I recently read in the manual that the aluminum crossbeam should not be used to support the vehicle.
That is the large casting that many things bolt to such as the steering rack and front suspension components.
I've used it to support the vehicle plenty of times thinking it was a good place for a jack stand, but no more.
It really does have some good places for a jack stand so it seemed to make sense.
If it gets damaged it cannot be welded or repaired, it must be replaced. That looks too expensive for my blood.
So where is a good place to support the front of the car besides the obvious jack point behind the wheels?
If the jack is under the jack point, where does the jack stand go?
Does anyone put a jack under the support beneath the radiator?
I have a jack with a bar and two jacking pads. I put that under the radiator (I figure that with two support points it's better than one) then put jack stands at the jacking points but I'm not sure if there is a better way.

 

I put the jack under the radiator support. I haven't had any issues. I think that's actually the suggested place

 

^^ What he said, except I place an 18-inch long 2 x 4 piece of lumber underneath the radiator support to help spread the load. No issues....

 

I have not examined mine but I would think a radiator support would not be strong enough for that. I don't think that is part of the unibody. Not chastising, just a concerned citizen. TM

 

Greg - I do the same - use support under radiator and jack stands at jacking points - no issues in the 8.5 years of doing this way.

 

Same as Sklimii, many years.

 

Stu46h,

Absolutely do not jack the front Aluminium sub-frame as this will put tension on the Vee-mounts and potentially de-bond their Rubber-to-Metal construction. Vee-mounts are designed for compression to support engine load, so you will be damaging the Vee-mounts and trying to lift the engine.

The Manual suggests front jacking under the cross-beam beneath the Radiator (shown below and ref yellow circle location). However, as the car ages and corrodes, this cross-beam becomes weaker and risky.

When you look at the vehicle construction, the strongest body areas are the box sections at each end of the cross-beam (see red circles). When I jack my car, I use a wooden plank to bridge across the red circles and reinforce the cross beam (same as recommended by Jon89 and sklimii). I will admit that I have also modified my plank with clearance to protect the small rubber strip.

 

OK, thanks for the info. I'll be using that beam for my jack more often.