# DIY: Place Audi TT Mk2 on 4 Jack Stands



## TT4LEE (Mar 8, 2015)

This is very simple and results in the car being balanced on the jacks during the lift and after. There are certainly many ways to raise the car, so feel free to comment if you have a better way.

I posted this because I couldn't find much of help myself except "look at the car manual" which only states where the jack points are, not how to use them&#8230;.

Here's my process.

*You'll need *

Four jack stands
A decent low profile hydraulic jack 
3 jack adapters - I made some from 1 inch common black steel pipe (hardware store) it has an OD of 34 mm and cut to 70 mm lengths it fits perfectly. I put a small piece of blue adhesive putty on them to help keep them in place against the car jack point. Total cost about $8. Here's a photo of them.










Alternatively commercial ones are available (search on ebay for audi jack pad)










*Setup*

The car has most of its weight on the front wheels because of the engine placement. So if you lift from the front jack points the car lifts almost evenly front/back. Be sure to do this on level ground so the car will not slide back off the jack stands.
First place wheel chocks under the opposite side of the car so it cannot roll forward/backward, parking brake on too, then place a jack pad under the front jack point and raise the car. As displayed, the car lifts very evenly from this point.


















Place jack stands front and rear, using another jack pad at the rear, and using the large aluminum suspension point which is seems perfectly suited for the job.


















Repeat for the other side of the car. Again, I found that the car stayed very balanced throughout. But be careful and check that the jack stands are squarely under the points, and staying clear of the car give it a few good pushes periodically to be sure its sitting solidly (don't get under the car in any way until sure it is solidly placed).
Here is what the car looks like once up on all four points.


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## WoRkZ (Sep 19, 2015)

Another excellent write-up! Thanks! 

BTW, I use my impact gun sockets as adapters. No chance these are ever gonna buckle...


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## TT-driver (Sep 14, 2010)

This one scares me to death. 
Iron on iron can slip easily. At least put a piece of rubber between the axle stand and the pipe so that friction is optimal. That's what I would do.


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## WoRkZ (Sep 19, 2015)

It does need to slip a bit if you put it on stands on one side first, then do the other side. And as long as you're not laying under the car, you're in no big danger...


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## Templar (Mar 9, 2012)

I don't agree....in this instance this is bad practice and I wouldn't recommend it.
The basic principle of getting the car up in the air is good but the execution with loose metal on metal is not.


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## TT4LEE (Mar 8, 2015)

Definitely you need to be paying attention anytime you lift a car, and doing it with home shop tools is not ideal. Check your work frequently during the lift to be sure everything is sitting squarely and no shifting has occurred.

I know many people use the sparkplug/socket tool as an alternate to the steel pipe to mate with the car's jack point. I'd be interested to hear if it has caused problems.

It is critical that the car be on flat/even ground and not on a sloped driveway to lift up onto 4 stands. The forces are 750 lbs directly down on each pipe and stand holding things in place, and there are no shear forces provided the car doesn't move back/forth (side to side doesn't seem to be at issue). Adding some traction aid like a piece of rubber might help between the tube and stand might help. No issue between the car jack point socket and the tube - it cannot move. In the end it's rather a lot like using the front frame for the other jack stand....


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## Templar (Mar 9, 2012)

Yeah not knocking your ability mate and appreciate your level of improvisation, was just worth pointing out for safety purposes that it should only be performed by people with a good level of competency and attention to detail.


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## BlueMagic (Feb 14, 2015)

Agree with Templar, it's very easy for a car to travel during the jacking up of the vehicle and metal on metal is not ideal.

It's just as easy to make some out of hard wood and they are much less likely to slip.

Nice write up though.


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## robokn (Feb 21, 2006)

Never bothered TBH, sat mine on jacks for a couple of weeks whilst I sorted out the brakes,
just put the stands on something solid underneath can't remember what though :roll:


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## TT-driver (Sep 14, 2010)

TT4LEE said:


> I know many people use the sparkplug/socket tool as an alternate to the steel pipe to mate with the car's jack point. I'd be interested to hear if it has caused problems.


No issues at all. My hydraulic jack has a support plate that is covered with rubber and I only use it to lift one side at the time. Car in first gear and handbrake on. 100% stable. When I'm working on the brakes the wheel is put next to the jack. If for what ever reason the jack looses grip or hydraulic pressure, the car lands on the wheel. Not on me, not on the pavement.

If I need to work on the rear brakes, I use bricks around the front wheels to prevent the car from accidentally moving a bit.


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## technicware (9 mo ago)

This post is heavily favored by search. Great technique using the steel pipe. In the U.S., the 1 inch pipe is slightly smaller than 34mm OD, but should work fine with shallow jack stand jaws. However, here is page 264 (Emergency section) of a 2010 Audi TT quattro roadster manual, point out 4 flat spots you can simply use a piece of wood and any jack stands:


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## SwissJetPilot (Apr 27, 2014)

> There are certainly many ways to raise the car, so feel free to comment if you have a better way.


*There's only one way*. And that's the way the vehicle manufacturer recommends raising and supporting the vehicle per the Workshop Manuals which were developed and written by the automotive and safety engineers who designed the vehicle in the first place.

The small rectangular black plastic "Jack Sockets" are NOT lift points and are NOT designed nor intended to be used in conjunction with Jack Stands or for long term support of the vehicle. They are specifically designed to be used with the VAG Emergency Jack and should be limited to roadside emergencies; e.g. replacing a flat tire.

The Jack Sockets are not engineered or designed as lifting or support points for the simple reason they are made of plastic which can can crack under load and fail. The metal-to-plastic contact with the steel tube idea is not recommended exactly for this reason. Jack Sockets are only intended for plastic-to-plastic contact with the rollers on VAG Emergency Jack.

The only exception to this would be with the use of hard rubber "Pucks" used in conjunction with Floor Jacks which is the better and safer option rather than using the VAG Emergency Jack for home use as the VAG Emergency Jacks are inherently unstable, thus the nickname - "widow maker".

The Floor Jack and Puck should be used only to raise the vehicle enough that a Jack Stand can be positioned under the recommended lift points. Once the car has been raised sufficiently to allow the Jack Stand to be positioned under the lift point, the Floor Jack hydraulic valve can be slowly opened until the Jack Stand has taken the vehicle's full weight. At which point Floor Jack hydraulic valve can be closed and the Floor Jack should remain in place to provide secondary support in the event of a Jack Stand failure

The lift points diagrammed in the owners manual and workshop manuals are specifically designed and engineered as the only points where Floor Lifts used in automotive shops should be positioned when raising and support the vehicle. Since these points can support the entire weight of the vehicle, they are only locations where Jack Stands should be positioned for long term support.

The use of frame or suspension components (shown below) is not advised and the Audi Workshop Manuals clearly state using these locations with Jack Stands or Floor Lifts can result severe component damage; (e.g. fractures, cracks or deformation) as these are not intended to support the weight of the vehicle.

*Suspension components are NOT recommend for Jack Stand supports and metal "adapters" should NOT be used in the Jack Sockets -*










*This is the correct type of Jack Stand for supporting the Mk2 TT -*











*The Jack Sockets should only be used with the VAG Emergency Jack for temporary lifting situations -*









*Hard rubber "puck" used with a Floor Jack - *









*Broken, damaged or missing Jack Sockets can be replaced. The lower skirt will have to be removed in order to make the exchange.
• Item 26 8J0 802 845 C Socket - Jack 4 PR-FM0
• Item(26) 8J0 802 845 D Socket - Jack 4 PR-FN0*


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## Rufflesj (Jun 22, 2020)

I've said it before but it's well worth saying, I'd just come out from below a car jacked on all corners when it came off the stands within seconds after. I'd never ever get in below a car raised in this fashion again. A young lad from my area was killed 1st week of lockdowns, exact same thing.


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## SwissJetPilot (Apr 27, 2014)

@ *RufflesJ* - Exactly why I only use ramps when I'm under the car. My safety routine includes a military grade cargo pallet strap around the front wheel secured to the stand, and chocks on both rear wheels. If I have to take the wheels off, and raise and support it on stands, I never get under it.

Fortunately there's a garage not too far away from where I live that rents bays with lifts by the hour. So if I ever really needed to have the entire vehicle up in the air, that's the route I would go.


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## Rufflesj (Jun 22, 2020)

SwissJetPilot said:


> @ *RufflesJ* - Exactly why I only use ramps when I'm under the car. My safety routine includes a military grade cargo pallet strap around the front wheel secured to the stand, and chocks on both rear wheels. If I have to take the wheels off, and raise and support it on stands, I never get under it.
> View attachment 485308




Too right mate, even just one side supported and I'm anxious as fork to get whatever the job is done and get from below ASAP. Have had all my recent new suspension etc done in a garage. I _could_ tackle my new downpipe and sport cat myself but getting that far below scares the sh!t out of me after what could have happened 9yrs ago! I'm sectioning off an area in the yard, concreting it and putting a set of ramps in


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## TT'sRevenge (Feb 28, 2021)

While I'm not sure about using these metal cylinders in the jacking points (I mean it's a full cylinder, there's some danger of rolling, no?), I do have a set of what is shown as the "commercially available" pads as mentioned in the OP. Mine are urethane and made by a good manufacturer. I have used these with good success on top of the square rubber blocks with my QuickJack (it's a _very_ tight fit to get the block and the pad in with the car as low as it is but I can just get 'em in there). In this setup I don't feel like the car could possibly go anywhere and even if somehow those jacking points failed (I didn't even know they were phenolic inserts myself until another thread not long ago), I don't think there's anyway it's going to go down very far due to the length & width of the QJ "sides" though parts of the car might get damaged underneath if the points were to fail and the car come down directly on the QJ.

I've done all the work on the car I have so far, with this setup, including being under the car while having the car running to adjust exhaust clamps and to do a DSG fluid change. Car has also been up on it for like a week+ with no issues. I'm not sure there's really much of any other way to lift the car with the QJ apart from this given the clearance requirements and the fact that other jacking points F to R aren't lined up straight. On most other cars (including the A3), I'm using the pinchwelds with the QJ, but this car has no pinch welds so those points are really the only option.

Anyway, that said I think the QJ is a more different solution than most would be using. I definitely wouldn't think using circular metal/pipe on top of jackstands would be a good idea to get under the car with! Holding the front up on the circular sections where the control arms come into the subframe, is indeed a fairly common "place to put your jackstand" for PQ35 cars though--lots of people do this on GTIs, Jettas, A3s, etc. TBH I've done it myself with my A3, prior to having QJ, and it's shown in _many_ forum/YT DIYs as well. Though these may not be recommended by VAG officially I'd think _someone_ by now would have reported an issue with deformation, etc. if they were actually a real problem in practice.


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## SwissJetPilot (Apr 27, 2014)

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. 

A old neighbor of mine years ago had a long trench down the center of his garage which was covered with boards when not in use. I wonder if these are even legal anymore with health & safety regulations these days. But it was really quite handy and a safe way to work under the car.


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## TT'sRevenge (Feb 28, 2021)

SwissJetPilot said:


> A old neighbor of mine years ago had a long trench down the center of his garage which was covered with boards when not in use. I wonder if these are even legal anymore with health & safety regulations these days. But it was really quite handy and a safe way to work under the car.


Ah yes the ol dugout type bays. I'm sure it depends on your local laws and all that... I'd imagine it's cheaper to have a lift installed these days though, than to have your garage dugout and facilitated in that fashion, lol. I think lifts go for $3-4k these days, and as long as your garage slab is thick enough, they can be installed safely. I figure something in the neighbourhood of $5k to have one put in lift and labour--I've considered it myself as a "to do in the future" thing but TBH I'd much rather get the heck out of this garbage country instead of doing more long-term things to keep me here lol. For example it's snowing *full-force* outside right now--snowing!  I hate winter!


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## SwissJetPilot (Apr 27, 2014)

If you're lucky enough to have an embankment in your back yard, there's this method. Sure beats digging. And snow or no snow, you'll have no excuse not to get that oil change done!


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## TT'sRevenge (Feb 28, 2021)

LOL that looks like it must be Texas or Alabama or something  Sure hope that's steel and not wood!


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