How To Work Under Your Car Safely | TOC Automotive College

Most car inspection, maintenance, and repair tasks can be performed from the top of the engine bay by lifting the hood. However, some tasks can only be performed from underneath, like when working on the exhaust system. But how can you raise the vehicle and work underneath it safely?

You can work under your car safely by lifting it off the ground using a car jack or ramp. Professional workshops might use a car lift or car pit instead, as they can raise the vehicle higher off the ground. When working underneath a car, always do so with a partner and use jack stands to secure the vehicle and prevent it from falling.

Learning to work under your car safely is a crucial topic. So read this guide to learn how to lift your vehicle safely to protect you from injury.

Why Do People Work Underneath Their Cars?

Before diving deeper into this topic, you must first understand why you might need to work underneath your car in the first place. After all, most of your vehicle’s critical components sit in the engine bay, accessible from above by lifting the hood.

However, some components can only be accessed from below. For example, you’ll likely have to get underneath the vehicle to work on the suspension or drivetrain components. Besides that, the exhaust system also runs underneath the car, stretching from the engine bay to the rear.

In other words, you’ll need to get under your car to inspect, maintain, repair, and replace those parts when necessary.

Unfortunately, most cars don’t offer enough clearance for you to work safely and effectively. That means there’s too little space between the car’s undercarriage and the ground for you to fit underneath.

That’s why you must rely on the correct tools to lift your car and secure it in that position safely.

How Can You Safely Lift A Car?

You can use several tools to lift your car, just high enough to work underneath. However, these tools differ in lifting capability, price, and safety.

Here are the four ways to lift your car safely to work underneath it.

1. Car Jack

The first and most common way to lift your vehicle is by using a car jack. Car jacks use mechanical or hydraulic mechanisms to lift one corner of your vehicle off the ground.

You can use a car jack by positioning it at a jacking point under a corner of your car. Then, you’ll have to crank a screw or move a lever up and down to raise the jack and your vehicle.

Car jacks are the most common kind; you likely already have one in your vehicle. Most cars have a standard scissor jack to use when changing tires.

However, you can also invest in heavier-duty car jacks typically found in automotive college workshops or at your favourite mechanic’s.

Car jacks are suitable for lifting the vehicle, but you should never use them to keep it up. Even though car jacks rarely fail, they can drop the entire vehicle on you if they do.

That’s why car jacks are used alongside jack stands. Once you lift the car the jack, place a jack stand underneath to keep it up securely.

2. Car Ramp

Another helpful tool to work under your car safely is a car ramp. As the name suggests, the ramp is something you can drive your front wheels onto, thereby lifting the vehicle’s front off the ground.

Once your car is in position, you can put it in Park and keep it there safely for as long as needed.

Car ramps aren’t exclusively for professionals. Everyday drivers can purchase them quickly if they want to use them at home. However, they’re costlier and take up more space than standard car jacks.

3. Car Lift

Car jacks and ramps are common choices for everyday drivers who want to safely work under their car. However, a car lift is something you’ll only find being used by professionals.

These are heavy-duty hydraulic lifts that mechanically lift cars up off the ground. They can do so at significant heights, allowing mechanics plenty of room to walk around underneath the vehicle as they work.

Naturally, you won’t find these lifts installed in homes or domestic garages. Instead, you’ll find them in automotive college workshops and professional garages.

4. Car Pit

What if you could work underneath your car without lifting it off the ground? That’s possible with something called a car pit.

You’d typically find a car pit only in professional settings, like an automotive workshop. That’s because a car pit is a permanent structure that lets you park your car on top while working underneath it.

It’s called a pit because the space underneath is a trench with enough space for you to walk directly underneath the vehicle.

A car pit is a built structure, so it’s not practical for everyday drivers to have one in their homes. So, as mentioned before, this is something you’d find in a place where cars are worked on daily, like an automobile college workshop.

Safety Tips For Working Under Your Car Safely

No matter which approach or tool you use to work under your car safely, you must always follow specific rules to maximize your safety. That way, you won’t have to worry about your vehicle falling to the ground and injuring you severely.

Here are a few safety tips for working under your car safely:

Level Surface: Always park your car on a level surface before lifting your vehicle off the ground. That will prevent your car from rolling and falling off the jack, or jack stands.
Parking Gear: Engage your Parking gear as another safety measure to prevent your car from rolling.
Use Jack Stands: As you read earlier, use car jacks with jack stands. Car jacks lift the car, and the jack stands help keep the vehicle up securely.
Put Wheel Underneath: If you’re removing your wheel as part of the repair, lay the wheel underneath your car as an added precaution. Then, if the vehicle falls for any reason, it’ll fall on the wheel, giving you enough space to escape.
Never Work Alone: Never do it alone if you work under your car. A partner can help keep you safe and call for help if necessary.

Final Thoughts

Unfortunately, it’s impossible to avoid working underneath a vehicle. As mentioned before, some inspection, maintenance, and repair tasks can only be performed underneath a car.

Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to lift the car and work underneath it safely. Car jacks (with jack stands) and car ramps are common examples. However, you might have access to heavy-duty lifting equipment like car lifts or car pits if you study in an automotive college or work in a professional workshop.

You can learn more about similar topics by visiting the official website of TOC Automotive College, the best automotive college in Malaysia!