+1 to that!

 

I don't know about it being a "bad design". "Not DIY friendly" yes, but "bad"... eh... I don't know about that. The MINI, like the BMW E36 we had before it, is not really designed for being serviced without a 4-point lift.

 

Any jack that distributes the load evenly on the jack points is fine. A nice flat rubber pad is perfect. A little bottle jack with a metal pad and indentations on it is not. The jack must be free to roll as the car lifts and geometry dictates that the jack will be pulled in.

 

WTF is wrong with you knowitalls? Try reading the posts before responding. I'll type real slow for you: A notched or recessed area in the frame flange indicating where to place a jack is what I have encountered on every other car I've owned. This provides a HARD contact between the jack and vehicle that won't allow a jack to pull out to the side. Not one person has been able to describe a usefull advantage to having these plastic pads.

Inspecting the Plastic pad revealed that the locking pin is not fully pushed in and the two tension clips had thier flanges sheared off. Yes, the jack was on asphault and was not rolling on a perfectly smooth surface. Could that have contributed? Sure, but I never had a problem previuosly with my other cars. I guess I'll leave the jacking of my car to professionals like kaelaria.

I'm so glad I tried to point out a potential problem to fellow Mini users. Little did I know that some of you already know everything.

 

Rest assured that for every response you've had on this thread, there are probably 10-20 people who have read what you posted and tucked it away in the "Whoa - I'll have to remember THAT!" category.

 

The E36 is worse than the MINI. At least with the MINI they give you an idea of where to put a floor jack. Under the E36, there are vague indentations, but nothing obvious. The on-board jack mounts to a slot in the side of the body work. A couple of companies now sell adapters that fit into this slot to allow lifting with a floor jack (I have one). Even then, getting that car on stands was tricky. The MINI is easy by comparison.

The VW Mk IV is another non-user friendly car with regards to jacking. The factory jack cradles the seem between the rocker panel and the floor pan. Again, the aftermarket is selling a urethane adapter to cradle the seem when using a floor jack (I have one of these as well).

Why did they put the plastic spacers? Probably to clear the side body work. Additionally, a solid mount might hang low and could be a catch-hazard. Better to rip off the sacrificial plastic blocks, than do structural damage to the body. And the plastic spacers are fine for the vertical loads from a service lift - which is what they are intended for. I doubt DIY service was part of the design criteria.

I do agree repeated side-loading could be an issue and something I will pay attention to when lifting the MINI again. Some day I'll have a lift.

 

see the smiley?

Using a standard jack on the pinch welds can bend/collapse/separate the welds. Factory jacks have a recess which conforms to the pinch weld so the force is not directly on the edge of the pinched portion. Using the joke of a factory jack in any more than emergency situations is not recommended. Mini has conveniently provided jack points which are 1. appropriately placed and 2. replaceable in the event of damage/deterioration, and 3. suitable for use with regular floor jacks.

 

Rest assured that for every response you've had on this thread, there are probably 10-20 people who have read what you posted and tucked it away in the "Whoa - I'll have to remember THAT!" category. __________________

BTW, I am one of the above people that read this post and said to myself "Whoa - I'll have to remember THAT!". My 2006 MCS is on order so I cant look at the jacking points on my car yet, but it doesnt make a lot of sense to me that they would be plastic. Also, as well as you, ALL my other cars have had a jack point hole built into the frame and not on a plastic thingy. I for one appreciate this post VERY much.

 

dang, i didn't know I can have so much fun jacking my car.

 

Yes, like when they break free.


If Mini only intended these points to be used by a lift or the POS factory jack then that is a BAD design. No one at MINI has ever used a floor jack? Please.

It's one thing to have a part that might break off, it's another to have a part that might break off and DROP YOUR CAR. I think one would rather chance the tiny risk of bending their pinch welds as I risked on my MkIV GTI. Never bent them and certainly never dropped the car.

 

To reiterate something I've stated now a number of times, the stock plastic jack points are fine for use with a proper floor jack only when used correctly. The jack should be free to roll - that's why it has wheels.

 

Oh, I see, your right. I'll be sure to bring a smooth concrete pad anywhere I need to jack my car.

It's a friction issue. What will give out first when faced with some friction: The plastic jack point or a metal flange?

 

Of course, jacking this car is a lot trickier than your average car. If it is not done correctly it can definitely be dangerous. I am very careful when I jack mine.

Just ignore the folks who are trying to boost their egos at your expense on this thread. As someone else said, I bet their are 10-20 people who will be much more carefull in the future now that they've read this. I sure was after I saw that old thread from 2002 about the car that slid off.

 

My '02 MCS will slide off the stand when I'm jacking up the 2nd side. The way I do it is to jack one side and slide some 2x4's under the wheel. Repeat on the other side. Then jack up from where Randy says (with a piece of wood to cushon the frame and put a jack stand under the jacking point. This way, your not creating such a big difference in the heights of the sides. The rear is easy (especially with the H-Sport comp) and all you have to do is jack one side from the factory point and put a jackstand under the other side. I just leave the jack snug against the jacking point once that jackstand is under the other side.

 

Oh, you're right...it's Mini's fault that you are trying to be a mechanic and not use the tools properly. It's not YOUR FAULT that you are improperly jacking the car. Got it.

Real simple...the car is designed to be jacked a specific way. Deviating from that way is unsafe and irresponsible. Don't blame anyone but the user for a fault.

If the car was lifted properly (which it was NOT) there would be no issue, period.

If you can't operate your floor jack in the correct manner, use the Mini jack, that's what it's there for. If you need more lift, and don't have the proper equipment or space - take it to a REAL MECHANIC who does. Don't whine and blame others, then post sarcastic remarks about not having the right equipment, like it should have been designed to work with whatever you have.

 

rfletch,

I've had a Mustang come down nearly cutting my arms off when I used a bottle jack some 20 years ago. The frame rails were covered with undercoating, which were hiding the rust damage. The bottle jack went right through, creating a perfect hole in the steel!

Thanks for the tip.

 

Ok you can bring a concrete pad if you'd like. Otherwise, keeping the jack wheels lubed and the jack surface free of debris/rocks/depressions would certainly help.

I've seen the same kind of USER ERROR posts on every car board I'm a member of, no matter what brand or whether they have metal, plastic, or unobtanium jack points. Kaelaria is right - if you're using a My First Craftsman jack, perhaps you ought to stick to jacking up your Big Wheel.



Make no mistake about it - this thread is valuable. It is valuable because those who know what they're doing have weighed in, not because a know-not has blamed Mini for his wrenching skill shortcomings. If you don't have experience working with cars, PLEASE be careful and follow certain protocols (ALWAYS use a jack stand when working under the car, ALWAYS jack on level ground and allow the jack to move freely under the car's weight, etc) or leave the work to a professional.

 

I guess the only thing that got JACKED UP improperly was the DEALER!

Quote:
WTF is wrong with you knowitalls? Try reading the posts before responding. I'll type real slow for you:

Looks like this subject has been covered fully. I truly was concerned about you jacking you car up (and now possibly killing somebody). But what got my attention was the liability part and your not understanding what went wrong. We keep hammering on you because it is important.

PS: I DO type really slow. This took a lot of effort but your worth it!

EDIT: In the time it took me to type this the guy above me poste a pic of a BIG Wheel and said it better than I could have!!! Glad to add the dealer remark though. I do feel sorry for him.

 

I'm sorry I missed where you were looking over my shoulder as I jacked my car up, it would have been helpfull if you had pointed out my shortcomings at the time.

I guess you have NEVER used a floor jack on anything but an optimal surface? Other than the guy with rust not one of you has addressed comments to the advantages or disadvantages of these plastic blocks. I guess it's easier to pass judgement on my perceived incompetence. Either add to the debate with some helpfull insight or go back to you perfectly smooth garages and oil your jacks.

Jacka$$es like you guys really add to the boards. You can have this sandbox, the cat will be along to bury the turds shortly.

 

Did I miss something?

Look. It's obvious these blocks were not designed to take shear loads. But you can also rest assured that this was not something the MINI's designers took into consideration. Plastic is cheaper and lighter than metal and will do the job for which the blocks are designed: to handle the vertical loads from a service lift. Shear loads from a floor jack were very likely not calculated. Why? Because the simple fact that like all other modern manufacturers, MINI would prefer that owners do NOT service their own cars. But some of us do anyway....

I'm no a "know-it-all" by any stretch. I've learned a lot over the years about cars and why they are screwed together in certain ways, but there's a lot more that I don't know - otherwise I would have never bothered reading every post of this thread. I've been jacking up the MCS for over 2 years now and have never had a problem with the blocks. But yes, I've been lucky enough to always be working on the car under optimal conditions of a nice, smooth concrete floor. Even then, I've had a couple of scares. And I WILL pay more attention to the blocks after this thread. However, I'm not going to blame MINI or the designers. They are under huge pressure to reduce cost and weight and the lift blocks are just one result of that.

 

locked till yall play nice!

Alex