ajkennedy

This is a dumb question, but in working on my brakes not too long ago, I pulled out the OEM spare tire jack assembly, used the pick points per the manual and while jacking up the car, the jack itself slipped out several times. I was so fearful of this happening after taking off the wheel, that I used another floor jack from a buddy instead.

The issue is the OEM jack assembly was sitting on the concrete in a garage (normal surface) and it simply levered to the left (or right) enough that the lower end in contact with the floor simply gave way and slid out from beneath the pick point.

What am I missing here? Seems like there should be a large flat plate at the bottom of the jack maybe to keep it inplace?

The top portion never came out of the pick point.

Ideas?

Thanks,

deuce zer0

same thing happen to me years ago with the wheel off. was not a pretty sight. they are pos! read this: https://mbworld.org/forums/w211-amg/...ds-recall.html

his was a little different, but they are dagerous just the same.

tusabes

funny my MB jack stayed firmly put even on an angle...perhaps bc the concrete was rough to give it some "bite"...if it is smooth concrete like a garage floor maybe it will slip

xexpo

You guys are taking the small square pockets off from the bottom rail and inserting the round lifter part of the jack into the hole exposed after removing the pockets right?
You should also choke the rear wheels if raising the front.
I've used the jack many times and never even came close to slipping.

Corsa9000

Was the jack completely centered when you started to crank? Any incorrect angle will cause instability, a dangerous situation. When working in your garage, it is best to use a standard floor lift jack, probably $100-250 from any automotive store and keep the MB jack for emergency situations only.

With the floor jacks you can use a small wood block to avoid any damage to undercarriage as well.

tusabes

MB jack is the only one that can get the car raised if ABC or airmatic fails...regular jack cannot get under the car

Trinsoca

I have not used my MB jack at all. What I have done is bought a small/medium size floor jack and keep it in the trunk, just in case of a flat on the Hwy etc and you do not have a good or solid surface. Walmart has them for about $25 without case, but Sears have them for $30 and it comes with a carrying case. I bought the Sears jack and just put the jack/case in the trunk.

AH1W-COBRA

as long as the chassis dosent roll then the jack should be stable. absolutely set your E brake and you should have no problems. whenever im doing any task where the jack is the only support i treat it with extreme caution. i personally like the jack and allways use it to lift the car and then support it with jackstands.

Corsa9000

A few years ago, I was jacking up my Audi S4 is the garage to replace a flat tire. The jack started to lean to one side, a very frightening experience, luckily I was able to manage and lowered the car and started again.

JoeVal

Other than professional lifters, the only items which are safe to keep the car up are the jack stands (stationary support posts). The emergency jack supplied with the car is just, and only just to allow a wheel exchange after a flat or blow-up.

It is important for self preservation to use the right tool for the job. However,...