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How do I lift my car at home?

I need to do some repair work underneath my car, but I don’t have a mechanical lift in my garage. How can I lift my car at home so I can work on it?

avatar
Eric Schad · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
Lifting your car at home isn’t easy. In most cases, you should probably defer to the professionals and take your car into the shop. But if you’re careful, you can lift your car at home with jack stands and braces.
You can follow these steps to safely lift your car:
  • Make sure the car is on level ground.
  • Apply the parking brake.
  • Use wheel chocks (or pieces of wood/rocks) to keep the car from rolling.
  • Use the owner’s manual to find the jacking points on your car
  • Jack the car and put a jack stand under each wheel
  • Slowly lower the car onto the jack stands.
  • Put wood blocks underneath each of the wheels as a fail-safe.
  • Give the car a quick shake and wiggle to make sure it’s sturdy.
Congratulations, you just raised your car! If you’d rather not do the work yourself, consider buying an
extended warranty
or
comprehensive coverage
to help cover the costs of future damage. While they won’t always cover the damages you’d like fixed, they’ll usually help you avoid working under the car.
To find the best price for a new comprehensive coverage plan, download the
Jerry
app. A licensed insurance broker, Jerry helps you compare quotes from over 50 top insurers like Progressive and Allstate to find the best rate for your needs. Jerry customers save an average of $879 a year on car insurance—and it only takes a minute to sign up!
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