Engine running while changing tyres

[alex.goby]

Hi All,

 

I've just taken my Superb MkIII for a change of tyres. For the 30-40 minutes they had the car jacked up, they kept the engine running. I did ask them why and he mentioned something about the electronic parking brake (I didn't quite catch it all).

 

I struggle to understand how a modern car needs to have it's engine running while being worked on - could someone possibly explain why this would be required? Not exactly wonderful for the enviromment, or indeed my wallet (especially at £1.80/litre).

 

Any thoughts much appreciated!

Cheers

Alex.

[john999boy]

When I swap from winter to summer wheels I definitely don't feel the need to have my engine running.

[nige8021]

Absolutely no reason at all to have the engine running for the EPB it works just fine when you park up and leave the car overnight 

[alex.goby]

Indeed - and it was jacked up anyway, so it's not as if it was going to roll anywhere. I wish I'd asked the guy to repeat the explanation now...

[SurreyJohn]

Sounds like a load of rubbish to me.

 

Doesn’t make any sense, even if they were jacking all four corners on a lift and wanted to rotate the wheels, would just manually use switch to turn of brake and leave gearbox in neutral

 

Normally would stop the car, apply handbrake, turn off, and put it in park.

Everyone I know that changes a wheel due to a puncture or does summer-winter wheel swaps releases the nuts about half a turn before jacking, not aiming to wrench the nuts hoping brake holds wheel.

 

 

 

[Derbyshirebod]

They sound like a bunch of incompetents ! I hope they didn't jack it up on the sills. All 4 corners are bent on mine ! 😞 

Edited 18 March, 2022 by Derbyshirebod

[MarkyG82]

37 minutes ago, Derbyshirebod said:

 All 4 corners are bent on mine ! 😞 

 

That gives me cold shivers!

[J.R.]

Some of that is clearly moving impact damage (photo 4), probably from being beached on a kerb.

 

But yes, definitely sickening.

 

I have bought & repaired several salvage vehicles from breakers yards, they are lifted around onthe forks of a Telehandler and leave only minor witness marks, I cant see that degree of damage being done from a vehicle lift or trolley jack.

[SomethingSuperbly]

When I had my tyres changed I just rolled up to where they wanted it and turned the engine off. All they wanted to know was what tyre pressure I wanted and to set the tyre pressures on the system before heading off. They were also pretty quick to inform me of my kerbed alloy wheel before changing the tyres, something I had done just moments before....

 

[ApertureS]

21 minutes ago, J.R. said:

Some of that is clearly moving impact damage (photo 4), probably from being beached on a kerb.

 

But yes, definitely sickening.

 

I have bought & repaired several salvage vehicles from breakers yards, they are lifted around onthe forks of a Telehandler and leave only minor witness marks, I cant see that degree of damage being done from a vehicle lift or trolley jack.

I promise you, its very easily done. Whereas a telehandler spreads the load fairly evenly and lifts the vehicle squarely into the air with no sideways movement, a trolley jack twists the vehicle as it lifts and easily will crush a sill. Seen it happened many a time, and even done it myself a few times.

[Derbyshirebod]

1 hour ago, J.R. said:

Some of that is clearly moving impact damage (photo 4), probably from being beached on a kerb.

 

But yes, definitely sickening.

 

I have bought & repaired several salvage vehicles from breakers yards, they are lifted around onthe forks of a Telehandler and leave only minor witness marks, I cant see that degree of damage being done from a vehicle lift or trolley jack.

 

Geeeez J.R the things I have to do on a Friday night to prove I'm right !!!! 😂 It's definitely jacking damage !! I The sills are not the lowest part of the car so even if the car had been beached on a kerb the sills would not be damaged as they are. I've just been out and taken these photos and offered up my large 2 ton jack the same size as they use in tyre bays. The cut out isn't deep enough in the rubber pad to take the full depth of the vertical edge of the sill, in any case the rubber pad is touching the floor pan before it touches the sill now it's bent!..  Yes you can jack up a car on the sills with the service jack that comes with the car as it has a deep U and spreads the load across the horizontal faces of the sill, but I'd still choose not to jack my car up like that unless I'm stuck on the side of the road and have to change a wheel. It's seriously bad practice taking all the weight of the car on the thin vertical part of the sill like that. I always jack my car up on a sub-frame. Though to lift the rear of my Superb I use the towbar and raise both wheels as there is a sticker warning not to jack under the rear wishbones.

 

Yes it's one of my pet hates garages raising a car on the sills with a jack. I've owned numerous cars with similar sill damage. I owned an X Type Jag with the vertical sill lips flattened under both front wings!

 

Edited 18 March, 2022 by Derbyshirebod

[Danoid]

1 hour ago, Derbyshirebod said:

They sound like a bunch of incompetents ! I hope they didn't jack it up on the sills. All 4 corners are bent on mine ! 😞 

If it’s on a 4 post lift then lifting on the sills is correct.

 

That looks like a trolley jack has gone there with no protection 😞

[Derbyshirebod]

54 minutes ago, ApertureS said:

I promise you, its very easily done. Whereas a telehandler spreads the load fairly evenly and lifts the vehicle squarely into the air with no sideways movement, 

 

Yes I've done the same and repaired several accident damaged cars over the years and had cars loaded on to lorries at salvage yards with fork trucks. As you've said when taking the full load of the car isn't likely to do much damage. In the photo my previously mentioned X Type the day I weighed it in being lifted in the way which causes very little if any damage. Though obviously in this particular situation no great care is being taken not to damage the doors ! 😊  

Edited 18 March, 2022 by Derbyshirebod