Be Careful When Working on Your Car

Discuss any maintenance you've done to your Vibe & Matrix and ask how to perform maintenance on your vehicle
Post Reply
Whelan
Posts: 3980
Joined: Tue Jan 23, 2007 10:30 pm

Be Careful When Working on Your Car

Post by Whelan »

I just read an article in my local paper about a man who was crushed by his car while working underneath it. He was using a scissor jack which is a HUGE NO NO!I always block my wheels, set the parking brake, car in park and use a deisgnated 3 ton jack and jack stands. There is a reason they hacve equipment for this work. It sucks he died but I would never be under a car on scissor jacks. I would just assume pull up onto a raised curb.
2012 GLI Autobahn 6MT
Wolfman213
Posts: 1377
Joined: Fri Sep 05, 2008 12:58 am
Location: Anderson, IN

Post by Wolfman213 »

There was another guy that I heard about on Bob & Tom this morning that while looking underneath his truck, with it running and in neutral and the drivers door open, his dog jumped in and managed to get it in gear. It ran over his left side, but was not severely hurt.It just seems like a little commen sense can go a long ways. But we tend to get complacent in things we do, me included, and it takes something like this to give us a lil reality check.
April 2010 Co-MOTM * Custom LED Gauge Cluster swap * LED dome, HVAC, and shifter * Retrofit projector w/ blue halo * Kenwood KDC-HD942U * Herculined cargo area * Debadged *Wolfman's Garage
BlueCrush
Posts: 8272
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 9:47 am
Location: Twin Cities, MN

Re: Be Careful When Working on Your Car (Whelan)

Post by BlueCrush »

Yeah, I ALWAYS use wheels chocks, parking brake & Jack stands(or metal ramps) when working under my car. Even then I am still not very comfortable under there sometimes.
My Fleet:
'15 Ford Fusion AWD Titanium 2.0 Tutbo
'14 Lincoln MXZ AWD 2.0 Turbo
'14 Nissan Pathfinder AWD SL
'05 Pontiac Vibe AWD
cptnsolo77
Posts: 1645
Joined: Sun Jul 29, 2007 4:05 am

Post by cptnsolo77 »

I always put the parking brake on & i NEVER use a scissor jack....even for a oil change. If im going to do something where im going to be under the car for a while I will pull out my jack stands, wheel chocks & pull out the spare tire & place it flat near the jack....if all fails I might have some room to squeeze out LOL. Thank fully the Vibe is an easy car to do oil changes. I dont really have to do under the car. Just enough to reach over for the drain plug & filter.
* 2003 Vibe Auto Satellite Silver w / Moons & Tunes
* Kenwood Excelon KDC-X597
* Polk DB651-Speakers
* Soundproofcow Roadblock R sound deadening in all doors
* Drop In K & N Filter
* NGK Iridium IX Plugs
* 27 MPG City/Highway with AC on
Houston
Posts: 787
Joined: Fri Nov 01, 2002 3:04 am

Re: Be Careful When Working on Your Car (Whelan)

Post by Houston »

Back in the '70s while I was working at Buick, a co-worker watched as the vehicle her husband was working on fell on him. I can't imagine a worse memory than the one she has of watching her husband being crushed to death. And all because of carelessness. Be careful out there.
2009 Base 2.4L with a few add-ons.
zionzr2
Posts: 3174
Joined: Tue Jul 27, 2004 4:59 am
Location: Austin, TX

Post by zionzr2 »

i absolutely hate scissor jacks!!I have had to change tires on cars at work. (Car rental Company)I had one car fall off the jack twice! Fortunately, I was not under anything and the tire I was changing was still on the car so no damage was done. I keep a bottle jack in my car and won't use the scissor jack.
Post Reply