General 500 car jack

[SarahT]

Hi!
Had my twin air plus 8mths... Got a flat tonight (looks like a leaky valve) anyway a nice man at work offered to change my tyre to my skinny spare!
While the car was jacked up... The jack broke!
Metal flew off, car cashed (drivers rear) down to the ground. Lucky I work op the fiat dealership, ran across the road and they brought a jack over and put my spare on.
My tyre is now lose in the boot!!!! Doesn't fit in the spare bit (yes I'm female)

Obviously not happy with fiat right now (among other probs I've had with the car)
I will take it into them tomorrow- I want the jack replacing!
Check the underneath of the car for damage!
And wouldn't mind them getting my tyre sorted! They quoted me £15 to fix it!!!

Is this too much to ask?

Has anyone else's jacks just jacked off??

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

Jack's don't just snap or collapse normally. Suspect it may not have been being used correctly

 

[SarahT]

That's what I would have said, but the guy who helped me was a mechanic in out transport dept and the Fiat mechanic confirmed it was the jack at fault... Which is why I wonder if it's worth seeing if they will sort my tyre for free!?! (good will gesture)
Fiat confined they will replace my jack but that's all.
(it was 6pm and they were closing)

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

Ah if they've confirmed the jack was faulty then go for it Lucky they dared even admit to something like that tbh

 

[deeyup]

Check that you've not dented your brake drum or damaged the disc if fitted.
You'll feel a vibration during braking. I'd expect fiat to pay for replacements if they are
if indeed the jack was at fault.

 

[Andy Monty]

At least they have said its at fault

Good luck getting the tyre sorted however,

Dont know how you will get on with any other damage arising from the jack collapsing i assume that sort of repair will have to go up to fiat HQ or some top bod to authorise any repair work if needed...

 

[306maxi]

Jack's don't just snap or collapse normally. Suspect it may not have been being used correctly

I don't know why people have disliked this post......

A jack failing on a relatively new car like a 500 is pretty much unheard of. I must have changed all 4 tyres on my 500 over at least 8 times (so 32 changes in total) or perhaps even 9 times and my jack still works fine. So the design is sound, but perhaps it was used improperly or there was just a fault with the jack.

 

[frupi]

I don't know why people have disliked this post......

A jack failing on a relatively new car like a 500 is pretty much unheard of. I must have changed all 4 tyres on my 500 over at least 8 times (so 32 changes in total) or perhaps even 9 times and my jack still works fine. So the design is sound, but perhaps it was used improperly or there was just a fault with the jack.

I disliked MostEasterlyPanda's post because it appeared to me that it was just straight in there, in your face, it must have been your fault attitude and I just personally thought that was quite rude and poorly judged.

I've read enough posts on this forum from members bemoaning the quality of certain parts. Is it inconceivable that the jack may actually not be that good? Just because you have had no issues personally with your own supplied jack, doesn't mean that someone out there won't have a problem.

Now I've never actually had a jack fail on me. I have changed a wheel on a large Nissan pickup on a mountain road in South Africa and suffered no issues, but I've watched our own 500 jack flex and curve to one side when lifting the car and I've felt uncomfortable. The 500 weighs next to 'b all compared to some motors, so the jack should (and likely is in most cases) more than adequate to do the job.

Now I'm no metallurgist (are you? or indeed is there a qualified metallurgist on this forum who can add qualified input?), but it isn't inconceivable that the OP's jack did have a weakness in it and subsequently suffered a catastrophic failure. That however is now up to Fiat to decide with the OP.

 

[loveshandbags]

I don't know why people have disliked this post......

A jack failing on a relatively new car like a 500 is pretty much unheard of. I must have changed all 4 tyres on my 500 over at least 8 times (so 32 changes in total) or perhaps even 9 times and my jack still works fine. So the design is sound, but perhaps it was used improperly or there was just a fault with the jack.

:yeahthat:

I'm surprised that the car jack too is faulty unless Fiat are 'lightening' the jack to save on weight. If I'm jacking the car up I try and do it on a level surface and put a big stone or something under a wheel to make sure that the car doesn't move. I wonder given that it was a 'mechanic from the transport department' did he rush the job and and not take proper precautions ?

Since Fiat have stated that the jack was at fault I wish the OP the best of luck in getting a recovery of any repair damage.

 

[frupi]

:yeahthat:

I'm surprised that the car jack too is faulty unless Fiat are 'lightening' the jack to save on weight.

I've just gone to the anality of weighing our 500 jack and my Cadillac scissor jack:

500 jack: 600 grams or 1lb in old money - weighed on wife's kitchen scales
Caddy jack: 2kg or 4.41lb (weighed on bathroom digital scales)

 

[306maxi]

I disliked MostEasterlyPanda's post because it appeared to me that it was just straight in there, in your face, it must have been your fault attitude and I just personally thought that was quite rude and poorly judged.

I've read enough posts on this forum from members bemoaning the quality of certain parts. Is it inconceivable that the jack may actually not be that good? Just because you have had no issues personally with your own supplied jack, doesn't mean that someone out there won't have a problem.

Now I've never actually had a jack fail on me. I have changed a wheel on a large Nissan pickup on a mountain road in South Africa and suffered no issues, but I've watched our own 500 jack flex and curve to one side when lifting the car and I've felt uncomfortable. The 500 weighs next to 'b all compared to some motors, so the jack should (and likely is in most cases) more than adequate to do the job.

Now I'm no metallurgist (are you? or indeed is there a qualified metallurgist on this forum who can add qualified input?), but it isn't inconceivable that the OP's jack did have a weakness in it and subsequently suffered a catastrophic failure. That however is now up to Fiat to decide with the OP.

What's wrong with a straight up post?

It wasn't like he said "OP you ****ing idiot, you must have jacked the car up wrong you dopey sod! I hope your genitals shrivel and fall off", it was said in a polite and straightforward manner. The one annoying thing about the 500 section of this forum is the fact that everyone expects to be handled with kid gloves rather than people just being up front with each other and honest. Hell, the OP took no offence to the comment and even agreed, that says something.

Hands up who was thinking that it was probably operator error that caused the jack to fail? I did! Is that some sort of crime?

 

[frupi]

Maxi, please just accept that there are people who don't subscribe to your point of view on everything.

 

[306maxi]

Maxi, please just accept that there are people who don't subscribe to your point of view on everything.

I'm sorry, but you were the one whining about someone not subscribing to YOUR point of view :shrug:

 

[RobW]

Hi!
Had my twin air plus 8mths... Got a flat tonight (looks like a leaky valve) anyway a nice man at work offered to change my tyre to my skinny spare!
While the car was jacked up... The jack broke!
Metal flew off, car cashed (drivers rear) down to the ground. Lucky I work op the fiat dealership, ran across the road and they brought a jack over and put my spare on.
My tyre is now lose in the boot!!!! Doesn't fit in the spare bit (yes I'm female)

Obviously not happy with fiat right now (among other probs I've had with the car)
I will take it into them tomorrow- I want the jack replacing!
Check the underneath of the car for damage!
And wouldn't mind them getting my tyre sorted! They quoted me £15 to fix it!!!

Is this too much to ask?

Has anyone else's jacks just jacked off??

As you were opposite the Fiat dealer perhaps you could have taken it there?
Did your helper look at the manual to see the correct place to install the jack?

Hope no damage to your car

 

[loveshandbags]

Let's be nice on here.eace:
Being brief and quick to the point can sometimes come across the wrong way. Personally I think MEPs post was spot on and the 'weight test' proved that the precautions need to be taken when jacking up a 500 despite only weighing 870kgs. I hate to think what a Cadallic weighs.

 

[poggy]

Jacks do fail. I had a Land Rover Discovery 3 jack just collapse on me while changing a tyre. I then found out that 3 other people out of quite a small number of other owners had the same thing.

It is worth noting that you shouldn't use the jack for changing from one set of rims to another, routine work etc, only for emergency changing of a spare. The service life is calculated based on occasional use only, so using it as a workshop tool is not a good plan.

As for the OP, I can see how it would happen having had it myself. If Fiat have agreed it was faulty then I would guess you have a very strong case for getting other damage covered by them.

I tell you when 2.5 tonnes of car drops down from quite a height, it is enough to need a change of pants even if your only standing next to it. Fortunately I had a axle stand under the chassis as back up.

 

[snes]

I was the first person to reply on this thread, yet today I can find no trace of it. It was a very mild inoffensive post, so I can't imagine a Mod pulled it. Strange.

More relevant, I find both MEP and Maxi are quite direct and to the point. It took me some time to get used to it, and I can see why sometimes hackles are raised, but it sometimes needs a plain speaker to state the obvious. (or as Maxi hinted, what most people thought, but were afraid to say.)

 

[frupi]

I was the first person to reply on this thread, yet today I can find no trace of it. It was a very mild inoffensive post, so I can't imagine a Mod pulled it. Strange.

https://www.fiatforum.com/500/307433-500-jack-problemo.html

For some reason, two threads on the same subject were started.

 

[snes]

Just spotted it!! Thanks Frupi, I thought I was imagining things for a while!

 

[frupi]

My, my, what will people think of next:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12v-Elect..._Lifting_Moving_Equipment&hash=item2c6793fffe