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Starting Small - Maintenance!

5K views 23 replies 3 participants last post by  Aussiblue 
#1 ·
Hi :)

As I mentioned in my intro, I know next to nothing about my vehicle - but I'd like to change that. And I think a good place to start would be with basic maintenance.

What I would like to learn first is how to change the oil myself. I have a rough idea of what would be involved but have never seriously put time aside to figure it out. I have a few thousand kilometers to go before it'll need be done, so I need to get planning.

So I guess my first question would be - tools! What do I need? I have an oil pan. Do I need vehicle ramps to get underneath, or will the carjack suffice? Any weird brand-specific tools, or need of power tools, or can I manage with my simple set of hand tools?

I think this is a fairly straight forward task, but I could be wrong. Pointing out any tips, tricks, and blatantly obviously mishaps that could come of this would be greatly appreciated :hy: I certainly don't want to end up with my daily driver dead in the driveway!
 
#2 ·
What model Fiesta? Model, year, engine size and transmission? Are you planning to change the oil filter when you change the oil (always a good idea; so you need a suitable oil filter wrench too). You'll need a funnel that fits in the oil fill hole to refill it and a socket or ring spanner that fits the oil drain plug. Using the carjack isn't really a safe way to do and oil change. You may be able to get at the oil drain plug without lifting the car but if not, at the very least you need jack stands to support the car while you are underneath it and wheel chocks so the wheels on the ground don't move (roll back or forward off the jack stands). Ramps are really not much good for oil changes (but useful for lots of other work) as the car needs to be level when you refill it. The jack that comes with the car is really only good for changing wheels when you have a flat and if you do need to lift the car for oil changes, investing in a suitable trolley jack would be a good idea. Another good investment would be a workshop manual for your car.

NEVER get under a car or put your limbs under a car that is only supported by a jack as it is the quick path to death or serious injury.
 
#3 ·
^ Good advice . Could add ,drain when hot , flows out better Also run and check no leaks from filter or sump plug .Do not overfill .A lot of people nowadays find that the cost of buying oil and filter , disposing of the old oil , getting under the car and getting dirty is not worth the hassle . I seen a local fast fit centre advertising special offer lube / filter change ( premium oil ) for only £5 more than cost of buying the parts .These offers are quite common nowadays .
 
#4 ·
" NEVER get under a car or put your limbs under a car that is only supported by a jack as it is the quick path to death or serious injury. "

Very true . I learned the hard way . Early in apprenticeship , in the street outside house , was checking rear brakes on my fathers car .Used car jack supplied for quickness .Pulling off tight drum , car fell off jack . Didn't get my hand out quick enough and it split thumb and nail wide open .My father was more concerned with the blood that spurted on his car which he always kept immaculate !!!
 
#5 ·
Also take oil fill cap off the valve cover or loosen it so air can flow in when draining the oil so it flows smoothly out to one spot in your drain pan nicely rather than glug glugs as it comes out like an inverted soft drink bottle, splashes and goes everywhere.
 
#7 ·
Hi :)

Thanks for all the responses!

I know it's definitely cheaper to have a shop do it, but I still think it's something I should know and have performed at least once myself. I'll likely continue paying someone else to do it for me, especially through the winter (and I'm in Canada, so it's always winter ;) )

Yikes about your thumb! I'd be learning pretty quick with that.

I'm guessing jack stands are a specific thing, and not cinder blocks or logs that I've seen others use :) So I'll need those, and the oil filter wrench, socket or ring spanner (had to look that one up; always fun finding out familiar things have proper names!) and wheel chocks, so far.

For the Workshop Manual - the brand I am most familiar with is Haynes, but they don't seem to carry a Fiesta manual. Is the kA similar enough to the Fiesta that I could get away with it, or is there another brand of manuals I can look in to?

Edit: Forget to specify. My Fiesta is a 2012 SES 5 speed.. 1.6L inline-4, I believe (I'm trusting in the Google) I'll see if it's listed somewhere in the packet I have in the glovebox.
 
#9 ·
Yes; jack stands are a specific tool and much safer than cinder blocks (that will collapse under the car's weight) or logs that move when the shouldn't etc. Like this: New Craftsman 3 Ton High Lift Professional Jack Stands Pair 2 Auto Garage Tools | eBay (get a pair). And its best to get at least 4 wheels chocks to go on each side of each wheels that remain on the ground. In the long run it will be cheaper to buy a set of ring spanners or combination spanners and a socket set; as you start doing other things on the car you will find many uses for them. Ultimately you will want to buy a trolley jack as you will find using the jack that came with car slow and tedious to use. So a kit like this might be a good buy http://www.ebay.com/itm/Torin-Jack-...334596?hash=item3adbe53444:g:~IoAAOSwI-BWQgzD

A friend of mine had his MG fall on him as a teenager when he was working on its differential while the car was supported by oven baked clay bricks (a common building material in Australia). He ended up as a paraplegic and sadly died somewhat prematurely in his early 50's as a result. For some reason he kept driving that MG too.
 
#10 · (Edited by Moderator)
Don't know your location but in our city there are many car maintenance classes , usually in the evening that gives you hands on experience with jacks , stands ( where to position them etc .) and other equipment .Also the basic servicing which can be stepped up as you get more confident . As far as I can determine the 2011 and 2012 models are identical both being 6th generation models see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Fiesta#Sixth_generation_.282008.E2.80.93present.29
 
#11 ·
Strange that Haynes just ignores all Fiestas past 2011. Would the 2011 engine be similar enough to my 2012? Seems the '12s are all DVD and I'd much prefer a printed copy to have with me outside..

Looking at wheel chocks; there are plastic, there are rubber, and there are metal that are collapsible.. and all of them say 'for RV camper trailers'. Do these things have a weight ratio or other factors I should consider? I'm leaning more towards rubber, as I trust it more than plastic, and the 'collapsible' function of the metal ones concerns me slightly.

As for classes, I've not looked in to that. I highly doubt I'll find anything offered for free. Anything mechanical in the big city tends to be well over priced (even my preferred mechanic's shop is an hour and a half outside of the city - better prices and much more honest). Of course, I may be pleasantly surprised at what is available :) here's hoping!
 
#13 ·
Note also that Haynes, the UK company, now owns Chiltons, the old US publishing company (and in Australia it owns Gregory's) and will often publish the almost identical manual (albeit with imperial measurement changed to metric in the Gregory's) under the three publishing names names. This means (at least from what I have seen in Australia) that differences between LHD and RHD models are often not covered and, despite Haynes UK origins, not always to the advantage of RHD countries like Australia. As far as I can tell both the 2011 and 2012 models should be near identical both being 6th generation models see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Fiesta#Sixth_generation_.282008.E2.80.93present.29
 
#14 ·
Strange that Haynes just ignores all Fiestas past 2011
Not strange as:
a) the vehicle manufacturers often have copyright restrictions (particularly electronic diagnostic and control systems where manufacturers claim they need to protect there secret intellectual property) that prevent aftermarket publishers using material from their manuals for 5 or 10 years which delays publication of aftermarket manuals from publishers like Haynes; and
b) most new car buyers (due to warranty concerns) choose to have their car serviced at their dealers where the car was bought so there it's a few years before there is sufficient demand for aftermarket workshop manuals to justify publication.

On top of that both the vehicle manufacturers and the aftermarket service industry has been trying to argue that a lot of the information should not be made available to the DYI mechanic as it is unsafe for unqualified people to service modern cars (a load of nonsense in my view). There has also been a similar debate between the manufacturers and aftermarket industry about the release of information so that the aftermarket service industry can service cars.
 
#16 ·
" the information should not be made available to the DYI mechanic "

I can well remember when dealerships were the only ones who had access to the service manuals and subsequent TSBs and parts .At that time we also had a monopoly on specialised tooling for each model .It meant if a Renault for instance was brought into a MG dealership they were chased out .When any of our used sale cars of different franchise needed repairs it meant poncing what ever was needed from friends in the other garages . It also meant us mechanics were in great demand for doing " homers " at night and weekends . Happy days !!
 
#17 ·
I's a current issue around the world. See Automakers to gearheads: Stop repairing cars - Autoblog

Automakers are supporting provisions in copyright law that could prohibit home mechanics and car enthusiasts from repairing and modifying their own vehicles.

In comments filed with a federal agency that will determine whether tinkering with a car constitutes a copyright violation, OEMs and their main lobbying organization say cars have become too complex and dangerous for consumers and third parties to handle.

Allowing them to continue to fix their cars has become "legally problematic," according to a written statement from the Auto Alliance, the main lobbying arm of automakers.

The dispute arises from a section of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act that no one thought could apply to vehicles when it was signed into law in 1998. But now, in an era where cars are rolling computing platforms, the U.S. Copyright Office is examining whether provisions of the law that protect intellectual property should prohibit people from modifying and tuning their cars.

Every three years, the office holds hearings on whether certain activities should be exempt from the DMCA's section 1201, which governs technological measures that protect copyrighted work. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit organization that advocates for individual rights in the digital world, has asked the office to ensure that enthusiasts can continue working on cars by providing exemptions that would give them the right to access necessary car components.

Interested parties have until the end of the month to file comments on the proposed rule making, and a final decision is expected by mid-year.

In comments submitted so far, automakers have expressed concern that allowing outsiders to access electronic control units that run critical vehicle functions like steering, throttle inputs and braking "leads to an imbalance by which the negative consequences far outweigh any suggested benefits," according to the Alliance of Global Automakers. In the worst cases, the organizations said an exemption for enthusiasts "leads to disastrous consequences."

Complex Software, Increased Risk

Industry concerns are mounting that modifying these ECUs and the software coding that runs them could lead to vulnerabilities in vehicle safety and cyber security. Imagine an amateur makes a coding mistake that causes brakes to fail and a car crash ensues. Furthermore, automakers say these modifications could render cars non-compliant with environmental laws that regulate emissions.

But exemptions from the DMCA don't give third parties the right to infringe upon existing copyrights. Nor does an exemption mean consumers don't have to abide by other laws and rules that govern vehicles passed by the National Highway Traffic Administration, Environmental Protection Agency or U.S. Patent and Trade Office.

"It's not a new thing to be able to repair and modify cars," said Kit Walsh, a staff attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation. "It's actually a new thing to keep people from doing it. There are these specialized agencies that govern what vehicles can lawfully be used for on the road, and they have not seen fit to stop them from repairing cars."

Aftermarket suppliers and home enthusiasts have been modifying ECUs for years without dire consequences. By tweaking the ECU codes, a process sometimes known as "chipping," they've boosted horsepower, improved fuel efficiency, established performance limits for teen drivers and enhanced countless other features. These innovations have contributed to a "decades-old tradition of mechanical curiosity and self-reliance," according to the EFF.

Those innovations could be curbed precisely at a time that automakers believe personalization of vehicles is emerging as a significant trend. Software is allowing for all sorts of technology, such as 4G LTE wireless connections, and motorists can use this software to choose from an increasing array of infotainment options. But the car companies, paradoxically, want to be the ones doing the personalizing.

The EFF thinks the industry's desire to block exemptions has more to do with profits than safety. As software becomes easier to update, automakers could sell these performance upgrades on an a la carte basis. Because a favorable ruling would strengthen their control of the software, the car companies could potentially force consumers to only have their vehicles fixed at their dealerships or preferred repair shops.

Last September, Ford took steps toward consolidating such control, filing a lawsuit against Autel US Inc., a diagnostic-equipment manufacturer based in Huntington, New York. Ford alleges the company unlawfully copied trade secrets and accessed on-board computer systems that relay technical information on diagnostic codes and repair data. The EFF says consumers should have the right to have their cars fixed by independent mechanics.

Jennifer Dukarski, an intellectual property and technology attorney from Michigan firm Butzel Long, said there's an additional reason automakers are getting more aggressive in the copyright realm. Court rulings in recent years have eroded their patent protections, so they're searching for alternate ways to protect investments in research and development.

"With a limited scope of protection," she said, "they're saying, 'OK, if I can't protect this via patent, how am I going to lock everything down? What's my next-best tool?' And I think using copyright law, it is kind of the only protection outside the idea of trade secrets. The problem is you're in a situation with a host of competing interests, and those are how much freedom will you let car owners have? What's the relationship with the information in this car you bought?"

Another question central to balancing the competing interests in the proposed exemptions: Once customers purchase a device, must they only use it specifically as the manufacturer intended or can they modify it for their own particular needs?

GM: Telematics Industry Threatened

For their part, manufacturers say they're more concerned about potential losses than new revenue streams. Tinkering with the ECUs can void a car owner's warranty, but automakers remain concerned with their liability if third parties make changes that could result in physical or financial harm. They noted unsavory mechanics could easily manipulate odometers, and make cars appear to have fewer miles on them than they actually do, a problem for unsuspecting used-car buyers.

Granting exemptions would "deliberately weaken" protections put in place to ensure safe operation and regulatory mandates, General Motors said. Without such protection, the company said it would re-evaluate its entire electronic architecture. It could take the draconian step of removing telematics units, which control many real-time safety and infotainment features, from cars entirely.

Exemptions "would offer a serious, and potentially fatal, blow to the future of automotive telematics," GM wrote in its comments. "Absent this protection, vehicle manufacturers, including GM, may be forced to consider reducing offerings or withdrawing these systems from the market."

The Copyright Office has granted exemptions to the law in the past, and will consider 27 different exemption requests in its current deliberations. Most of the proposed exemptions have nothing to do with the automotive, covering copyright issues on everything from medical devices to eBooks to smart televisions.

"What's interesting is this is a unique situation," Dukarski said. "A lot of those exceptions are simple and straightforward. These ones, you've got some oddball nuances about reverse engineering, and it depends on how you're looking at things. ... "You have to question, 'How secure does it need to be? Does it affect a safety system?' You are dealing with a much more nuanced issue, and the results are tangible."



Automakers: We Know Our Cars Better

Manufacturers and their lobbyists have submitted comments on six of the 27 proposals. The specific topics cover: unlocking mobile connectivity devices, unlocking consumer machines, jailbreaking all-purpose mobile computing devices, vehicle software diagnosis repair and modification, and software security and safety research.

If there's a recurring theme in the comments beyond their assertions of ownership, it's that they say they know the intricacies of these ever-more-complicated software systems better than consumers and third parties. The Association of Global Automakers says the manufacturers and their suppliers "best understand the interdependence of automotive systems and are in the best position to know whether a modification, regardless of how slight, would disrupt another system."

Comments from equipment manufacturer John Deere took a more condescending tone toward independent and amateur mechanics, noting that circumventing protected technology should be "against public policy because individual vehicle owners do not have the technological resources to provide safe, reliable and lawful software for repair, diagnosis or some dubious 'aftermarket personalization, modification or other improvement' that is not directed toward repair or diagnosis of the vehicle."

Yet manufacturers have sometimes failed to find flaws in their own products or understand the relationships between various systems. In Congressional hearings devoted to uncovering why General Motors took no action for a decade in fixing a deadly defect in ignition switches, lawmakers noted the company failed to understand the connection between the ignition switch moving to the "accessory" position and airbag non-deployments. At latest count, at least 84 motorists have been killed in accidents caused by the defect.

Perhaps as troubling, auto-industry leaders failed in recent years to recognize countless cyber-security vulnerabilities in vehicles. It wasn't until outside researchers conducted high-profile and sometimes embarrassing demonstrations of how cars can be hacked before automakers took steps to address cyber threats. Without an exemption, this sort of research could be illegal.

In that respect, cyber-security security researchers might enhance vehicle safety more than the occasional amateur error may cause harm. All the more reason, Walsh said, that automakers and independents should be considered on equal footing.

"It's just a myth that the manufacturers are the only people who can make improvements," he said. "That's why maintaining that choice is really important."
In Australia Toyota gives mechanics a fair go
and

https://www.aaaa.com.au/policy-advo...-protection-for-consumers-choice-of-repairer/

AAAA: It’s time to mandate protection for consumers’ choice of repairer

2 February 2017

As part of its seven year long consumer Choice of Repairer campaign the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA) met with auto service and repair industry leaders and workshop operators in Perth and Brisbane recently to discuss open and fair competition in the sector.

AAAA Executive Director Stuart Charity also shared the results of a recent national research study on independent workshops’ access to the service and repair technical data that vehicle manufacturers offer to their dealership service centres.

Stuart Charity said access to car makers’ technical service and repair information was critical to ensuring that Australian consumers continue to have a choice about who they want to look after their vehicles.

“To ensure the safety and reliability of the nation’s 13 million cars, independent workshops need access to the same data that dealerships get. The independent workshops are prepared to pay a fair fee for that access,” he said.

Research reveals facts about data access
Organisations representing vehicle manufacturers, their dealerships and associations, such as the Motor Trades Association of Australia (MTAA), claim that all of the technical information needed to repair and service the vehicles on Australian roads is already in circulation.

“For example, the MTA of Western Australia told the recent Australian Competition and Consumer Commission Study into New Car Retailing that they only received four complaints from their members about data access in the past 12 months”, said Stuart Charity.

“AAAA conducted extensive field research to test this claim. In November 2016, our study of 325 independent vehicle repairers across Australia found that more than 80% view the withholding of vehicle repair data, vehicle specific tooling and known vehicle fault and rectification updates as a serious or critical issue for the future viability of their business.

“These workshops serviced and repaired 18,000 vehicles in a seven day period. This was a huge sample and we now have clear evidence that on average, once per day, workshops waste five hours of labour because, despite paying subscriptions to car makers for data, the key technical information needed to repair a vehicle was not readily available,” said Stuart Charity.

Delays to data access
Despite the evidence revealed by the AAAA research, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries continues to claim the existing voluntary Heads of Agreement – Access to Service and Repair Information for Motor Vehicles, which was signed by all auto industry stakeholders in December 2014, is working well and just needs more time for its vehicle manufacturer members to engage.

“There is a lot of misinformation promoted by Australian subsidiaries of the car makers and their industry body. They told government regulators, such as the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), that independent workshops are not having problems gaining access to repair and service information,” said Stuart Charity.

“But the AAAA study leaves no doubt that the current voluntary agreement is not working. That document has failed the consumers it was designed to serve. It is not helping to maintain Australia’s open competitive service and repair market sector.

“The resolution preferred by independent workshop operators is for government to mandate a requirement for vehicle manufacturers to make all dealer level service and repair information available to them for a reasonable fee.

“Based on AAAA research, we estimate that many of workshops will be out of business in five years if they do not gain full access to data and repair information on fair and reasonable terms from the car makers,” he said.

Why impose another level of “accreditation”?
During the visits Stuart Charity reminded service and repair operators that there were already data sharing models working successfully overseas. “As seen in North America and Europe, the sale of vehicle data to independent workshops on fair terms is a significant new business opportunity for the car manufacturers,” he said.

Another key message shared with workshop operators was that the industry did not need another workshop ‘accreditation scheme’ as proposed by the MTAA in the recent ACCC forum.

“The MTAA proposal is to have the car manufacturers ‘accredit’ independent workshops so they can work on vehicles of their brand. This is unnecessarily bureaucratic and would give the car makers the power to turn the independent sector into quasi dealership service centres.

“Workshop technicians are already professionally qualified by accredited education institutions. There is no need for another layer of workshop accreditation, particularly schemes run by foreign car makers.

“Its field research told AAAA the key issues for workshop operators are data sharing and skills shortages. We do not believe any independent workshops support workshop accreditation by car manufacturers.

“A similar scheme was trialled in Europe and the UK and failed prior to them adopting the mandatory data sharing model,” said Stuart Charity.

Mandate data sharing and consumer protection now
“AAAA has consistently stated that the current voluntary data sharing agreement in Australia is a total failure. It failed because of the lack of goodwill by the car makers, no monitoring or measurement, no government oversight, no agreed dispute resolution mechanisms, and no implications for non-compliance by the car manufacturers.

“The reality is that there is already a successful model up and running in North America that supports the entire industry. It is time for the introduction of a mandatory solution in Australia that mirrors the American National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF) model.

“That system works because it involves minimal cost and light touch regulation. American workshops register with NASTF and after a security background check gain access to repair and service information under a Secure Data Release Model from the car makers on fair and reasonable commercial terms.

“It is a simple, trusted, effective model. The independent workshops we met with agree there is no need to reinvent the wheel in Australia,” said Stuart Charity.

In Europe and the UK
Right 2 Repair Campaign Archives - Right to Repair Cars

It's been resolved in Australia and by Ford and least for now by having a paid subscription service for the Ford factory service manuals available online. But the aftermarket service industry is still lobbying Government to make it illegal for owners to service their own cars claiming safety considerations. e.g. Consumer safety concerns in right to repair discussion - Motor Trade Association of WA A load of BS me thinks; the few major service and repair issues I have had occurred when due to illness or warranty considerations I have resorted to paid professionals.
 
#18 ·
I guess not so strange :) I've just always known them to be available but I guess I've always had older vehicles, so that is why. I did some looking around on YouTube and found a few videos on changing oil on the Fiesta. They all said it's a simple vehicle to work on (yay), so I should be ok once I get all my tools and equipment as per your recommendations :)

Oil filter wrench
ring spanner set (apparently more difficult to find in store than I had anticipated. I guess the internet will get my money afterall)
wheel chocks (rubber)
jack stands (with a better jack to not drive myself crazy!)

And then the wait until I hit my kilometers :D
 
#20 ·
#21 ·
On the topic of suitable lifting points.. I looked in to this a bit and I think I'm more confused now. Seems the Fiesta has some cutouts in the skirt that pop out for the jack to go - would that be where I use the jack pad?

And then there seems to be some confusion over where the jack stands go. The most recommended seems to be on some crease weld, but they mentioned I'll need to make sure the jack stand has a little cutout to allow for the crease. Is that standard on jack stands? If not, would there be a different pad adapter that would work (or would the one linked above work)?

Also while browsing I saw some jacks are 'low profile'. How much clearance should my car have before I'll need a low profile? Not that I have plans on lowering it :) but I see it mentioned that it is a low car to begin with.

I'm going to have to stick my head under the car and see if I can't figure out what all these points are :)
 
#22 ·
Seems the Fiesta has some cutouts in the skirt that pop out for the jack to go - would that be where I use the jack pad?
Yes; so the seam, crease weld or pinch rail sits in slot in the slot of the rubber jack pad.

And then there seems to be some confusion over where the jack stands go. The most recommended seems to be on some crease weld, but they mentioned I'll need to make sure the jack stand has a little cutout to allow for the crease. Is that standard on jack stands? If not, would there be a different pad adapter that would work (or would the one linked above work)?
I would normally lift at the seam weld then place the jack stands at the frame rail lift points that are further in and should be shown in the workshop manual. However some cars need to have the stands go under the same seam weld (and the Fiesta may well be one) so it's best to get jack stands like these Craftsman 3 Ton High Lift Jack Stands 2-pk Pair Auto Garage Mechanic | eBay that have provision to do so plus some rubber pads like this to protect the paint on the adjacent sills Ernst #965: 2 pc Jack Stand Protective Covers. For most 2 ton up to 6 ton stands Yes; the ones in the link have the groove for the seam weld lift point.

Also while browsing I saw some jacks are 'low profile'. How much clearance should my car have before I'll need a low profile? Not that I have plans on lowering it :) but I see it mentioned that it is a low car to begin with.
I think most normal trolley jacks will fit (but best measure gap between lowest point of lift pint at the sill and the ground and compare that to the specs on the proposed jack purchase) but in the long term, if you can afford it, a low profile jack will likely prove to be a good investment (cars are just continuing to get closer to the ground year by year) as are quick lift or rapid pump jacks (saves a lot of pumping) and the lighter weight (easier to handle) "racing jacks " (provided they can still lift at least 2 plus ton - you won't need that capacity for the Fiesta but you may choose a to buy much heavier vehicle later and you can get 2.5 ton capacity jacks around the same price as a 1.5 ton capacity jack).
 
#23 ·
By the way expect to have some spills and thrills with your first oil and filter change so have some old rags ready for any spilt oil. Also have a new compressible sump plug washer (copper or aluminium) ready, some Vaseline to smear on the new oil filter gasket and get some nitrile or latex rubber mechanics gloves to protect your hands from oil and help provide a non-slip grip to hand tighten the new oil filter and grip your tools (but have the band aids ready for the skinned knuckles just in case) .

You will also need to take your old oil and filter to a recycling point somewhere (the shop where you purchased your new oil or local city council recycling station may take it). Drain the filter into the oil drain pan and then put the filter in an old plastic grocery bag or similar.
 
#24 ·
This thread on another forum will probably also be of interest Pinch Rail Jack Pads , In light of what's said in that thread, the Magpads here https://zl1addons.com/collections/jackpads-magpads look like a good idea. Having magnet pads that you can place on the sills and not having to line up the pads while raising the jack will makes things much easier too (I wish they were available in Oz).
 
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