6r Jacking point trouble
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6r Jacking point trouble
Hi guys,
I'm a new member of this forum but have been using you all for advice for a while now.
I passed my driving test last year and became a proud owner of a 2010 6r polo 1.4 85ps 5 speed. Up until now I have never worked on a car, meaning that all the work that has been carried out by a different mechanic, but I am keen to learn how to maintain and a service myself so when the service light came up I seized the opportunity to do it on my own.
I bought all the parts needed for the yearly service plus new spark plugs (thought I'd change them as the service manual had not shown them being changed for a good few years) aswell as buying a trolley jack and axle stands.
I decided today that I would finally attempt to do a service, since I have been itching to work on a car since I can remember, but had a little bit of trouble whilst attempting to jack the car.
I began with the oil change and after deducing where the jacking points were, from both the VW owners handbook and the Haynes manual, I used my trolley jack to start lifting the car.
After a couple of lifts I began to hear creaking, but not the sort of sound that would indicate that it was just the suspension or anything like that.
The first thought I had was that maybe I had to have something to cover the saddle of the jack to protect the jacking point, so I put a small piece of wood hoping that this would be the trick and the creaking would stop. However, after attempting to raise the car again, the creaking noise persisted and upon further examination I saw that a small part of the jacking point had actually 'peeled' off (this did not seem to be metal as it was soft and malleable). This is when I decided to leave the oil change for another day once I'd done some digging into why I was experiencing such trouble.
Now I will be the first person to say that I am in no way, shape or form an expert mechanic: but I'm pretty sure the creaking sound shouldn't be happening and I'm also pretty confident in saying that there shouldn't be anything 'peeling' off the bottom of the jacking points.
I've done some googling to find out what the deal is with 6r jacking points but I've just been confused by it all, it seems as though I'm not the only Volkswagen owner who babies his polo!
I've also attached a picture of my front right jacking point (the only one I tried) just to see if you guys can see anything that could be wrong that my inexperienced eye would have missed.
As if I couldn't make this post even longer, I was wondering if any of you guys had any tips on where I could put the axle stands because it was seemingly impossible to place them where the manual stated as the trolley jack had taken up all the space.
Appreciate any advice that you guys could give me
I'm a new member of this forum but have been using you all for advice for a while now.
I passed my driving test last year and became a proud owner of a 2010 6r polo 1.4 85ps 5 speed. Up until now I have never worked on a car, meaning that all the work that has been carried out by a different mechanic, but I am keen to learn how to maintain and a service myself so when the service light came up I seized the opportunity to do it on my own.
I bought all the parts needed for the yearly service plus new spark plugs (thought I'd change them as the service manual had not shown them being changed for a good few years) aswell as buying a trolley jack and axle stands.
I decided today that I would finally attempt to do a service, since I have been itching to work on a car since I can remember, but had a little bit of trouble whilst attempting to jack the car.
I began with the oil change and after deducing where the jacking points were, from both the VW owners handbook and the Haynes manual, I used my trolley jack to start lifting the car.
After a couple of lifts I began to hear creaking, but not the sort of sound that would indicate that it was just the suspension or anything like that.
The first thought I had was that maybe I had to have something to cover the saddle of the jack to protect the jacking point, so I put a small piece of wood hoping that this would be the trick and the creaking would stop. However, after attempting to raise the car again, the creaking noise persisted and upon further examination I saw that a small part of the jacking point had actually 'peeled' off (this did not seem to be metal as it was soft and malleable). This is when I decided to leave the oil change for another day once I'd done some digging into why I was experiencing such trouble.
Now I will be the first person to say that I am in no way, shape or form an expert mechanic: but I'm pretty sure the creaking sound shouldn't be happening and I'm also pretty confident in saying that there shouldn't be anything 'peeling' off the bottom of the jacking points.
I've done some googling to find out what the deal is with 6r jacking points but I've just been confused by it all, it seems as though I'm not the only Volkswagen owner who babies his polo!
I've also attached a picture of my front right jacking point (the only one I tried) just to see if you guys can see anything that could be wrong that my inexperienced eye would have missed.
As if I couldn't make this post even longer, I was wondering if any of you guys had any tips on where I could put the axle stands because it was seemingly impossible to place them where the manual stated as the trolley jack had taken up all the space.
Appreciate any advice that you guys could give me
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Re: 6r Jacking point trouble
Hello, all that you have done is break off some of the stone chip protection, so no permanent damage done there, what you need to do now is to buy some paint and paint that area a few times. What colour is your car, if silver then just use smooth Hammerite.
Getting the car up off the ground, is it possible for you to buy or make a pair of ramps to raise the front for changing oil etc, ie getting some bits of wood and making a pair of solid ramps?
Jacking the car up, what I did initially was to buy a set of 4 "Audi TT MK1 Jacking point protectors" I first did that to my wife's 2002 Polo and have again fitted another set to my wife's 2015 Polo, that solves the issue with jacking at at these "official" 4 jacking strong points. You then can make up adaptors for your axle stands so that they fit these points without damaging, I make up load spreaders that only use the vertical strip for location and use an inner and outer area that I've fixed thick rubber to to spread the load on the horizontal areas at these strong points.
All good fun when you get it right, as I'm older and also have a car that is covered underneath with plastic covers (a lot more than the Polos) I had to buy Jackpoint Jackstands again with adaptors that spread the weight like I have described earlier.
Getting the car up off the ground, is it possible for you to buy or make a pair of ramps to raise the front for changing oil etc, ie getting some bits of wood and making a pair of solid ramps?
Jacking the car up, what I did initially was to buy a set of 4 "Audi TT MK1 Jacking point protectors" I first did that to my wife's 2002 Polo and have again fitted another set to my wife's 2015 Polo, that solves the issue with jacking at at these "official" 4 jacking strong points. You then can make up adaptors for your axle stands so that they fit these points without damaging, I make up load spreaders that only use the vertical strip for location and use an inner and outer area that I've fixed thick rubber to to spread the load on the horizontal areas at these strong points.
All good fun when you get it right, as I'm older and also have a car that is covered underneath with plastic covers (a lot more than the Polos) I had to buy Jackpoint Jackstands again with adaptors that spread the weight like I have described earlier.
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Re: 6r Jacking point trouble
Hi, thanks for your reply
Don't want to sound completely incompetent, but I was wondering how the TT protectors would fit onto the 6r jacking points as they look to be circular whereas the polo has got points that are horizontal across.
Don't want to sound completely incompetent, but I was wondering how the TT protectors would fit onto the 6r jacking points as they look to be circular whereas the polo has got points that are horizontal across.
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Re: 6r Jacking point trouble
The Audi TT bits fit into 4 holes on the car's body and give you 4 points that re strong enough to use a trolley jack under freeing up the 4 sill jacking points for you to place axle stands under.
You will find one of these points on the stiffening rails further towards the front than the front jacking points and further towards the rear than the rear jacking points - there are 4 identical round plastic - not complaint "rubber" bungs that get removed and replaced permanently with these Audi TT 2-piece jacking protectors.
You will find one of these points on the stiffening rails further towards the front than the front jacking points and further towards the rear than the rear jacking points - there are 4 identical round plastic - not complaint "rubber" bungs that get removed and replaced permanently with these Audi TT 2-piece jacking protectors.
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Re: 6r Jacking point trouble
You're not one on your own. I think I asked the same question on here ages ago. VW really are losing the plot in some areas, you have to wonder what is going on when if you use the the jacking points they advise it takes the paint and underseal off the car!
The most elegant way to resolve it, if not the cheapest is as you say, fit some of the Audi TT jacking points, though I'm not sure how much they are as set. Last time I looked they were circa £40 a set. That's fine if you are under the car on a regular basis, but if it's just a one off, it's more unwanted cost. The Audi jacking points have been on my 'wish-list' for years.
What I've done in the past is similar to your approach and to add a piece of wood in-between the the jack and the seam on the car. What I also did was place a piece of think foam on top of that. I used a bit cut off one of those cheap kneeling pads u find in garden centres. I found it stops you taking the underseal and paint off, though you can still see where you have jacked the car. When I finished I gave it a spray with some Bilt Hamber Dynax. (It similar to waxoil but clear)
Before I splashed out on a set of ramps. When doing an oil change I simply placed a couple of lengths of 50mm timber and drove onto that. It's crazy but that is about as high as you need to go to comfortably remove the under tray and reach the sump plug.
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Re: 6r Jacking point trouble
You can buy hard rubber jack pads with a slot to fit the body seam. I bought mine on eBay for about a fiver. I think they are made from hockey pucks. They spread the load and minimise any damage to the underseal.
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Re: 6r Jacking point trouble
ys_gr16,
Polo jacking points - the bane of my life! (Well, at least one of the banes of my life). In years now past I spent an awful lot of time buying and trying out various buffering materials for those vertical lifting points but found nothing that was 100% satisfactory. I did however invest and fit a set of those Audi TT protectors referred to by RUM4MO but often I find I can't be bothered to get the trolley jack out and fiddle about underneath the car trying to line the protector up with the jack (as the protectors are fitted somewhat inboard of the cills). I think the hydraulics on my trolley jack are pretty much shot now, anyway. For most jobs down below that I've done thus far on my Polo, I tend to resort to the VW windup jack (and where necessary, something else temporarily stuffed under the cills, in case the windup jack collapses), which of course makes use of those vertical lifting edges. For doing oil changes, I always use a set of handmade wooden ramps that I have; easy to set out and the safest by far.
As for the myriad rubber buffering 'pucks' being sold on the Web (and maybe elsewhere) for protecting those vertical lifting edges, I've tried out many of them and all but one particular type crumpled and split in two under the weight of the car plus the knife-like effect of the edge. The only one that I found at all satisfactory was the circular Planger Steady Pad. You'd need four of them if you were to use four axle stands on the vertical edges. These are made from high-hardness-rated rubber. They have a vaguely v-shaped channel in them that's 15mm wide at the top, 10mm at the bottom, and 8mm deep. The Planger Steady Pad is 65mm diam., and is made by a German company. You'll find them on sale on Amazon and eBay. Be very careful of fake ones. You'll find, in any event, that when rubber pucks are used on the vertical edges the puck's V-groove (if it has one at all) will tend to fold in and collapse around the vertical edge and/or cill. Then when you release the load on it the underseal sticks to the groove and comes away with it when you withdraw the puck. The Steady Pad was the only one I tried where this didn't happen, and I think that's because it didn't deform to the same degree as the others I'd tried.
I think your best bet for now is to go along to Halfords and buy a small pot of thick underseal and use some of it to patch up your vertical edge(s).
Incidentally, my own Polo's coming up to its first MOT (but now delayed by six months, I gather, due to the pandemic), and I've wondered which lifting points the MOT tester will use when needing to inspect the underside of the vehicle, etc. Lifting must certainly not be done on the floorpan, on the engine's sump, or suspension arms, as that could result in permanent, expensive damage. I suspect that the tester will use his lifter on those four edges located on the cill, and probably without any form of buffering for them. But I very much doubt whether those edges are designed to take the full weight of the vehicle, or even half the weight of the vehicle (since essentially they're there to merely to assist the driver in changing a wheel in the event of a puncture), so I'll be half expecting those edges to come out of the test bent, and possibly the cill seams split. Those edges do seem to be very much an afterthought by VW.
Polo jacking points - the bane of my life! (Well, at least one of the banes of my life). In years now past I spent an awful lot of time buying and trying out various buffering materials for those vertical lifting points but found nothing that was 100% satisfactory. I did however invest and fit a set of those Audi TT protectors referred to by RUM4MO but often I find I can't be bothered to get the trolley jack out and fiddle about underneath the car trying to line the protector up with the jack (as the protectors are fitted somewhat inboard of the cills). I think the hydraulics on my trolley jack are pretty much shot now, anyway. For most jobs down below that I've done thus far on my Polo, I tend to resort to the VW windup jack (and where necessary, something else temporarily stuffed under the cills, in case the windup jack collapses), which of course makes use of those vertical lifting edges. For doing oil changes, I always use a set of handmade wooden ramps that I have; easy to set out and the safest by far.
As for the myriad rubber buffering 'pucks' being sold on the Web (and maybe elsewhere) for protecting those vertical lifting edges, I've tried out many of them and all but one particular type crumpled and split in two under the weight of the car plus the knife-like effect of the edge. The only one that I found at all satisfactory was the circular Planger Steady Pad. You'd need four of them if you were to use four axle stands on the vertical edges. These are made from high-hardness-rated rubber. They have a vaguely v-shaped channel in them that's 15mm wide at the top, 10mm at the bottom, and 8mm deep. The Planger Steady Pad is 65mm diam., and is made by a German company. You'll find them on sale on Amazon and eBay. Be very careful of fake ones. You'll find, in any event, that when rubber pucks are used on the vertical edges the puck's V-groove (if it has one at all) will tend to fold in and collapse around the vertical edge and/or cill. Then when you release the load on it the underseal sticks to the groove and comes away with it when you withdraw the puck. The Steady Pad was the only one I tried where this didn't happen, and I think that's because it didn't deform to the same degree as the others I'd tried.
I think your best bet for now is to go along to Halfords and buy a small pot of thick underseal and use some of it to patch up your vertical edge(s).
Incidentally, my own Polo's coming up to its first MOT (but now delayed by six months, I gather, due to the pandemic), and I've wondered which lifting points the MOT tester will use when needing to inspect the underside of the vehicle, etc. Lifting must certainly not be done on the floorpan, on the engine's sump, or suspension arms, as that could result in permanent, expensive damage. I suspect that the tester will use his lifter on those four edges located on the cill, and probably without any form of buffering for them. But I very much doubt whether those edges are designed to take the full weight of the vehicle, or even half the weight of the vehicle (since essentially they're there to merely to assist the driver in changing a wheel in the event of a puncture), so I'll be half expecting those edges to come out of the test bent, and possibly the cill seams split. Those edges do seem to be very much an afterthought by VW.
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Re: 6r Jacking point trouble
I think that we should expect that there were good industry standards that defined what workshop lifting points should be on any cars sold in and into Europe, is that just too much to expect from government and industry regulators?
Re: 6r Jacking point trouble
I would suggest that the 'creaking' noise you are referring to is the Suspension/Wheels dropping down as the car body rises (only Suggesting mind.....) ; mine does this
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Re: 6r Jacking point trouble
I agree with that, and it can get worse if you have an automatic headlight levelling system and the suspension sensors start to stiffen up - then know what creaking and groaning really is!
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Re: 6r Jacking point trouble
They really are a proper solution. Why on earth Vdub don't sell them as accessory across the range is beyond me. Do you also have them on the rear?
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Re: 6r Jacking point trouble
They're only meant to be used on a lift which hits all four. You may damage the floor lifting on a single one using a trolley jack.
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Re: 6r Jacking point trouble
I've not found that to be an issue with small light cars like Polo, maybe more of an issue with Golf and above, actually it turns out people did/are using them on older Golfs ect, newer Golf etc has stronger points at the front and different style of jacking point protectors for the rear.SimonPoole wrote: ↑Wed Jul 15, 2020 11:39 amThey're only meant to be used on a lift which hits all four. You may damage the floor lifting on a single one using a trolley jack.
For many years now I've only ever, in my garage, lifted cars one side at a time using 2 trolley jacks, I rather doing things that way for a few reasons.
Workshops, in my experience, ignore these protectors and just stick with lifting under the sills.
Edit:- I think that comment about "lifting at a single point" applies even to when just jacking up under subframes, okay you will not deform the crossmember much if any, but you will flex the body quite a bit, as I said, excluding emergency situation I always lift at 2 points at the same time.
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Re: 6r Jacking point trouble
Ah, that sort of makes sense. I thought lifts had rubber lifting pads anyway?SimonPoole wrote: ↑Wed Jul 15, 2020 11:39 amThey're only meant to be used on a lift which hits all four. You may damage the floor lifting on a single one using a trolley jack.
It's all a bit mad, you shouldn't have to go all round the houses just to ensure you don't damage the rustproofing when you jack the car. You end up coming back to a strudy bit wood between the car and jack to spread the load. Which is how I did it for years before I could afford something decent.