How to Jack Up a Car Safely

Series Summary

Major car tune-ups or vehicle overhauls are vital to the upkeep and maintenance of an automobile. A car is a complex machine made up of simple machines that have many different parts and processes which must be checked for breakage, leaks and wear. A mechanic does all of these tune-up checks when a car comes into the auto shop. However, many car owners learn how to check their cars to fix common problems without costly mechanic visits. A little automobile knowledge goes a long way in saving money, avoiding scams and keeping cars in top shape. In this free video series on auto repair, an experienced certified mechanic explains how to do basic maintenance on cars. Learn how to do regular tune-ups on a car and how to charge a dead battery. Get information on cleaning wax and tar off of car paint and keeping paint looking new. Find out how to make a car's engine last longer, as well as other tips for auto upkeep.

Video Transcript

"Good afternoon. My name is Tom Brintzenhofe, certified master mechanic, out of Redding, Pennsylvania, and today, I'm going to show you how to jack up a car safely. Now, the first rule of thumb is, the bigger the jack, the better. They're a little bit more stable. As you see, the bigger wheels in it, the broader frame, the more weight it's going to handle, the easier it's going to be to use, the safer it's going to be to use. The first thing you want to try and do, is always try and jack up on the frame, if you possibly can. If you're not real sure as to where to jack it up on your vehicle, your owner's manual, in the front part of it, the section where you're changing your tire, will show you right there, where your jacking locations are, up on your vehicle. Every vehicle is a little different, but the thing to remember, is when you jacking a vehicle up, try to keep it on a solid metal piece of the frame. It makes things a lot easier, but once you get yourself up in the air like this, the easiest thing to remember, is one, always make sure it's in park, and two, for safety reasons, make sure you have your jack stand with you. Slide that underneath, and put that somewhere close to your frame, and up out of your way, just in case for some reason, it would fall. It doesn't have to be in contact with anything in there, but just make sure it's underneath there, in case it ever slips, but just remember, the bigger the jack the better, the better you are, the safer you are, and just as a backup plan, make sure you have your jack stand underneath it, just in case for some reason, your jack would fail, but that's the easiest way I can tell you, how to jack up a car safely."