MK3 Random Thread

[doridori]

anyone used one of these leather dye kits you can get on ebay to repair a patchy leather vr6 steering wheel?

Black Leather Vinyl Steering Wheel Repair KIT VW Golf MK1 MK2 MK3 MK4 MK5 MK6 | eBay

Mine is losing a bit of colour around the 2 o clock area.

Leather is still good, just losing colour.

Or any other suggestions?

[Alfred]

Noob question, but just want to confirm that these are the points for lifting with a trolley jack?



Cheers

[feenix74]

Yes they are the jacking points.

If you have a look at the tire change jack in the boot, you will see that where the jack touches the car is a u-shape which allows the spot welded seam to sit within it without damaging it (see photo below of a later model jack that I quickly googled)



With the floor jack you have you can get a bit of timber from bunnings with a similar channel in it (usually treated pine used as the border of lattice) and use it to protect the spot welded seam from damage (it looks like somebody has already damaged the seam a bit with a floor jack previously).

[Alfred]

Thanks for your help. I'm sure I can put something together. I had a read through some other threads about this for alternative jack points but have such little experience with jacking and under car stuff that I couldn't identify any of them :/

[Speed]

When jacking the front, I always jack from the centre of the subframe with a trolley jack.

[Alfred]

When jacking the front, I always jack from the centre of the subframe with a trolley jack.

I really have no idea what this looks like :/ This is my guess of what I am meant to be looking for. Red dashed line is the subframe, the white circle is roughly the centre point that I should jack from? Next question is thats pretty deep under the car, do I just have to take it slow with the jack lever to start with?


Cheers

[Speed]

Yes and yes.
Pump up the jack a bit before sliding under. Takes a few short pumps to get more clearance but.. both front wheels up at the same time
Just make sure you are only on the subframe and not crushing something else.

[feenix74]

Sorry, I am not sure I help you with that one, been over a decade since I last used a trolley jack on my Mk3.

Can i ask a dumb question? What are you trying to get under the car to do?

I have recently invested in a set of ramps so I can get under the Vento (I still have not found the time to do it yet, I have had the ramps for two months). Much safer than using a trolley jack in my opinion. Even after you jack up the car, you should not get under the car without lowering it onto floor stands (positioned on the jacking points that your first photos showed). I apologise if I am trying to teach you to suck eggs.

If I am changing wheels or bleeding brakes lines or changing brake pads I found just using the wheel jack on the lifting point and doing one wheel at a time was enough for what I wanted to do. In these situations, I was not getting underneath the car at any point and thus minimising the risk.

[Alfred]

Just out of interest. I bought 2 stands and a trolley jack with some money I got for my bday earlier this year.

Definitely wouldn't work under the car with it only on a jack. I'll just need it down the track for fitting the BBS RS i have sitting in the garage and to do a coolant flush soon and would be easier with it jacked up.

[feenix74]

Cool, hopefully one of the guys with more experience than me will be able to give you some pointers on the best place to position the trolley jack.

[Alfred]

Yes and yes.
Pump up the jack a bit before sliding under. Takes a few short pumps to get more clearance but.. both front wheels up at the same time
Just make sure you are only on the subframe and not crushing something else.

Thanks speed and feenix, this has sorted it out for me

[Speed]

You can buy pads that slot into the round part on a trolley jack.

They are made to lift from the usual jacking points and are safer than wood.

I have ramps, stands and soon to get a 4 post hoist with a jacking beam.

Always be careful, regardless of how you're doing it.

[feenix74]

Thanks speed, I will lookout for a set of rubber pads to use on my stands and for use on a trolley jack when I get around to getting one.

[Speed]

Yep, well worth the investment

[feenix74]

Agree, just found some on ebay for $15 each, will probably get one for a future trolley jack and two for the stands that I have (should be able to cut and shape the pad so that it sits in the wide u-shape of the top of the stands to protect the weld seam at the jacking points when I put the car on the stands.