Beware of the Widowmaker!
10-16-13, 11:55 AM
#1
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Beware of the Widowmaker!
Hey Guys,
First post, just registered because I wanted to relay an anecdote that happened to me last night.
I live in Chicago, and last week as a favor to my brother, I did a brake job for him on all 4 corners of his '09 RX350. During this work, the garage was open, and a homeless man walked by and started chatting us up. Being this is Chicago, nothing out of the ordinary, so we initially humored him, hoping he would move along. But he claimed to be a mechanic and kept second guessing all of my work(I've done over 50 brake jobs - this is nothing new to me), and was generally being VERY distracting. He finally left, and we finished the job without incident.
Flash forward to yesterday. My brother's wife called me, complaining of a "clunk" when she applied the brakes. Don't drive it, I told her, and I would take a look at it. Apparently I missed something as I was very distracted when doing the work. So after checking the lugs were tight(my main concern), and that the caliper was in place, I drove it the 4 blocks to my place to pop the wheel off and take a look at it.
I am currently renting, and as a result my parents are storing my tools in their garage in the suburbs. Since they had already picked up my hydraulic jack and jackstands that I used last week, I decided to use the OEM scissorjack, aka the "widowmaker",. I figured since I just needed to pop the wheel off, and check the caliper bracket bolt this should be sufficient for a 5 minute repair. Oh, how wrong I was!
I started by jacking the car up via the widowmaker on the appropriate hardpoint, and before the tires were even in the air, I noticed that the jack had a considerable tilt. Against my best judgement, I decided to push ahead. So I got the wheel off, noticed that the caliper bracket bolt was missing entirely. As I was positioning the tire back on to the hub, I noticed the jack start leaning back more and more. Finally, the hub settled on the inside of the tire, and the car stopped moving. THANK GOD my foot or head wasn't under there, or I wouldn't be writing this post today. Also, the tailgate was open, and had smashed itself into the garage door, which also helped to arrest the fall.
We ran to the nearest Auto Parts store, bought a hydraulic jack, and were able to get the car up and the wheel back in. MIRACULOUSLY, the car sustained no damage(that liftgate must be super strong!)
Moral of the story: Even if you are in a garage with a smooth floor, there is no guarantee it is level! My garage's floor is significantly sloped, and caused the jack to fail. Also, NEVER NEVER get under a car supported by a jack alone!
At any rate, sorry for the long post. I was always someone who thought "It will never happen to me, I'm responsible!" But I'm here to tell you it can happen to anyone! Avoid using a scissor jack if you can! And, most importantly, ENSURE YOUR SURFACE IS LEVEL BEFORE JACKING!
First post, just registered because I wanted to relay an anecdote that happened to me last night.
I live in Chicago, and last week as a favor to my brother, I did a brake job for him on all 4 corners of his '09 RX350. During this work, the garage was open, and a homeless man walked by and started chatting us up. Being this is Chicago, nothing out of the ordinary, so we initially humored him, hoping he would move along. But he claimed to be a mechanic and kept second guessing all of my work(I've done over 50 brake jobs - this is nothing new to me), and was generally being VERY distracting. He finally left, and we finished the job without incident.
Flash forward to yesterday. My brother's wife called me, complaining of a "clunk" when she applied the brakes. Don't drive it, I told her, and I would take a look at it. Apparently I missed something as I was very distracted when doing the work. So after checking the lugs were tight(my main concern), and that the caliper was in place, I drove it the 4 blocks to my place to pop the wheel off and take a look at it.
I am currently renting, and as a result my parents are storing my tools in their garage in the suburbs. Since they had already picked up my hydraulic jack and jackstands that I used last week, I decided to use the OEM scissorjack, aka the "widowmaker",. I figured since I just needed to pop the wheel off, and check the caliper bracket bolt this should be sufficient for a 5 minute repair. Oh, how wrong I was!
I started by jacking the car up via the widowmaker on the appropriate hardpoint, and before the tires were even in the air, I noticed that the jack had a considerable tilt. Against my best judgement, I decided to push ahead. So I got the wheel off, noticed that the caliper bracket bolt was missing entirely. As I was positioning the tire back on to the hub, I noticed the jack start leaning back more and more. Finally, the hub settled on the inside of the tire, and the car stopped moving. THANK GOD my foot or head wasn't under there, or I wouldn't be writing this post today. Also, the tailgate was open, and had smashed itself into the garage door, which also helped to arrest the fall.
We ran to the nearest Auto Parts store, bought a hydraulic jack, and were able to get the car up and the wheel back in. MIRACULOUSLY, the car sustained no damage(that liftgate must be super strong!)
Moral of the story: Even if you are in a garage with a smooth floor, there is no guarantee it is level! My garage's floor is significantly sloped, and caused the jack to fail. Also, NEVER NEVER get under a car supported by a jack alone!
At any rate, sorry for the long post. I was always someone who thought "It will never happen to me, I'm responsible!" But I'm here to tell you it can happen to anyone! Avoid using a scissor jack if you can! And, most importantly, ENSURE YOUR SURFACE IS LEVEL BEFORE JACKING!
10-16-13, 12:14 PM
#2
Glad you survived without injury. My VW widowmaker looks like an engineered joke. I hope others won't make that mistake. ALWAYS USE JACK STANDS AND MAKE IT'S ON A FLAT SURFACE. Even with a hydraulic jack, the jack is used for lifting...not holding.
10-16-13, 07:08 PM
#3
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IMO - the jack in the trunk should only be used if you get a flat somewhere and have no other choice.
If you can do a brake job, a decent floor jack and jack stands can be had for less then $100. They basically pay for themselves after the first DIY brake job. Don't risk damaging your car or yourself.
If you can do a brake job, a decent floor jack and jack stands can be had for less then $100. They basically pay for themselves after the first DIY brake job. Don't risk damaging your car or yourself.
10-17-13, 06:41 AM
#4
Pole Position
Good reminder, I too noticed the weakness of the jack on my old RX300.....used it one time for a flat and it started leaning...Toyota/Lexus should recall this jack.....
10-17-13, 07:49 AM
#5
Lexus Test Driver
They all suck and are incredible dangerous. They are only meant to change a flat tire!
I don't see a recall being necessary, as if you use it for what it's intended to do you will be fine. It should not be used on a sloped driveway (wish the Owners Manual mentioned this). Which the OP did so anyway.
Originally Posted by Owners Manual
Using the tire jack
Improper use of the tire jack may lead to death or serious injuries due to the vehicle
suddenly falling off the jack.
l Do not use the tire jack for any purpose other than replacing tires or installing and
removing tire chains.
l Only use the tire jack that comes with this vehicle for replacing a flat tire.
Do not use it on other vehicles, and do not use other tire jacks for replacing tires
on this vehicle.
l Always check that the tire jack is securely set to the jack point.
l Do not put any part of your body under the vehicle supported by a jack.
l Do not start or run the engine while your vehicle is supported by the jack.
l Do not raise the vehicle while someone is in it.
l When raising the vehicle, do not put an object on or under the jack.
l Do not raise the vehicle to a height greater than that required to replace the tire.
l Use a jack stand if it is necessary to get under the vehicle.
l Vehicles with electronically modulated air suspension: Be sure to turn off the
height control and stop the engine.
Take particular care when lowering the vehicle to ensure that no one working on or
near the vehicle may be injured.
Improper use of the tire jack may lead to death or serious injuries due to the vehicle
suddenly falling off the jack.
l Do not use the tire jack for any purpose other than replacing tires or installing and
removing tire chains.
l Only use the tire jack that comes with this vehicle for replacing a flat tire.
Do not use it on other vehicles, and do not use other tire jacks for replacing tires
on this vehicle.
l Always check that the tire jack is securely set to the jack point.
l Do not put any part of your body under the vehicle supported by a jack.
l Do not start or run the engine while your vehicle is supported by the jack.
l Do not raise the vehicle while someone is in it.
l When raising the vehicle, do not put an object on or under the jack.
l Do not raise the vehicle to a height greater than that required to replace the tire.
l Use a jack stand if it is necessary to get under the vehicle.
l Vehicles with electronically modulated air suspension: Be sure to turn off the
height control and stop the engine.
Take particular care when lowering the vehicle to ensure that no one working on or
near the vehicle may be injured.
Last edited by hypervish; 10-17-13 at 07:55 AM. Reason: Added Owners Manual Quote
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