Throughout this site, we have tried to emphasize safety measures. There are a few more and some reiteration.
The beauty of a floor jack is that it is much safer than using the old jacks we use to have in the back of our cars (and still do) … but only if they are used properly. By the way, you don’t ever, ever want to get under a car with only the standard car jack.
For additional safety, along with a good sturdy floor jack, you can use jack stands. You jack the car up with floor jack and then a place a couple of these under support points underneath the car. Then you let the jack down and the jack stands hold the vehicle steady.
Have the right size jack for the weight of your car.
If you don’t have the right jack for your size vehicle, then don’t force it.
Once you have the vehicle jacked up, test the sturdiness by giving the car a little shake.
Here is another video to take you through the steps of jacking up a car safely. There’s nothing like actually seeing the process:
If you prefer reading, see the link below for a workshop on safely using a floor jack (does have color photos as well):
