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Jack Lift Points Damaged

Neveready

Seasoned Member
Joined
Sep 18, 2021
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643
Location
Out West
I could use advice on this as it's out of my wheelhouse. I went to look under my car yesterday and found a rubber hockey puck stuck to the front driver side pinch weld. I just had the dealership change the oil. Then I noticed the area by the 2 holes are bent inwards. Supposedly this area is where the factory lifts the car, but in the manual the Ben pack lift area is the pinch welds. The Front passenger side is warped too, you can see creases in the center and they are not symmetrical. The passenger side hole is deformed and also pushed upwards, See photos.

Here are the chain of events :

-I bought the car from a dealership new up in Northern California.
-500 mi i had the oil changed by my local dealer.
-700 mi I had PPF put on the whole car, they did not coat the wheels and I don't believe they'd have a reason to lift the car to PPF the rockers
-1500 mi the SC coolant outlet line cracked and the car had to be towed. I watched the tow truck driver and he never used any sort of hand jack.
-the same local dealer diagnosed and replaced the pipe and added coolant.
-4200 mi the oil was changed a 2nd time by the local dealer and the headlight recall was done. I found a rubber hockey puck stuck in the front driver side pinch weld
-i have never lifted the car myself nor have ever removed the wheels.
-i plan to keep this car long term.
-its possible that my car was damaged at the factory/lot of doom.

My questions for those of you?

1. Would the original selling dealer have any reason to lift the car during the PDI?

2. Due to this damage is there any long term implications such as structural integrity, alignment issues or diminished value?

3. Not knowing how difficult a repair like this is, should this be something I should fight to fix or if it was your car would you let sleeping dogs lie?
 

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Maybe it's due to using my mobile phone but I don't see pics.

Good bet whoever lifted the car last left the puck, else they should have mentioned it. I'd send a note online to the shop asking how to deal with it or if they want the puck back as a means of getting it in writing that it's their sloppy work.
 
Maybe it's due to using my mobile phone but I don't see pics.

Good bet whoever lifted the car last left the puck, else they should have mentioned it. I'd send a note online to the shop asking how to deal with it or if they want the puck back as a means of getting it in writing that it's their sloppy work.
Sorry, take a look now.

Yes I still have the puck. I'm not too concerned about that as I can see the puck is in the proper place to lift it, on the edge of the puck as it's a bridge between the weld and the first big hole.
 
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My questions for those of you?

1. Would the original selling dealer have any reason to lift the car during the PDI?

2. Due to this damage is there any long term implications such as structural integrity, alignment issues or diminished value?

3. Not knowing how difficult a repair like this is, should this be something I should fight to fix or if it was your car would you let sleeping dogs lie?
My opinions:

1) Yeah, probably. They had to at least pull the shipping blocks out of the front suspension, so that would require a lift of some sort.

2) Structural integrity: So minuscule that it's not even worth thinking about. Alignment issues: based on the pictures, definitely not. Diminished value: ugh... I mean if you were buying the car solely as a collectors item, maybe some pedantic a-hole might whine about it, but in terms of "general used car" when you go to sell it, not an issue.

3) 100% let it lie. Repairing this would be far, FAR more compromising of the integrity of the vehicle. Is it mildly saddening? Sure. Is it worth losing sleep over? Definitely not.
 
Oh, I misunderstood. Thought you still had a lifting puck wedged somewhere in the outboard lifting points. I've never used that location and would have to get under my cat to compare to your pics before saying I think think there is or isn't an issue. Hopefully someone with more experience will chime in.
 
My opinions:

1) Yeah, probably. They had to at least pull the shipping blocks out of the front suspension, so that would require a lift of some sort.

2) Structural integrity: So minuscule that it's not even worth thinking about. Alignment issues: based on the pictures, definitely not. Diminished value: ugh... I mean if you were buying the car solely as a collectors item, maybe some pedantic a-hole might whine about it, but in terms of "general used car" when you go to sell it, not an issue.

3) 100% let it lie. Repairing this would be far, FAR more compromising of the integrity of the vehicle. Is it mildly saddening? Sure. Is it worth losing sleep over? Definitely not.
Thanks for this response. FWIW, I did lose a bit of sleep over it and your post put my concerns at ease.

You mentioned the spring shipping blocks, it's completely plausible that some porter haphazardly grabbed a jack to remove the blocks. The bend in the frame rail looks to be on an angle, much like a round plate from a 3 ton portable jack, metal on metal.


I know this is a perfect example for someone to point out " I never bring my car in for service", with the complexity of newer vehicles Its nearly unavoidable. I am confident that my local dealer used the proper technique to lift the car.
 
Why does everyone say that cars are more complex so you can't DIY? Yes there are more computers, but no one at the dealer debugs firmware or writes a software patch or makes a metal layer fix to an IC. They rip the module out and put a new one in. If anything the electronics make finding a problem easier. The one catch is you might need a good scan tool that supports programming. But for most cases you don't need that.

Sometimes it is a PITA...like on my wife's old BMW 335...it took me 1 hour to physically replace the fuel injectors. It then took 3 hours f*ing around with the sketchy software and Chinese dongle to code the performance values into the ECU.
 
Why does everyone say that cars are more complex so you can't DIY? Yes there are more computers, but no one at the dealer debugs firmware or writes a software patch or makes a metal layer fix to an IC. They rip the module out and put a new one in. If anything the electronics make finding a problem easier. The one catch is you might need a good scan tool that supports programming. But for most cases you don't need that.

Sometimes it is a PITA...like on my wife's old BMW 335...it took me 1 hour to physically replace the fuel injectors. It then took 3 hours f*ing around with the sketchy software and Chinese dongle to code the performance values into the ECU.
I worked on my 2012 CC, and i had to use my laptop and Rosstech VCDS just to push the rear calipers in, resetting the intake manifold position and stupid stuff like that. Take a look at this thread and you tell me what you think about it.

Thread 'Brake fluid exchange procedure' Brake fluid exchange procedure
 
Right you need special software. But if you have it things are doable. That said the places they decided you need a software actuation are sometimes ridiculous. Like BMW and their battery coding. And now even for a brake fluid flush.

Maybe the better way to say it is modern cars require a new tool...software. Which is sometimes overpriced or hard to get.

I wish GM made the Tech 2 available. To fix my trunk release button I need to replace a security module which requires that.
 
Why does everyone say that cars are more complex so you can't DIY? Yes there are more computers, but no one at the dealer debugs firmware or writes a software patch or makes a metal layer fix to an IC. They rip the module out and put a new one in. If anything the electronics make finding a problem easier. The one catch is you might need a good scan tool that supports programming. But for most cases you don't need that.

Sometimes it is a PITA...like on my wife's old BMW 335...it took me 1 hour to physically replace the fuel injectors. It then took 3 hours f*ing around with the sketchy software and Chinese dongle to code the performance values into the ECU.
Because you simply cannot access portions of the car now.

It's not just complexity and specialized tools, it's now encryption and periodic check-in's with the mothership.

In your BMW example, in today's model, you would be unable to address the ECU to make the fix.
 
Manufacturers know exactly what they are doing, the cash cow of any reputable dealership is the back end (at least it should be). Routine maintenance is getting more difficult to do, it will eventually smother Indy shops.

It's a disposable world. There are so many examples of things that just can't be repaired, they must be replaced. It's becoming clear that everything is engineered and designed this way. :cry:
 
A tire shop lifted my CTS and bent the sheet metal near those 2 holes, just like yours. During an oil change my dealer noticed it and offered to hammer it back in shape. I said sure, thanks. Some years later I get the car appraised, they run the VIN and it shows 'frame damage' I guess on Carfax or something similar. Multiple appraisers saw this. I'm keeping the car so I don't care, but be aware.
 
A tire shop lifted my CTS and bent the sheet metal near those 2 holes, just like yours. During an oil change my dealer noticed it and offered to hammer it back in shape. I said sure, thanks. Some years later I get the car appraised, they run the VIN and it shows 'frame damage' I guess on Carfax or something similar. Multiple appraisers saw this. I'm keeping the car so I don't care, but be aware.
🤦🏻, Thanks for sharing this, I don't plan to sell it for a long time so it should not be an issue but I'll have to keep this in mind.
 
Yea they aren’t supposed to lift it from there as that’s aluminum and they did the same shit to me
 
Other OPS posted this for a 5BW. Cliff notes...
 

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I plan on buying a set of front/rear jacking pucks (either rubber or aluminum) and I will actually use "panel bond" to secure them to the pinch welds. That way they are always there and obvious to anyone using a jack or lift as to where the lift points are located. I've seen videos where they are attached and they allow you get space to not damage the rockers when lifting the car.
 
Where do you source a set of pads like that?
ZL1 addons..

 

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