I'm trying to rotate the tires on my SS/SC (and paint the calipers while I've got the wheels off) and had a question about the jack points and where to put the jack stands.

First off I know that the arrows are the jack points but if that's where the jack goes, where are you guys putting the jack stands?

I'm guessing ultimately I'm totally screwed because I don't have access to a lift so it's either jack/jack stands or I have to take it into the dealer and pay their rediculous labor costs to do something I could easily do myself...

 

Though I don't have my car yet, I'm curious about this as well.

 

I dont have my car right now to look at the manual (car is in for warranty) but I would try looking in the owners manual if you havent already.

 

you know where the little triangles are on the rocker panels? they go there, well those are the jacking points..... just thaught it would help, i wondered what they where so i asked my dealership....... good luck, post pics of them painted as well

 

LOL, like I said I knew where the jack points were, the problem is technically wherever the reinforced jack points are is usually where the jack stands go...that's where my problem lies. Most cars have 3 reinforced points, one halfway inbetween the wheels for the jack and one at each wheel for the jack stands...

 

It just tells you where the jack points are. And usually the owner's manual will only tell you where the spare tire jack would go, not a floor jack. The information I need would actually be in the service manual, but I haven't gotten my hands on one yet.

 

DO NOT , I repeat do not use the factory points for regular floor jacks or jack stands.

Those points are only for the jack includes with the SS/SC for changing tires.

I would like to know where ppl would put jack stands as well. I can't clearly explain where I had jacked up my car, but I found the biggest strongest looking metal bits where the control arm meets the unibody and putting it under there. If you look around there there is a round depression where the control arm bolts to the unibody and my floor jack contact point fit in there just right.

I checked the manual and thats no help either cause it just says use the factory provided jack and jack point or where to position the lift at a shop.

 

That's what I figured, and I know where the jack should go, but technically that's where the jack STANDS should go too.

At least I know other people are confused as well...I don't feel so bad. I just wish they'd do like most cars and put an actual jack point in the middle of the siderail so you can jack the entire side of the car up at once...

 

Hummm. dont thay go under the Frame of the car




___

 

The scissor jack for changing a flat tire does, but a lot of times those jack points are not designed for a floor jack. I wish I had a service manual for the car, that would tell me what I need to know

 

Why cant you call the dealer and talk to a service guy? lol that makes sence to me...

 

Because they don't know, I called two dealers already. If it were that easy I wouldn't have asked on here I asked my service guy first then called another dealer and neither one knew off hand what the answer was. Dealers always put the car up on lifts instead of floor jacks. I don't have that luxury and I figured someone else on here had to have used floor jacks on their car and might be able to help me out.

 

I put the jack stands right be hind the point were the triangle is. You can see a uni-body frame and there is a spot right there were you can use. Since i do not have a camera let me see if I can explain it more.

Look right back from the triangle you will see a raised up portion that look like a frame on old cars. On that frame part of the uni body there is a hole with a raised up lip on it. I use that point. I have had no problems otherwise.

 

THANK YOU!!!!! I saw that under there but I wasn't really sure if that was strong enough to support the weight of the car.

How did you jack the car up? And more importantly WHERE? I'm leary of using the factory jack points because the scissor jack is supposed to go on that little notch part, I don't know if the flat metal would be strong enough to hold it, I don't know where the reinforcement is.

 

Use the factory point and scissor jack. If you want to use regualr jack then use a 2X4 with a grove cut init so it straddles the factory lip/ jacking point.

Hope this helps.

 

This is where I'd put them on the Cobalt. I put my jack stands in this area for my Cavalier and it works out just fine.

 

Any more thoughts on this ? I'll be needing to lift the rear of my car to install a cat back system soon and also was wondering where to put the jack stands in the rear.

 

whenever i support my cars with jack stands, i just place them under the control arms...

 

I jask mine by the arrows and put the stands on the lower control arms.