I just want to change my oil!

[Mouse_GTI]

I'm totally clueless. Everyone says "oh do it yourself". So I buy ramps for £30. Drive the car up and wreck my front splitter. The ramps slip too and I burn my clutch trying to get the car as up the ramp as slowly as possible. So in the end I need a new front splitter then pay £20 to get the oil changed at a garage.

Today I have 2 pairs of axle stands that I spent £35 on. So me and my Dad start jacking up from either side then one of the jacks collapes and has f****d my sill. The other jack was damaged too. Now thats 1 slightly damaged jack, a sill that needs repairing or replacing, a jack that's completely f****d and still no oil change.

Next we try jacking up one side with my Dad's jack. Get both stands under then lower the car. The front driver wheel stand sits but the car is still slightly above the other. Moving to the other side we gradually jack it up and the stands on the other side end up on two legs before the drivers side one collapses completely. This was being very gentle as well. The car end up at an angle when it was straight before.

So what am I doing wrong? My car is 1090kg, a pair of stands is rated 2000kg. We had jacks that support the weight of the car. We used blocks of wood under the car too. My car needs its oil change but I don't have the money to put it into garages plus I wanna do it myself. Plus if I can't change oil, how can I fit a rear anti-roll bar. How on earth does everyone else work on their car?

Also will a bodyshop repair my sill to perfection and how much more will that cost? If they can't get it perfect, how much is a new one?

Argh so pissed off and I feel like a complete retard. I'm working 6 days a week and need to arrange a bodyshop, this now puts that on hold. Also have to take the car back to RPS because they used a pikey coolant pipe and the coolant is leaking again! :giruy:

After jack collapsed:









Axle stand collape:



My mum wants me to get shot of the car as she thinks its jinxed. It's gonna have cost me now around 3k in 3 months ignoring fuel/tax/insurance

[Arnoldo]

Pretty sure they can re-weld the sill. As for the jacks...id bring them back and complain if they just failed on u.

[Redline]

What kind of jacks were you using? Trolley jacks or just the ones that come with the car?

[Mouse_GTI]

Two of the normal jacks, one on each side. I was told they would be ok plus I've had my car sitting on one jack for over 6 hours once. I need to spend as little money as poss so didn't buy a proper jack, plus I didn't know what to get. But I'm stupid because now I've got a sill to fix and probably pay for an oil change. Another £120 down the drain at least?

Is it normal to have this much bad luck with a car?

[vdubit]

Dude thats nasty. Think you need a crash course on jacking a car, it looks like you jacked it in the wrong place, and the axle stands should never be put on the sills, there are proper points under the car for that.

At least you tried bud!

[Redline]

If you're going to DIY mechanic stuff in future mate, I'd strongly advise buying a decent trolley jack from somewhere like Machine Mart. Wouldn't cost more than £30 for just a basic home mechanic orientated one.

The scissor jacks that come with the car are only meant for emergency use, and even then I wouldnt be too happy using one as they're rather unstable. I'm not trying to lecture, as I think you've found this out the hard way.

The main thing is at least you didn't get hurt.

[Mouse_GTI]

Luckily while I sat inside in a total pissed off mood my Dad kindly made a step up sort of ramp using blocks of wood, and it worked thank god. Finally got the oil changed. The filter is a right arse to get out.

Still pissed off about my sill, how much are they from VAG? Also whilst I was under the car saw the blatant coolant leak from the pikey pipe the garage put in, right at the bottom where it's fixed on by a jubilee clip. Not impressed

[mk4 glx 1.6]

So I buy ramps for £30. Drive the car up and wreck my front splitter.

No offense and not meaning to rub salt in, but I did warn you in your original thread you can't even get a non-lowered gti up on ramps.

The jack supplied in the car should only ever be used in an emergency i.e needing to change a wheel. They are barely safe enough to use for this, let alone any work on the car.

I have a bent sill on one side, and it's pretty obvious it's the result of a previous owner at some point trying to jack the car up using the sill . Luckily it is one the side of the sill and not underneath, which has underseal etc on it to prevent corrosion.

[alexperkins]

I experienced that one too with the ramps - gotta get me a new GTI splitter sometime in the near future

In the end, I gave up and just used the awkwardly positioned service bay in the floor of my garage - whyever i ddnt do that to begin with ill never know

As for getting the oil filter out - its sooo difficult with such little space. I didnt have an oil filter wrench so I was using a massive spanner

[thedees1]

Mouse both my sills are exactly the same from the previous onwer, 1 side is like yours and the other side is like 10 inches long.

I took it into the local bodyshop the other week for a quote to get a few things tidyed up.

they sent the quote out £1047.93p for labour and £326 for the repairs and paint.

[Mouse_GTI]

That's heaps. I been quoted by a guy on my local VW forum who works in a bodyshop (who got me all the parts cheap for my GTI) - he says it would probably cost £200 to repair properly

[Ian_R]

Dont mean to sound a dick or anything here, but why on earth are you jacking up the front and back on one side for axle stands ???????? If you put one side on then jack the other side up no wonder the car falls!

You just need to jack one side up, put axle stand underneath at jacking poin! move round to the other side and do the exact same there, the back end does not need jacked up what so ever mate !

If you ever do need to jack the back up, get a trolly jack, put it in the centre of the rear axle beam and lift up, 2 jacks under each jacking point and hey presto ! But as i said for just doing an oil change the fron only needs done, and even then you'd get away with putting up only the drivers side !