A2 jack - stay safe

D

Darren C

A2OC Donor
I just wanted to promote safety awareness re: the A2 jack.

About an hour or so ago I had the jack slip and the car collapse whilst reaching for the axle stand. I was on the correct side and was able to brace the car somewhat as it fell and slid sideways. I narrowly escaped being pinned against our neighbours caravan.

I was lucky enough to still have the wheel in place at the time to limit the damage. The jack became wedged in the sill and I anticipated a major crack. Getting the 2.5 ton trolley jack out of the garage and lifting the car, the A2 jack released and I was fortunate that the damage was very, very minor (corrected for the most part with a touch of black paint).

I’m no novice when it comes to jacking cars or using the A2 jack, which I like as it means the axle stand can sit in place under the car. The frequency in which I’ve lifted the A2 is the reason that I wanted to post to say take care when using it.

With the experience I’ve just had, I’ll be using the trolley jack going forward and finding alternative positions for the axle stands.

Stay safe folks.

Darren

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Glad to hear your okay it could of been a lot worse :rolleyes:

When I use the A2 jacks I jack the car up but before I even put my hand under the car I at least kick and pull on the jack to make sure it’s stable:)

I use ramps 90% of the time as it’s the safest way :)
 
Glad you are safe Darren - I had this happen to me last year - it just came out with a large cracking noise but thankfully the car for me wasn't quite sitting on the jack. Its a very off-putting experience and makes you very jumpy whenever you jack the car up again and that never really leaves you.

The one that comes with the a2 is for roadside only for me I never use anything but a trolley jack at home. I just find the A2 very dodgy to jack up and put on axle stands full stop.
 
Cheers Scott, appreciated mate. Agree wholeheartedly. Glad you escaped unscathed also.

cheechy said:
Glad you are safe Darren - I had this happen to me last year - it just came out with a large cracking noise but thankfully the car for me wasn't quite sitting on the jack. Its a very off-putting experience and makes you very jumpy whenever you jack the car up again and that never really leaves you.

The one that comes with the a2 is for roadside only for me I never use anything but a trolley jack at home. I just find the A2 very dodgy to jack up and put on axle stands full stop.
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Also find the foot print of the Audi jack can make it sink into soft ground quickly. I prefer to use my trolley jack but do not carry it in the car, so have to use an Audi jack. Must confess I use an A4 jack that "clips" onto the sill flange and not the rod type A2 jack. This is mainly because with the Votex kit it is hard to use the standard A2 jack.
 
Thanks Ian, my sole reason for using it over the years too. I'll not go that route again, in fact I'd be wary to use it to fit the spare now sadly...

Appreciated mate.

Proghound said:
Thank goodness you're OK Darren. I'll bear that in mind as I often use the OEM jack over the trolley jack for ease of getting stands/ramps underneath.
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audifan said:
Also find the foot print of the Audi jack can make it sink into soft ground quickly. I prefer to use my trolley jack but do not carry it in the car, so have to use an Audi jack. Must confess I use an A4 jack that "clips" onto the sill flange and not the rod type A2 jack. This is mainly because with the Votex kit it is hard to use the standard A2 jack.
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Blimey Darren, thanks for the warning! Must say for the Scotland trip I packed the "sill lip" jack from Jans Skoda. If it lifts the Superb safely then should be ok on an A2.... and better with a votex as my jacking point covers are secured with Tiger Seal. Don't want to lose em!

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My friends and I used to refer to these style of jacks as 'Widow makers'

Glad to hear you're ok and a good timely reminder for us all.
 
No worries mate. I've almost lifted the A2 more times than I've had hot dinners (not literally, but you get the idea), hence why I wanted to highlight this. At first I thought the jack had failed, but I don't believe this was the case.

Jellybean said:
Blimey Darren, thanks for the warning! Must say for the Scotland trip I packed the "sill lip" jack from Jans Skoda. If it lifts the Superb safely then should be ok on an A2.... and better with a votex as my jacking point covers are secured with Tiger Seal. Don't want to lose em!

Sent from my SM-N960F using Tapatalk
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Sounds like you were lucky. Like Ian I often use the OEM jack though following a recent car shift I'm planning on buying some proper chocks.
 
Glad you are alright DC. I've attended some nasty outcomes of people having cars fall on them. I've very seldom used the A2 jack. Id very much recommend anyone buying a trolley jack with 2 Tonnes or more capacity and axle stands. That's what I use at home for my anal cleaning duties and the OE car jack is emergencies only. ??



Great heads up DC and so glad you didnt get hurt mate.
 
For sure David. I've been guilty over the years of making wheel changes using just the jack - a pit-stop style. Over recent years I've added the axle stands as a safety measure. If this had happened a few years back, it could have been a very different story.

damadgeruk said:
Sounds like you were lucky. Like Ian I often use the OEM jack though following a recent car shift I'm planning on buying some proper chocks.
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Cheers buddy, appreciated. Knowing your profession, I can imagine the scenes are indeed horrific.

A very unpleasant affair that thankfully serves as a heads-up rather than an unpalatable ending. ?

murdo said:
Glad you are alright DC. I've attended some nasty outcomes of people having cars fall on them. I've very seldom used the A2 jack. Id very much recommend anyone buying a trolley jack with 2 Tonnes or more capacity and axle stands. That's what I use at home for my anal cleaning duties and the OE car jack is emergencies only. ??



Great heads up DC and so glad you didnt get hurt mate.
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Wouldn’t trust any car jack but I actually thought the A2 design with the tube properly located was one of the better ones.
Shows you can’t be too careful....
 
Yikes! Glad you are okay.

It’s toppled on me a couple of times as well. A slow backwards slip both times I think.

I was looking into the possibility of using something in the factory sill hole with an extension to allow use of a trolly jack and leave the axle stand free because I will not go under a car just on a jack - too afraid. I’ve got four jack stands, wedges and wooden balks.

I also alway slide the alloy wheel under the sill if I’m working with it off. That way I’ll only be flattened to 205mm and have some chance of remaining alive until help can arrive.


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