Belt Auction

should I purchase a jack?

I'm starting to change my own oil. I wanted to know if I should purchase my own jack or just use the jack that comes with the spare in my car? I plan on doing more thank just changing oil in the future. Should I just purchase it from discount auto parts ??tthx Thanks for all the advise. I purchased the the Jack and the stands. now for the dirty work ;)

Public Comments

1. I suggest a good set of ramps for starters, Then a good jack and jack stands. Always have something wedged under the tire for safety... a firebrick for example. Good Luck... Buy good stuff...no cheapies for these items...
2. The jack your car ships with is dangerous for prolonged work under the car. They're pretty unstable and you run the risk of having the car fall. Get a good ramp first.
3. don,t use those junky jacks. i got myself 1 of those small floor jacks to work on my car. those other jacks might be ok to take with you in case you have a flat but for working on your car you want a floor jack.
4. You could but, you will need jack stands too --- and you must always use them - - - every time you jack it up OR . . . . you could make or buy a set of ramps and drive the vehicle up on them and not need the jack stands. The ramps cause the vehicle oil pan to slope to the rear helping to drain all of the old oil plus the ramps give more room under the vehicle. Whatever you use - ALWAYS SET THE PARKING BRAKE before crawling under the vehicle.
5. If you purchase the jack and some stands to go with it, you'll be set for this car and most any vehicle that you buy in the future. This is a long term investment that will be used for many years to come. I have had my 2 ton floor jack for over 30 years and it is the best spent money that I can recall. I do all of my repairs at home along with the family as well. You won't regret this purchase. I tried those ramps, but they have a tendency to move as you try to drive up them, kind of scary.
6. Yeah, get the jack and a set of jack stands. Get the best you can afford for now, try to get a larger size jack rather than one of the little short ones. The small ones usually won't lift high enough to get a full size truck or SUV off the ground without using some kind of block on it. You'll use the jack all the time. Those jacks that come with the vehicle should really be used for emergencies only, highly unstable. I don't care for the ramps myself, I like to jack the car up to remove the drain plug and then set it back down to get more of the old oil out. Plus they (ramps) can be hard to see if you are aligned with the ramp on the passengers side if you are working by yourself, and they can slide when trying to drive up them on a slick concrete floor. Learn where to jack the cars up at, many cars use the rocker panel, but the area where they are jacked up at are reinforced. Jacking up on a rocker panel in an area that is not reinforced will damage the sheet metal.