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The problem is these cars absolutely suck to put up in the air on a lift. If you put the pads under the pinch welds, you run the danger of clipping the ground effects and damaging them...and I find the pinch welds can't handle the weight of the car without damaging them. Also the bottom of the car is covered in plastic and insulation - it makes it very hard to find the frame - but if you push the arms towards the exhaust system, they are there. Another thing...these cars are wide, it makes it very hard to center them between the posts and you're always having to move the car around to correct the angle you need to center it properly.
I did this to my first LS (but not as bad) before I realized that you need to lift from the center. I agree that you should put some rust inhibiter (or rustolium) on it. Although it's a common lift point, a repair shop should have known better.
I took and old hockey puck and cut a big slit in it . The puck then sits on the pad of my floor jack and distributes even pressure around the pinch weld/lift point. Like this:
I took and old hockey puck and cut a big slit in it . The puck then sits on the pad of my floor jack and distributes even pressure around the pinch weld/lift point. Like this:
Yeah I saw this kind of solution. Seems like I would need to bring them each time I go to a garage
This part of the car is such a bad design, why can't they just put a nice round area like they do on each side on the back. I know your supposed to lift the car somewhere between the wheel, but guess what, about any garage nowadays use retrofitted lift with 4 arms. Can't believe there is no mandatory standard for this yet.
I took and old hockey puck and cut a big slit in it . The puck then sits on the pad of my floor jack and distributes even pressure around the pinch weld/lift point.
And the best part is in the winter when he can't work on his car, he knows where to find his hockey puck!
And the best part is in the winter when he can't work on his car, he knows where to find his hockey puck!
Unfortunately, (or fortunately depending on your point of view), we don't get much of a winter here in the Pacific Northwest. Lots of rain though. So the hockey puck stays right where it is!
Any good body shop can fix it. In the US, the shop would be liable. Not sure about Canada. I would take some pictures and send them with a written request to pay the repair estimate. If they refused I would take them to small claims court.
Those things bend easily on most cars. You can take pliers and bend them back straight. It makes you think whether you should lift the car by those points if they bend so easily.
I got the rail lip unbent today and we noticed the rocker panel were a little bent from the up. The shop didn't had the equipment for that so I need to go to another shop to unbend it.
The shop that worked on the car today had an in-ground lift and he didn't used the rail for sure to lift the car. His setup looked way more solid and he also used wood part, unlike the other.
How long ago did this happen? It looks like some of that damage has been there for a while with all that rust buildup. I have a similar problem with mine under the drivers door lift point. It got buggered up a little bit, but I was pretty quick to touch the paint up and put some rust prevention spray on it...so far so good.
There is a better spot to lift it if you move the lift pads in about a foot and a half from the pinch weld, there's a good piece of frame in there near the exhaust. That's where I put it now to avoid the pinch welds and ground effects.
How long ago did this happen? It looks like some of that damage has been there for a while with all that rust buildup. I have a similar problem with mine under the drivers door lift point. It got buggered up a little bit, but I was pretty quick to touch the paint up and put some rust prevention spray on it...so far so good.
There is a better spot to lift it if you move the lift pads in about a foot and a half from the pinch weld, there's a good piece of frame in there near the exhaust. That's where I put it now to avoid the pinch welds and ground effects.
Hapenned last week, a bit of rust was already here (there is also some rust on the undamaged part and the rear - nothing major though). There is no helping it since we have much snow salt over there.
Nice innovation with the hockey puck. I actually found one here in South Florida and would like to modify it as you did. Can you please tell me how you made the very straight looking cut in the puck.
Thanks,
Vic
Fort Myers, Florida
2003 ES300 Miillenum Silver