Oddly enough my Haynes manual doesn't mention anything about what seem to be 4 brackets for supporting the car near the jacking points on the sill. If they are it's just solved me a big problem. Anyway attached is an image of what they look like.

Well i use it as one!!

I've never had any problems with putting axle stands there...

It doesnt say its safe for supporting the vehicle weight on axle stands in either the owners handbook or Haynes but at least two people on the net say its ok, who do you trust?

i thought they was for moving a bare shell around the factory

When your car goes into a garage & on the ramps its where the mechanic rests his ramp jack to raise both rear or front wheels Its also where you can put a trolley jack .
Car shells on production lines are carried through the roof mainly until the wheels are fitted and then they remain stationary on a moving track. They move for the first time by themselves when they are drove off the line to the final inspection/holding bay.

They're bad rusting points at least so if yours is rusty, dont use it as a jacking point, the sill is well strong enough, even to support all the doors open on a 5dr without the shell disorting and the doors soundsing strange whn you close as the latch n hinges have shifted.

Jordan

I believe they are for the factory to suspend the car down the line, and jacking points in one, but must admit they aint the strongest thou.

Also if you have the sporting skirts on (well at least on my old mk1) theirs two arrows either side of the skirts and the ones at the fronts seem to be pointing to that support and thats the only thing i can think that their for, to tell u where the point is.

Any one else noticed that?