Originally Posted by Knoxbox

no offense to anyone... but its truely driver error and placement of the jack, i can see were it not greased could make it hard to crank

Originally Posted by UBOW

I followed jack instructions to the letter. It still bent like butter. Also, the jack came lubed from the factory. I've been jacking cars for nearly 45 years - you think I haven't done this before? Go away. I found your response offensive. Sorry, I have to say it straight up.

Originally Posted by losmorob

This "old fart" is

Originally Posted by xBster

I use the factory jack for emergencies and maybe a quick brake pad check, but never when I am going to be under the car...floor jack and jack stands for me

Originally Posted by TerribleTed

I HOPE you guys talking about using the factory jack for doing repair, maintenance, and mod work are only using it to VERY CAREFULLY lift the car and then ......as the original poster found out he needed too....placing JACK STANDS under strong points to support the car while the work is being done. Place the jack stands at suspension mounting spots or jack points if available, then let the car down with the jack till most (if not all) of the weight is on the stand (or stands) not on the jack. To do anything other than this and go under the car is a death wish......yeah ok you can get away with it 95 times out of 100 but what about those other 5 times. If you use the factory jack for maintenance you are playing russian roulette.

I am a professional and work on cars all the time. I normally use jack stands, but there are times (emergency situations) where I have done things without stands. I have seen 5 cars fall from being lifted in my 33 years of messing with cars. 3 of these times I was working on the car. One of those I had a brake sieze up in my inlaws driveway the factory jack shifted and gave way and down it came...just barely got my foot out from under it before it hit the ground. another was also slight movement of the car while changing a flat (car was ebraked and in gear) factory sissors jack went sideways. 3rd time the cars front end was on jack stands and idiot buddy put the rear wheel drive car in gear running and drove forward tipping over and crushing the stands...he also put a small dent on my garage wall....good thing he stopped my TV and family room are on the other side. The other 2 times were car buddies doing repair/mod type stuff using factory type jacks. I have never seen a car fall off jack stands (forgiving powering the car off the stands with 1st gear) or off a large pad floor jack. (5-6 inch pad is best....the ones with only the 2 inch or so lifting point arent worth buying...they slip off things too easy). I knew 2 mechanics here in Atlanta that injured themselves by disregarding the use of stands...1 a broken leg the other a fatal injury. DO NOT GET UNDER A CAR WITHOUT STANDS OR A LIFT!!

The factory jack is only designed to lift the car to change a tire in an emergency and thats it. It is not designed to hold the car aloft for any kind of maintenance....the base is too narrow and the design to weak to take much movement. When you must use the factory jack certainly set the ebrake, put trans in park (automatic)or in gear (standard), be absolutely sure that the area is level and that the spot where the jack is going to touch the ground is asphalt or concrete not gravel or dirt. Be sure to lift the car only enough to enable removing the flat tire and no more (these jacks get less stable as you jack higher). Keeping you body completely out from under the car at all times change the tire.

For other than tire changing get a real jack. If you must use the factory instead of a real jack at least get a pair of jackstands. Scions are not that heavy, a basic pair of $20-30 regular duty stands is all you need (in fact alot of the "heavy duty" stands are yes a bit heavier but also taller...and taller can be a pain with cars as low as ours). Money well spent and hella cheaper than the costs of a injury.