lamikela1

All the the newer cars that I have owned that are unibody construction no longer have a place to put jack stands other than the body seam welds that are to the front of the front doors and the rear of the rear doors.

My gripe is that for some reason dealers and tire shops don't seem to have what's needed to properly support these vehicles on hydraulic lifts or floor jacks and wind up smashing the seams. Then you can no longer support the car safely. Not to mention that this causes a place to start the rusting process because the seam gets busted and the paint is chipped off. Each time I go to the dealer I have to remind them not to smash the seams but it does not always work.

Why doesn't someone in design and manufacturing do something to fix this. Is it just me or does anybody really care???

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

Assume they still make it, but recalled (and searched up) something one of our CL vendors was making because of this issue.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/clu...ail-armor.html

lamikela1

I have seen products like this but for it to be useful it's something that needs to be permanently installed. If I give it to the tire shop or the dealer to use they probably would not know what it is or may not even use it. I am actually thinking about fabricating something on my own that I can keep on them all the time. I am still thinking about what might work.

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

On my wife's M3 racecar she had a similar concern and also wanted to be able to lift the car from the middle of the frame, so she had a long flat metal piece welded on to the underside of the car along the frame edge.

That's a much more invasive thing than I expect you'd want to do.

AL13NV8D3R

All four of my jackup spots for the emergency jacks are all bent and flattened due to ignorance of the service tech at my dealership. After i made a complaint they said it was some other shop that did this. I told them that since i bought the car from them when brand new, i have not used anyone but them for my servicing needs. From oil changes to tire replacments and even window tinting was all done at there shop.

I just call the tow truck if the car has a flat tire now because its unsafe to use the emergency one included in the trunk.

lamikela1

That's my gripe. For as long as this has been around they should have the proper tools to prevent any damage.

mdr2001

Lamikela1,

I have the same issue and also like to work on my own car quite a bit. When I rotate my tires or do a brake bleed, I like to get the the car off the ground. This is something I have done for a while.

Anyhow, I considered some of the products that are sold but ultimately decided to make my own out of hockey pucks which are extremely durable and very inexpensive ($1-$2 each). I got a bag of 20 for $20 from a friend and use them as a jack pad. I also used my table saw (miter saw can work too) to cut a slot that allows the puck to fit snugly on the pinch weld. it took me longer to make the jig than to cut the pucks. this works nicely and can easily be attached at the tire shop or dealer before service. if they lose them, not much lost.

There are tons of youtube videos using hack saws and other tools, but the table saw did a clean cut with a snug fit. If you have questions, let me know.

ItzFilyO

Mine are bent as well and so was my old Camry. There is no place to put a jack on this car! I can only use the stock jack to not bend them.

lamikela1

I tried using my floor jack to jack the front up but the car is too low. I can't even get the jack under it. I had to purchase Race Ramp - Rally Ramps so that I could get it high enough to use the floor jack. Once I get it on the floor jack I do have home made adapters that I can use for jack stands on the body seams. I've used these on both my ES's without damage to the seams. They are just 4x6 wood blocks with grooves cut in them for the seams and the jack stand.

rld14

You know... If you work on your car yourself.....

Get a lift.

Don't laugh, a good used one can be had for a grand.

dicer

I'm with you, and also show me this pursuit of perfection?
Mercedes has Lexus beat for jack points.
And sorry to say but the use of pinch welds for jack points is idiot engineering, Lexus should be ashamed of themselves for doing that. Even an old VW beetle from the 60's has a better jack point. I could understand a cheap ford having this sort of jack point but a 50,000 dollar plus Lexus come on.
It is amazing that with all the other good things they did especially on the old LS400's that they so didn't give even the smallest amount of thought into a jack point.

lamikela1

You are right about the cost but you also need the space. That is the problem for me. If there was a way that I could do it and still keep the same usable space in my garage I would surely consider it. Also my garage is not tall enough for a lift.

JDR76

This thread prompted to me to check out mine. Several months back, with less than 2k miles on my GS, my two left wheels and tires were destroyed when I had to swerve into a curb to avoid another vehicle. The car spent a week at the dealer for the replacement wheels, tires, and the alignment, so I know it had some time on a lift. I'm happy to report everything is as it should be.