I can't believe how many shops/tire joints just don't take the time to find the correct place to lift these xk8s & Rs. I was cleaning my car the other day, after getting new front tires, and I couldn't believe how much damage I found due to trying to jack up the car using the wrong point on the body. check it out...



Now granted, that spot isn't marked and I learned the hard way when I first tried to lift my car in the garage. So, I tried to fix the many deformed locations as best as possible...and decided to make it a little easier for the next person...with these







I paid $5 for a couple sheets of vinyl arrow decals from ebay, one variety black, the other white, and put a white atop a slightly larger black arrow. I stuck the decal combo above the correct jack point on all corners after cleaning the surface really well, and then applied a thin layer of clear epoxy with a small brush...the kind you mix before using (Devcon something or rather), its resistant to heat and water, so should last forever. Can't see it unless you bend down, so its not a distraction when viewing the car profile.

Whatcha think?

 

I had 3 awful spots I fixed, after getting my XKR.
One area was so compressed that entire seam simply disappeared into the rocker panel. Took me about an hour to pound all the hilbillism out.
These arrows are sure fancy, I should get some too.

 

My car isn't quite as bad as your's, but my little rail thingy is bent, too. Did you fix you your's? I tried, but that metal is pretty tough and it didn't want to bend back into the proper positing with the little pliers I was using. On mine about 1/8th inch of the edge was actually folded over in some spots and I didn't see any way to easily unfold it.

 

Fantastic idea!!!!!

 

Great tidy-up! And what attention to detail with those custom-made arrows. I love it

 

find the largest pair of vice-grips you have, clamp down, and pull/bend/massage it back out from being turned under. Work on it for awhile, even if you have to pull it out farther in the opposite direction (most are folded under the car) then reshape it back with a hammer and/or hammer-on-2x4 section to get it back as close to original as possible.

 

I was just talking about this subject the other day. I cut some 1.5in firm silicone rubber into 5X5 squares to put between the cars jacking pads and the lift . I keep them in the trunk, in case of an emergency, because some shops have steel jack pads that are VERY DESTRUCTIVE on the lower body, especially when some idiot completely misses the jacking points! (as shown)

I was at the local Jaguar dealer, and all of the cars (XK8/R) in for service (5) had rocker panel damage as a result of improper jacking. I'm fortunate as my car (01 XKR) still has perfect rockers, but I do all of the service work, and at 13k miles It has been at the dealer only for warranty issues.

Jim

 

Here's the arrows i bought, in case you all want to try this. White and Black

 

Great idea, thanks for the link.

Jim

 

I'm glad this came up. My car has the square tubes for the jack and one of them is crushed....and has been since I bought the car. I need to fix that. I might need to use it one day.

It's true that many people and/or repair shops are very careless WRT lifting points. Lacking model-specific information caution is required.

Some of my family members have Hondas and Toyotas and extra care is truly required when lifting those cars as there are very few areas with enough strength to support the weight. They crumple like paper maché. (Perfectly good cars, mind you. But "tank like" construction is not what they're all about).

Clever idea about the arrows :-)

Cheers
DD

 

I too like that arrow idea. Those points are hard to find in the dark and when in a hurry in the rain. Might save a lot of grief in the future.

 

Just be glad we aren't rear engined and have this happen: Lotus Elise falls off car lift at tire store. - NASIOC

I'll have to double check, but I believe that my car is free of problems in this area. The arrows are a nice touch though. With my dark color, I should only need white ones. I don't know how hard it is to jack a car correctly, even if the notches are hard to see, you should easily be able to see where the rail is reinforced.

 

I see this all the time...... Just makes me mad

 

yikes! that's even worse than putting the jack or lift off to the left or right of the reinforced rail section!!!!

 

Great idea!

Same concern with Corvettes, we use hockey pucks to create clearance.

 

i have an american made EAGLE body hoist in my barn,NOT the type you drive up on.i've had many different types of cars on it with no problems.when i got my xk8 two years ago,and just to look around under it i had a heck of a time,its wheel base is so short that i could barely catch the rockers in their proper place.personally i think its more a design problem with general use hoist's.jag dealers i'm sure have special ones to cover all their product lines...steve

 

brilliant!

 

Ouch..that crushed sill area is a real shame...just totally inexcusable. Don't forget some of these shops have totally inexperienced kids changing out tires.

I have a Rotary Brand unsymetrical arm lift. I have to position the car perfectly so I can position the arms under the reinforcements. There is only about two inches forward/back to get it right...I've gotten better at driving to the sweet spot but it took a while. So you know your local shops like tire dealers won't take the time to get it right jockeying forward and back. Very few shops are going to do that on their own.

The lesson here is YOU have to learn things like this and stand right there when they put the car on the lift. If they won't let you in the shop bay then make a big deal about it up front. Likewise...tell your mechanic the fender tops are prone to denting so ask them put extra thick padding (2 fender pads). Just be pro-active about them babying your car.

 

You are discounting the fact that:

1. a professional might drive cars onto hoists more times in a week than a hobbyist will in a lifetime - they know their reference points

2. a professional might habitually leave the car in neutral, thus allowing the car to be adjusted by simply pushing with one hand - it's on absolutely smooth level concrete

 

All you guys with home lifts make me jealous!