Do you guys usually watch to see where the lift pads are placed? The factory recommended pinch welds are still the preferred spot? when a garage puts up on lift?

Depends on the type of lift but yes the pinch points are most common. A lot of newer cars actually have plastic pads on the bottom just for lifting, and have other points for the jack.

when I used to put my subies on the lift, I used the under body "subframe" that is stamped into the pan past the pinch weld up front, and the rear trailing arm mounts. never crushed anything or slipped

the trouble with shops , lifts and the pinch weld jack points is that the lifts tend to crush or bend the standing seam/ fin. this makes it difficult to place a jack later. no one seems to bother with either being careful or using different lift points, ... except ricearu.

the trouble with shops , lifts and the pinch weld jack points is that the lifts tend to crush or bend the standing seam/ fin. this makes it difficult to place a jack later. no one seems to bother with either being careful or using different lift points, ... except ricearu.

 

This is what I was concerned about. I feel like painting 4 bright yellow spots under car & printing "jack here". I wish there was some kind of aluminum block, 4"x4"x1" thick, with seam depth grove, to clamp to pinch-weld seam , to give it a little sturdy-ness. And with little diamond teeth for jack grip, or a thin layer of urethane.

Having a rusty car and living in the rust belt seemed to do the trick for me.

 

When I took my old Loyale to the shop, they always waited for the drive-on lift to be available before they would work on it. The tire shop was the same way - when I had a flat repaired, they offered to put it back on for me (switch it out with the spare that was on the car), then came back a minute later and asked me if it was OK to put it on a lift.

 

I certainly appreciated it that they thought this far ahead, had some common sense, and would take good care of a car that wasn't a show car by any stretch... but I also can't help but think that each one of those nice considerate mechanics had probably punched a hole clean through a rusty car with a lift at some point or another.

This is what I was concerned about. I feel like painting 4 bright yellow spots under car & printing "jack here".

I spray painted lift points on my loyale after the rockers became too soft to lift from.

 

On newer gen cars, do not lift from the bolt head that holds the differential moustache bar to the body. It's right next to the lift point and looks solid, but it will crush into the car binding up the bushings and transferring differential noise to the body.

The pinch welds are very strong and will not collapse if you use a rubber pad on your lift to spread the load. They get crushed when shops don't spread the load. I lift all Subaru's from the pinch welds on my lift and I've never had a problem.

 

GD

I spray painted lift points on my loyale after the rockers became too soft to lift from.

 

On newer gen cars, do not lift from the bolt head that holds the differential moustache bar to the body. It's right next to the lift point and looks solid, but it will crush into the car binding up the bushings and transferring differential noise to the body.

 

I think I jacked mine up on these plates that hold the bushings, & may have bent them slightly, because it seems like I'm hearing some transfer of noise. Looking at them they look like they are not bent. Do these bushings ever fail? The drivers side seems more pliable, when I pry wishbone up & down with crow bar.

The pinch welds are very strong and will not collapse if you use a rubber pad on your lift to spread the load. They get crushed when shops don't spread the load. I lift all Subaru's from the pinch welds on my lift and I've never had a problem.

 

GD

You've never worked on cars from the northeast then. After they get about 15 years old, you don't lift them from the pinch welds anymore.

 

I got a flat tire on my 3 door coupe once, so I used the factory jack on the factory lift point. I lifted the car up in the air, but before I had a chance to take the wheel off the jack disappeared inside the body of the car.

 

Latest car I've had that the rockers were gone on was a 98 forester.