Greetings,

I need advice on the best/safest/strongest points, front and rear to use a trolley jack on please. (Car's a Fabia estate)

Thanks in advance.

Greetings,

I need advice on the best/safest/strongest points, front and rear to use a trolley jack on please. (Car's a Fabia estate)

Thanks in advance.[/quote:3716275a3f]

Well i would assume you would use the sill jacking points or the reinforced areas next to these points.

I shall be attempting the rear fog light modification this weekend!

If the Fabia is like the Octavia, with a vertical web on the lower sill which the jack fits around, then that would not be a suitable point to locate a hydraulic jack. The jack would flatten the vertical web, making the jacking point unusable with the car jack, and it could well dent the bodysill as well. (Been there, done that with at least one other car!)

I've had a look under my Octavia and there are a number of options for placing the jack under the front subframe. The rear is a totally different matter on the 4x4 - I haven't seen anything as complicated as that rear suspension and transmission - and I would probably position the jack under what looks like a trailing arm. On the Fabia look for a substantial piece of rear suspension to place the jack under. If you place a flat piece of soft wood on the jacking plate it helps spread the load a little and also prevents the 'fingers' on the plate from biting into the metalwork of your car. Jack the car slowly and listen for any noises indicating damage is being caused!

I would without doubt use only the specified areas for jacking purposes, I have been to a VW dealership they also use these points for there lifts after applying a rubber block to the lifting plate to prevent paint damage.

I would until you make a suitable adapter for your trolley jack use he supplied jack on the proper points using a piece of thin cardboard to prevent any paint damage, athough the jacks do work well on there own at lease on the Octavia & Felicia

I suggest a suitable adapter is made from a block of wood with a slot made by a saw blade or router for the sill seam to slot, copying the slot from your OEM jack then applying a fine strip of rubber or felt to the area that will be in contact with the reinforced jacking point.

I would personally refrain from jacking on chasis members I have seen lots of distorted front chasis members near the front wishbones crusted and distorted on Favorits and Felicias (cant speak for Fabias or Octavias)where tyre fitters use ther jack, they look strong but cannot handle the weight of the car,engine/gearbox. On these models they again had a reinforcing bar welded to the sill jacking points, where I have used trolley jacks with wooded blocks without damage.

that's why god invented subframes.

nice hard steel to lift on.

if you can get any under body pics of a Fabia I can highlight the best bits - lift my ibiza all the time on these - without any damage

Mark