Hello, I just had my 2012 Jaguar Supersport lifted and brake pads replaced. The company, Nubrake, came to my house and lifted the car up by the front axel in the middle with a jack. Is this the right way to do this? Could this have caused damage? There is a plastic cover that now has scratches on it (middle of the picture)

 

Care must be taken when raising an X351 as the body can distort causing damage to the roof.

The correct method and jack points are noted in the vehicle Owner's Manual.

 

I'm not too clear on the description you gave.
The hubs are what the brake rotors and wheels attach to.
There is no front axle on a car unless it's 4-wheel drive.
If the under cover wasn't removed when it was jacked-up, I could only guess that the jack was placed under the oil pan.
The oil pan isn't made to support the weight of the front of a car.
The oil pan and other parts could be damaged if it's lifted by the oil pan.

Like NBCAT said, the manual should be referred to for jacking instructions.

 

Here is the an Imgur link with the video of him doing it. https://imgur.com/a/V3HSbMy

He's lifting on the oil pan?

 

Tech jacked it up here. What is behind, an oil pan?

 

jschimmels, the car should never be jacked from the cross member under the engine. The XJ is only designed to be lifted from the lift points inboard of the tires (there is a pocket behind the front tires and in front of the rear tires). Lifting it from anywhere else can cause damage to the frame. If in doubt as to where these spots are, the owners manual shows them. They are also pretty obvious when you look in the spots I noted as you will see the body of the car at one height and there will be a pocket that is roughtly 6x6 inches (15x15cm) at each end.

What I see there does not appear to be anything serious. Granted, I am more worried about what you can't see. You would need to put the cover down from under the engine bay and see what is above where the scratches are.

 

Thanks you for the note. I will have to take it to the shop to see underneath. The car seems like it drives fine and I don't see any leaks (yet).

 

You NEVER! NEVER! NEVER! lift a car by the oil pan. EVER!!!!! Yes, the oil pan on our cars is a bit more sturdy than older ones, but it is still not that strong. Let alone, you mess up the oil pan, now you are affecting the ability of the car to monitor your oil level (remember, electronic oil level, no dip stick). There is a cross member that is in that general area as I recall. He should be lifting from that. Still, the car was not meant to be lifted by that. Granted, it should be strong enough to support the car. But, no promises. Aluminum bodied cars take a bit more engineering wise as the aluminum needs to be formed a certain way to give it structural strength. A prime example of this is an empty soda can. If you squeeze the sides, they cave in pretty easy. Yet, if you put it down on a level surface and gently apply up to 200 pounds (90 KG), the can will support it. This is what I am talking about. The cross members of the car are meant to take loads going across the car sideways, not physically support the weight of the car. The vertical weight of the car is handled by the frame rails running front to back or the structural part of the cabin.