wide-base props (aka "Axle-Stands") under that end. Let the car rest on them and lower/remove the hydraulic jack. Then go to the opposite end, jack up that end and when level, shove another 2 wide-base Axle-Stands under that end. Then lower the jack to let that end rest on the props as was done for the first end.

But... And this is a big BUT (!), the devil might be in the detail, so what sounds fairly simple might actually be trickier and if we do not know the detail, we risk landing in hot water. The most obvious is the area needs to be flat and level. But that is nowhere near enough... Here are some examples:

1. Where exactly in the middle does the hydraulic jack need to be to lift the whole end and stay balanced?
2. Is there a dedicated support point to get the hydraulic jack to touch the under-chassis so the lift is safe and fully supported?
3. Once one end is jack-lifted, where precisely should the axle-stands go? Should the far ends of the axle rest on them, or as wee in the garage, the 4 points near the wheel arches? Or are there 4 dedicated points to use?

So the end not yet lifted would have to be lifted following similar procedure as for the first end, similar support points, etc, but here too the devil is in the detail:

1. With one end already lifted, lifting the other end presumably equates to lifting the full weight of the car off the ground with a hydraulic jack positioned at the dead centre of the side we are going to lift, so now the precise point under the chassis the hydraulic jack lift point needs to touch is even more critical;
2. The props or axle-stands positioning is also critical.

Could the more experienced bring some practical light into it, please?

 

[Gollom]

And what is wrong with bricks? Seriously though.........

Great question! I don't l know the answer myself, but someone will be along soon....

 

[ChrisEdu]

I'm seriously looking at investing in a system from Quick Jack. They seem a really good way of lifting a car for home mechanics.

 

[LGGVW]

I'm seriously looking at investing in a system from Quick Jack. They seem a really good way of lifting a car for home mechanics.

QuickJack seems a good option, but at an average £1700 per unit, the investment depends on whether you would use it regularly and have a lockable garage where to keep it safe.

At the moment I have a level flat drive, wide enough to fit a garage capable of housing a MB E-Class, but it would have to be a metal garage as brick is not an option as I have a max. 3.1 meters width and 6.0 meters length, flat, level and with a solid concrete and tarmac base. But it cannot be assumed the Council would give permission because the position is front to the road, so a Carport is the most likely option to pass Council Permission regulations.​

 

[ChrisHGTV]

To be honest ive given up trying to get mine completely off the ground so i'd be interested in this. So far ive just done one side at a time and used the sill jacking points. The central point at the front is quite a way in. They are heavy cars - the one time i considered using the jack that comes with the car (just to take a wheel off) it started to sink into the tarmac drive!

 

[W1ghty]

There is a rubber pad in the middle front under the engine for jacking .
You can also Jack under the rear diff .
Buy a 3 ton Jack with a larger round Jack pad on it . Mine is an SGS one .

3 Ton Heavy Duty Trolley Jack with 465mm Lifting Height

Designed for serious car enthusiasts and hobbyists, this is a 3 ton heavy duty trolley jack perfect for home garages and workshops. The TJ3X will lift a larger vehicle, such as a fully loaded van or 4x4 with a gross vehicle capacity of 3.5 tonne.

www.sgs-engineering.com

Drive or reverse the car onto wheel ramps , then Jack under the diff or front rubber pad and place 2 axle stands under the side sill points .
Job done

 

[W1ghty]

And what is wrong with bricks? Seriously though.........

Great question! I don't l know the answer myself, but someone will be along soon....

They are brittle and give no warning when they fail .

 

[W1ghty]

You buy rubber pads that fit the sill slots for the top of the axle stands (eBay )

Pardon our interruption...

This is the sort of thing , but the axle stand ones have a slot in the bottom as well

 

[ChrisHGTV]

You buy rubber pads that fit the sill slots for the top of the axle stands (eBay )

Pardon our interruption...

This is the sort of thing , but the axle stand ones have a slot in the bottom as well

Ive got these - they do seem to squish a bit but seem fine in use.

 

[ChrisEdu]

Ive got these - they do seem to squish a bit but seem fine in use.

I use rubber hockey pucks!

As for jacking on the rear dif. that can be a bit of a contentious issue.

 

[OneForTheRoad]

Ive got these - they do seem to squish a bit but seem fine in use.

I place a bit wood under it then jack it up , doesn't get squashed as much.

 

[ChrisHGTV]

I use rubber hockey pucks!

As for jacking on the rear dif. that can be a bit of a contentious issue.

These jack pads are actually made from ice hockey pucks. Not difficult to make yourself actually. I seem to use ice hockey pucks for all kinds of things! Good, dense rubber and easy to cut and shape.

Yes i'd be nervous about jacking on anything aluminium to be honest - the diff doesn't look that strong to me.

 

[ChrisEdu]

It would be nice if manufacturers thought a bit more about people needing to jack-up their car. It would be really useful to have more / larger jack points at the sides and both ends, that are structurally secure and easy to access.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

They are brittle and give no warning when they fail .

Amen. Under no circumstances put a bit of human under a car supported by bricks or concrete blocks, nor on Jack stands stood on asphalt.

It was dangerous when cars weighed less than a tonne and it’s no safer now that they weigh closer to two tonnes

What are you trying to do, how long do you need to support it for?

Have you considered renting a bay?

 

[ChrisEdu]

Could always park over a pothole and climb on down to use it like an inspection pit!

 

[ray_hennig]

Under no circumstances put a bit of human under a car supported by bricks or concrete blocks

I've seen this. Suicidal. Never.

R

 

[W1ghty]

These jack pads are actually made from ice hockey pucks. Not difficult to make yourself actually. I seem to use ice hockey pucks for all kinds of things! Good, dense rubber and easy to cut and shape.

Yes i'd be nervous about jacking on anything aluminium to be honest - the diff doesn't look that strong to me.

I know what you mean with the diff , but my SGS 3 ton Jack has a big enough plate with rubber in it that it doesn’t metal to metal contact when it lifts the car . Between both cars I’ve jacked them 30 times with no issues .
I don’t know if there is another method of a central lift option on the rear without using the diff ?

 

[OneForTheRoad]

I know what you mean with the diff , but my SGS 3 ton Jack has a big enough plate with rubber in it that it doesn’t metal to metal contact when it lifts the car . Between both cars I’ve jacked them 30 times with no issues .
I don’t know if there is another method of a central lift option on the rear without using the diff ?

If you just lift then use stands ,using the diff maybe ok. There's not many places at the rear of any mercs to put stands tbh. I have 2 trolley jacks ,I use 1 to get it up and the other I put under a rear suspension component to take the weight . Pita tbh .

 

[ALFAitalia]

I know what you mean with the diff , but my SGS 3 ton Jack has a big enough plate with rubber in it that it doesn’t metal to metal contact when it lifts the car . Between both cars I’ve jacked them 30 times with no issues .
I don’t know if there is another method of a central lift option on the rear without using the diff ?

Its not so much the metal to metal contact that is the issue as much as the distortion that can occur when lifting a car on an alloy dif. My Grand Cherokee (WJ solid axle shape) was one of the first Jeeps with an alloy pumpkin...the handbook warned against lifting on it....but unfortunately since many owners of older models with steel dif casings lifted these heavy cars there without thinking about it, they continued to do so on the new ones without reading the handbook. Quite a few case of distorted alloy cases over on the Jeep forum....which means a new axle.

 

[OneForTheRoad]

You can stand on an egg and not break it.