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Wobbly Dave
Thursday 7th April 2005, 12:12
Simple I know - but be safe and don't get squwooshed!

T5's are not light and very unforgiving when landing on your head. I have only ever had a car fall off a jack once and it was not pleasant. Luckily I was not under it at the time.

Please try to jack your T5 on a level surface. Use axel stand(s) prised against hard points to double the security.
You are not supposed to use the scissor jack supplied for anything other than changing the wheel. They are just not that stable and if you must go under the car with one make sure you have appropriately placed axel stands so if the jack fails then the axel stand will stop the car's descent and not you!

Trolley jacks are IMHO better than bottle jacks as they generally have a broader lift surface.

On the 850/V70/S70/C70 there are good jacking points on the subframe at the front - level with the mud guard - where the aft subframe bolt is located. The cup of the trolley jack will fit nicely and the bolt will stop it slipping.

On the rear there is a similar point at the start of the swing arm, level with the front of the rear wheel arch. There is a bolt there to help you.

When jacking one side of the front make sure the handbrake is on - although if you are lifting from the centre of the sub-frame - from the front then having the handbrake on whilst jacking is not always advised until the car has been lifted, as it allows the car to move forward along the line of the lift.

When jacking one side of the rear put the car in gear or P (for autos) and release the hand brake.

The number of axel stands should be equal to the number of wheels off the floor.

Be safe and enjoy your mechanicals.