r/AskMechanics • u/FlamingLobster • 14d ago
Am I overreacting by thinking this is bad practice?
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u/Odd_Section2561 14d ago
No it’s ok. They’re under supervision.
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u/coffecup1978 14d ago
Obviously one of the higher ups
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u/teacher_teacher 14d ago
Actually I think the ones under the car are higher up.
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u/Warm_Resource_4229 14d ago
God dammit I thought the exact same thing and scrolled to comment only to see you thought the same. Take the upvote. You earned it.
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u/1stHalfTexasfan 14d ago
Standard fare for the used tire shops in Austin. Don't recommend it, but shit happens.
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u/BeNice-ThisTime 14d ago
Pretty typical for tire places. No one getting is underneath it. From an insurance perspective, there is less risk/liability to do it this way than with a 2-post lift.
I'd prefer to see a 4th jack in use, but really it's not going anywhere.
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u/quakerroatmeal 14d ago
I’m a bit surprise a shop like discount tire would service it like this. Is it because the vehicle is lifted that their floor hydraulic lift can’t be used?
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u/BeNice-ThisTime 14d ago
They do it because it is fast, safe, and costs less. Plus no one can ask "can you check on such-and-such while you are under there" if you aren't going under.
I think the lift not being used was the only lift in the entire place, they do most jobs on jacks.
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u/quakerroatmeal 14d ago
The picture you posted is this a discount tire? It looks like my local discount tire. I guess they updated all the ones here they all have hydraulic lifts in most of their bays.
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u/BeNice-ThisTime 14d ago
Yeah, Discount. This building is like 10 years old. Could be state regulations, who knows.
Certainly layman customers would feel better about a lift. Maybe that's reason enough.
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u/Quardener 14d ago
There is no way that is faster than just using the lift; unless they simply don’t have one to use.
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u/LordKhajiit Mechanic (Unverified) 14d ago
It for sure is. Roll up, shove the jacks under, furiously jack it, bust the nuts, tug the rims, roll em around, put em back on, hammer your nuts, all good.
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u/cantthinkofone29 14d ago
You forgot the required nap after jacking it furiously and busting the nuts.
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u/Cyber_Fire 13d ago
So that is faster than driving it on a lift, pressing a button and doing the same thing
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u/LordKhajiit Mechanic (Unverified) 13d ago edited 13d ago
As someone who regularly sets lifts, yeah, it is.
Edit: Longest part of setting the lift is waiting for it to go up and waiting for it to come down. If you have two people dealing with the jacks, it takes less time to set the jacks and crank em a few times to get the wheels off the ground. If you have one person, MIGHT take a tiny bit longer to get set up, but lowering it on the lift, especially if you set the lift at chest height to make pulling the rims off easier on your back, will end up taking longer.
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u/Cyber_Fire 13d ago
Yeah i get what you're saying. In the garages i worked at, it was all mostly about keeping the mechanics healthy. No unnecessary things to injure the back and such. But we also only had one jack so i learned to always use the lifts unless if it was for 1 wheel
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u/Solid-Olive-3200 14d ago
It’s not standard for any tire place I have been. They all have lifts.
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u/Dazzling_Fox_6977 13d ago
We own a tire shop and we rarely use our lift. Always the jacks. So yes it’s typical and standard.
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u/Kumirkohr 14d ago
Triangles don’t wobble
Lotta faith in those hydraulics though, I’d want stands or cribbing underneath in case of failure
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u/BeNice-ThisTime 14d ago
If a jack failed it wouldn't be a catastrophe. I wouldn't want the customer to see it happen though!
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u/breachedbuttbaby 14d ago
Standard practice for southern tire shops. It is bad practice but in the industry it is what it is, I don't take much offense to it
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u/ARAR1 14d ago
Why isn't the 4th being used?
Jacks are on wheels so they could roll.
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u/dirkahps 13d ago
That guy is just showing off. Not only does he have FOUR functional jacks, he has a 5th one one just sitting there looking pretty.
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u/icyple 14d ago
They’re having bets on which hydraulic ram will fail first?
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u/CuriousMouse13 13d ago
That’s what I was thinking, sure it’ll hold fine and the vehicle probably won’t move, and with no one under it there’s no risk of bodily harm. BUT can mess up the suspension if one of those fails.
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u/Southern-Yam1030 14d ago
Against regulations here. Need a triangle jacks under it, using all rollers to hold it up is a big no no. Would get chewed out so hard id have to do the heavy duty safety squint.
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u/0_Kaz 14d ago
Nope that’s a pretty bad idea
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u/dalminator 14d ago
a horrible idea that happens thousands of times per day in every major city. very common for shitty cheap tire shops to do this. seen my car like this plenty of times when I'm getting the $40 mount and balance special for my tires I bought on eBay.
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u/FlamingLobster 14d ago
I mean for 40$ I'll be conflicted about being afraid one of the jacks will fail
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u/ChiefBig420 14d ago
I mean, I use two jack stands up front and only one jack in the back… then hurry up and do your wheels/tires and hurry back lol. Only difference is I don’t have 4x jacks lol. I don’t see an issue with this. lol.
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u/animuz11 14d ago
Is it safe to jack up the rear while the front is on jack stands? I am always afraid the car will slip off if I jack up the last 2 wheels at an angle
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u/Kraetor92 14d ago
How else do you get a vehicle on jack stands? The important thing is to be on a hard, level surface. The jack needs to be able to roll as you lift so it can keep itself under the weight. Otherwise the jack will pull the car off the stands instead.
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u/SkyHigh27 14d ago
This isn’t ideal. Sure. But if you are just going to remove the wheels and you are NOT planning to get under the car then, I think it’s only a 5 out of 10 on the redneck scale. Then again… all of those jacks have wheels on them… uneven ground… meh. Fine like this for a few weeks or until the divorce payments come in the mail.
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u/pyramidhead_ 14d ago
Looks like one of the nancy's made it to there first ghetto tire shop. Lol
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u/SectorAppropriate151 13d ago
This whole thread had me convinced alotta people should not work around power tools...jfc...don't get me wrong...I do tons of stupid shit...on a daily and regular basis...but holy fudgesicles people are stupid...ps don't do this
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u/SectorAppropriate151 13d ago
Edit or add on the other half of the posts have me in stitches...I guess thats why I internet
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u/MilitantPotato 14d ago
It's fine.
If ya visit a small tire shop in a city you've a real good chance of getting work done this way. Lifts are screaming expensive and the worst that happens here is a jack leaks down and ya gotta pickup a corner again.
I personally would have liked to see 4 jacks on the lift points, though.
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u/Ok-Kaleidoscope5627 14d ago
Lifts aren't even that expensive. A cheap Chinese lift can be had for $1-2k last I checked. I'd trust a cheap Chinese lift over that setup... But for insurance purposes and if your municipality has rules around it you can't really use those lifts in a business.
So getting certified lifts, getting confirmation that the concrete is thick enough, getting a landlord that'll let you put in the anchors, getting it all delivered, getting an electrician to run 220v to where the lift needs to be, getting it all installed and setup etc...That adds up.
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u/AwarenessGreat282 14d ago
They probably don't have a bay to use a lift. Which is why the car is outside as it is. My local tire shop has no bays to pull cars in. Crazy watching them in winter.
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u/aybigsecki 14d ago
Every small tire shop does this (not discount tires, costco, etc.). They can get you in and out quick, whereas you'd spend hours at Costco.
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u/animuz11 14d ago
How can you jack a car up with 4 jacks? If you jack up one side with 2 jacks the car is at an angle. If you start jacking up the other side, won't the jack slide off?
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u/john_w_dulles 14d ago
with two people you could place all 4 jacks in place, then loosen lugs slightly. then jack either the front or rear simultaneously with a person on each side (one on driver / one on passenger side). repeat for the other end of the car. or with one person, just go up gradually, pumping each jack up in small increments so that the car never tilts too severely. it's not like you have to go very high, just an inch or two past the regular tire height. but im not sure why you wouldn't just leave two wheels on though. unless you have four tire machines and four guys working them, you aren't gonna be able to change tires on all 4 wheels at the same time.
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u/Top-Pick-2648 14d ago
Actually does not look like there on the correct lift points for the car, Hondas there are tabs below the rockers..
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u/RealManofMystery 14d ago
Ive seen this in places that will do things quickly on the side while working on other cars. I also see it more in the hood. I dont think its safe but as long as the jacks are in the right spot and my car doesn't fall I dont care lol
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u/Imatelluonemortime 13d ago
If your car falls the insurance, if they have it, ain’t gonna cover it. They don’t have enough employees to be under osha regs either 🙈
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u/Smiley_Smith 14d ago
Every tire place I’ve ever been to does it this way. Wild but when you consider the time spent making it not sketch, you understand.
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u/SamAndBrew 14d ago
How the fuck did they do this with THREE JACKS?!?
Also, there are five jacks in this photo, are they Union or something?
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u/QuestionNeither6123 14d ago
Some people might say you’re down four tires. I think you’re up four car jacks.
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u/RepressedOptimist 14d ago
My gear head buddy does shit like this all the time. Is it totally safe, I it probably fine, yeah. Had a neighbor who had an old town car on Jack's for a month at a time in his car port.
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u/Odd_Ad6354 13d ago
If they do that in my country no one would go there, what in the abomination is that and where is the 4th jack..? Would be far easier to just either both rear sides or if chassis permits from the one side at a time in the middle, all you need is for 1 jack to fail and you have an insurance case and a very angry customer
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u/Angrybskt 13d ago
Had a couple different tire places do this with my 02 duramax. I was uncomfortable the first time I saw it but it wasn’t gonna go anywhere. Guess I just don’t own that many jacks to have thought about doing that lol
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u/Daniel_crates 13d ago
This was my new car an hour after buying it. Had to put winter tires on, was a little nervous, but it was nice and quick.
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u/waynep712222 13d ago
I live in los angeles. The car would be sitting on milk crates or just the ground. A friend had an audi up doing trans stuff. Poof the wheels were gone.
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u/Appropriate_Cow94 13d ago
Just how it's done. Tire guys do this a few thousand times a year. They somehow, don't die.
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u/JediKagoro 13d ago
I did this in college once, fixing my own car. Almost crushed my good friend. Wow, was I stupid.
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u/Afraid-Reindeer-8940 12d ago
When I was deployed with the Leopard tanks we loaned some engine stands to the Spanish mechanics since they also use leopards and we helped each other out all the time.
Only for us to drive by a Spanish Leo while it was being worked on, propped up on 4 engine stands... Leopards, with armor, are an 84 tonne fuck machine.
Our head of maintenance had a fit.
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u/SPARTANsui 14d ago
Tire shop that I scheduled the rear tires on my car to be replaced and alignment did this outside to my car. Single guy working that day. Took like 6 hours, waited in the lobby the whole time. Fucked my alignment, made my car feel dangerous at speed. Had to take my car to another shop to fix the alignment. Spent like $400 all together because they suck.
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u/Kraetor92 14d ago
Going to an alignment shop and seeing them remove wheels like that was the first major red flag. If they’re using jacks to remove tires, they’re probably too cheap for an alignment rack as well lol
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u/justdaisukeyo 14d ago
I have never seen a professional shop lift the car with 3 jacks.
As others have stated, I have seen tire shops use 4 jacks.
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u/ducks1333 14d ago
Might be a problem if there's an earthquake. Otherwise it fine for getting wheels off, or for setting jackstands if you're going to be under it.
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u/MattTheMechan1c 14d ago
I think it’s kinda sketchy, they should at least put it in kickstands
This reminds me of the time my dad got his wheels repaired. He bought a set of used AMG rims for his Mercedes SUV but the imperfections it had were bothering him so we took it to some rim repair guy that a friend recommended. I assumed he had a lift in his garage since it was massive. After an hour or so we decided to check the status and we saw the vehicle on four floor jacks .. on a gravel driveway. But credit where credit is due the repair guy did a fantastic job at a fraction of what a shop would charge.
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u/CaptnSave-A-Ho 14d ago
Is it overreacting if you just think something?
It is definitely not safe. Im guessing its getting tires, so its less bad than if someone was underneath it. But being out in the open like that could be an issue if some kids get to close or start touching things. Im surprised they have all those Jack's to be honest. Seems like every shop ive worked at we are always fighting over the jacks because the shop would only have like 2 that worked.
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u/Forward_Strength152 14d ago
I've done worse but if this is a professional place definitely run the other way and do not allow them to work on your vehicle. 'm pretty sure all those jacks have wheels on them and it looks like that driveway has a slant this is just asking disaster to happen.
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u/Particular-Summer230 14d ago
🤔That's probably why the jacks are positioned perpendicular to the slope and the vehicle,as opposed to being in line with the vehicle and slope. I mean there's "not safe" and then there's 🫣 "NOT SAFE"😲
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u/Forward_Strength152 14d ago
Why am I getting down voted. oooo my bad . Forgot this is r/AskAShittyMechanic
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u/BuckyCornbread 14d ago
I see all the time at tire places. Probably not a good idea but it is common.
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u/Fabulous-Car-6850 14d ago
Eh less not terrible since no one is getting underneath. Stabile enough. Low height to lift wheels/tires. Quicker. No chance falling when moving to/from jack stands.
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u/swiftie-42069 14d ago
It’s outstanding because tire shops like that can get you in a new set of tires in 20 minutes. If you go to NTB or Discount you’ll be there for hours.
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u/Tony-31375 14d ago
Last time that I went to a small local tire shop they did the same to my car, for me it was ok.
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u/sinisterginger01 14d ago
Track the vin number of the jacks oh whom purchased them these people really are not smart
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u/Gambit3le 14d ago
I've seen this at most tire shops I have been to. It's safe enough to get the work done quickly and efficiently. As long as nobody is going under the car there's low risk of injury. It's definitely a bit sketchy looking, but if you think too hard about how things have been done throughout human history this isn't even on the radar of sketchy practices.
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u/english_mike69 14d ago
That 4th jack just sitting there thinking that the car looks like some War of the Worlds tripod mofo.
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u/paulyp41 Mechanic (Unverified) 14d ago
I’ve also seen the wheel guys (guys that fix wheels) do this every time
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u/XiahouYuan 14d ago
Pretty small probability, but I'm thinking it's a Transformer that just had it's tires stolen, and the photo caught it just as it started to extend it's arms and legs so it could teach those thieves what for.
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u/gotoline10 14d ago
They are professionals. Read that as they are insured.
Plus I don't wanna wait for the lift.......
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u/FeastingOnFelines 14d ago
I see this at lots of tire places, I.e., they’re never getting underneath.
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u/jevoltin 14d ago
My local Discount Tire has lifts, but i always see larger vehicles (such as pickups and large SUVs) on four jacks. I dont know why, but it has been this way for many years.
I have wondered if it allows them to use lift points that are further apart than the lift allows. Maybe the lift can be adjusted for a wider spread, but it is too slow compared to the jacks.
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u/dipdop18 14d ago
Shop I bought tires from used the 3 jack method for my SUV during a windy day. I was scared yet impressed. It was surprisingly stable.
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u/Narrow_Ad_391 14d ago
I know exactly what shop this is. They used to be good, but have gone downhill in recent years. They always did this though so there’s that….
I’ve had them mount and balance a full set for me. Not bad pricing but you get what you pay for.
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u/H0SS_AGAINST 14d ago
I'm definitely not advocating for getting under a car only held up by a hydraulic jack. Like... definitely do not do that. However, if you don't have to get under any part of the vehicle (you don't for tires)...and besides your grandpappy's jack from 1958 that has never had the valves serviced, how often does your hydraulic jack ever drop or even sag? Yeah...never.
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u/Ok_Bid_3899 14d ago
If it’s a tire shop and no one is placing any body parts under the vehicle pretty safe. Now if you parked your car and came back to this different story.
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u/EaterOfPumpkins 14d ago
Homie at a local used tire store tried to do this to my Honda Odyssey. Jacked up the rear of the van in the center first, then after it was a foot in the air, went to Jack up the driver's side front. I stopped him before my van went completely sideways, and went to a different shop.
If he had gone: driver's front, passenger front, and then the rear, I wouldn't have been so sketched out.
But setting things up for failure before you start? Nah, you ain't saving that much time my guy.
if you're on your own with one machine, why not just do two tires at a time 🤷🏼♂️.
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u/downwithasmile 14d ago
I personally would use jack stands but I’ve seen that at a lot of tire shops. Typically Discount Tire will only jack up one side at a time if they aren’t using lifts.
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u/Seven-Arazmus 14d ago
Pretty common almost everywhere. Some shops lifts are always full bit these jacks are safe.
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u/blastman8888 14d ago
Did this with jack stands while I had my rims repaired from all the curb dings. I put it on the side my house neighbors wouldn't like it too much in the driveway for a week.
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u/PenguinsAndTopHats 14d ago
It depends how many idiots are around. You gotta do what you gotta do sometimes. Some people wouldn't understand. Btw if you posted a picture of a car from a distance on a regular lift, it could still be just as "sketchy" if not worse considering how high up it would likely be. Just sayin. It's fine just make sure they know how to tighten your lugs.
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u/24Crawler 14d ago
with a car being left on floor jacks that have wheels? hell to the nah, get my wheels back on. now if it was on jackstands itd be fine
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u/Trans_Admin 14d ago
it no1 go under; but even than they drop ur car n u got way more peblem then that
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u/mitigated_audacity 14d ago
Subarus make it easy with one middle jack point in the front and you can jack every Subaru in the back on its rear diff. Love changing the tires on my wife subie. And with the oil filter looking at you when you open the hood right up on top of the engine, Subaru might be the backyard mechanics dream car to work on.
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u/Careless-Elk-2168 14d ago
This is the only way I’ve seen the various mobile tire shop businesses do it.
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u/2fatmike 14d ago
Without stands under the vehicle this is dangerous for anyone that would go near the car. A jack can fail at anytime. This is a osha violation waiting to b handed out. Any shop that let's this happen shows their lack of professionalism. This is back woods type work.
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u/WilliamGrantham80 14d ago
I'm barely mechanically inclined enough to do my own repairs, but I'll tell you what...THAT setup had my beanbag snap the boys right up against me. I can hear Darwin giggling from his grave. I'd have to set up a camera.
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u/dumb_founded456 14d ago
I’ve never had a problem with them doing it, especially when it only cost $350 for 4 damn near new tires.
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u/Desperate-Score3949 14d ago
It wouldn't matter to me. If a jack failed it isn't like the car would just fall. It would just start teetering, which they would just get another jack and fix the problem. It is usually done with 4 jacks but 3 jacks always work, just not a preference to most.
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u/rolo_mug 14d ago
Depends what they are practicing. If they are training for Olympic downhill skiing, really shite practice.
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u/Independent_Ad_5615 14d ago
That person has never blown a seal in one of those hacks while near or under the car. They will learn.
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u/EvilToastedWeasel0 14d ago
At least they were kind enough to leave jacks instead of cinder blocks.....
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u/PMMeBootyPicz0000000 14d ago
This seems so dumb and wasteful. Why not just use 4 jack stands instead??? 4 jack stands cost less than 1 floor jack.
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u/RideAffectionate518 14d ago
You're probably overreacting since it's not your car or your place of business, but tire shops do this all the time and it's not any more dangerous than jack stands.
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u/ThePhukkening 13d ago
I never trust anything hydraulic. Even when I did jobs outside the tire shop, I would put jack stands under whatever it was, even if I wasn't getting under it.
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u/Bulky-Plate-4288 13d ago
Seems dumb to me, you don’t trust just one now put 3 more there that have the potential to fail, all it takes is one to fail for a mess to happen. I do understand that they only have to hold 1/4th of the weight give or take based on the placement, but a failing jack is a failing jack
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u/MaterialDefender1032 13d ago
Looks sketch without a 4th jack and/or triangle jacks but otherwise we don't know the full story. Could be a case of customer requested no one go in their car, or customer has a history of accusing shops of foul play so the shop doesn't even put the key in the ignition to avoid hassle. I've had stranger customers.
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u/adryld25 13d ago
I worked in automotive and I would've never accepted to work in a tire shop if they didn't have proper 4p lifts but I also did wheel repair and we used floor jacks but it's faster to use 2 jacks (front and back) and throw Jack stand's under lift points.
Pumping 4 times is gonna be longer, more expensive and potentially dangerous cause they can fail or start leaking fluid. It never happens until it does. The only way this is faster is if the place is overstaffed with underpaid workers. I wouldn't make a big deal out of it but I wouldn't recommend getting your car serviced there.
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u/Sandscarab24 13d ago
When Harbor Freight has sales and you see people buying dozens of them...this is why.
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u/Emergency-Nature3910 13d ago
Many adjectives could be used to describe what we are seeing in this photo. My thoughts are an accident waiting to happen.
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