Trolley Jack for changing wheels advice for a beginner newb

[Turnip Farmer]

Hey all

I'm wanting to swap my wheels over this winter from summer wheels to winter wheels. Normally I'd pay someone to do this but want to give it a go myself.

My car is Skoda Octavia VRS and I'm aware that I'd need a trolley jack.

Any recommendations on trolley jack brands to get? Do I also need picks for when lifting the car?

I think I also need torque wrench, a breaker bar and is there something I need to get to prevent damage to the alloys when taking the wheels off?

I hope you all can help and point me in right direction and help me get a shopping list together

[Doofus]

You don't need a trolley jack and, with an element of mechanical nous, you don't need a torque wrench either.

[eltax91]

You totally could do this with the death jack and wheel brace supplying with the car if you wanted….

If you’re looking for an excuse to buy tools:-

• arcan trolley jack from Costco
• Halford’s pro torque wrench
• a deep socket in the correct size with the plastic covering to protect the alloy

[Turnip Farmer]

Doofus said:

You don't need a trolley jack and, with an element of mechanical nous, you don't need a torque wrench either.

That's true but I just want to invest in something good and more solid than normal jack, also means I can clean the wheel arches etc more often and with more ease.

[Mercdriver]

Don’t buy a cheap made in China jack if you can find one, they are st and the seals leak before you get it home.

I bought two, separately thinking the first one was a bad un, no they are all rubbish.

Tend to think jack supplied by manufacturers are not good.

Think it is worth buying a torque gauge especially if alloy wheels.

[M4cruiser]

... and an axle stand is a good idea, just in case the trolley jack fails.

[RGG]

Buy once buy right.

Something of this quality.

This one and similar can be lower priced periodically , eg 20% off offers.

Lighter than a full steel one.

Avoid any cheaper ones.

https://www.halfords.com/tools/garage-workshop/axl...

[essayer]

Do you need a hockey puck thing on these to allow the cup of the jack to lift at the sills?

[Mercdriver]

Buy a rubber suspension shock mount for an exhaust system , cheap fix!

[Promised Land]

RGG said:

Buy once buy right.

Something of this quality.

This one and similar can be lower priced periodically , eg 20% off offers.

Lighter than a full steel one.

Avoid any cheaper ones.

https://www.halfords.com/tools/garage-workshop/axl...

I’d say that’s way OTT for someone who sounds like they’ve never spannered a car before, the standard Halfords trolley jacks are more than enough for the OP, usually around the £40 mark, I have a 3 tonne one and against my 2 tonne low profile jack it is far better.

Edited by Promised Land on Sunday 8th September 08:45

[P675]

Any tips for a compact jack that would live in the boot? My new car doesn't come with anything at all, thinking about buying a spacesaver and jack for long trips.

[TarquinMX5]

OP, good for you for being willing to learn; everybody has to start somewhere.

Most car wheel nuts / bolts are either 17mm or 19mm, although other sizes are available. Use a socket to check initially which size is fitted on yours (might be marked on the wheelbrace if your car has one).

If you want to reduce the chance of marking the alloy wheel, you can use something like this one from Halfords (19mm shown as an example, other sizes available). Lidl also occasionally stock similar sockets in sets of three popular sizes. Use with an appropriate 1/2" (some might be 3/8 but 1/2" is stronger) breaker bar.

https://www.halfords.com/motoring/tools/hand-tools...

You can't go far wrong with Halfords tools and their Advanced range is good for diy; Machine Mart also stock tools, jacks etc. but you will receive many comments about 'must be brand A, don't touch brand B ' etc.. All I would say is for basic diy stick with well-known brands and avoid cheap stuff from 'online auctions' etc or cheap tools from 'east'.

A reputable retailer will generally sell reasonable kit, though budget lead-in brands aren't always the best bet.

I would recommend a decent torque wrench to ensure wheel nuts are correctly tightened (torque setting should be in the handbook), always store torque wrench with spring tension released.

Loosen-off wheel nuts ever so slightly before jacking up, to make it easier to undo them when the wheel off the ground.

The main things are to think it through and take your time.

[braddo]

Turnip Farmer said:

Hey all

I'm wanting to swap my wheels over this winter from summer wheels to winter wheels. Normally I'd pay someone to do this but want to give it a go myself.

My car is Skoda Octavia VRS and I'm aware that I'd need a trolley jack.

Any recommendations on trolley jack brands to get? Do I also need picks for when lifting the car?

I think I also need torque wrench, a breaker bar and is there something I need to get to prevent damage to the alloys when taking the wheels off?

I hope you all can help and point me in right direction and help me get a shopping list together

You are doing the right thing but no need to overthink it or spend a load.

Go to Halfords and buy the cheapest trolley jack they have along with one of their wheel braces that has the right size for your car's bolts. Breaker bar not needed, torque wrench not needed. When you go to a tyre fitter they tighten bolts far tighter with their airguns than the manufacturer specs. Just do up the bolts tight, you don't need to be standing on the wrench to get sufficient tightness.

For taking wheels on and off without damage, google 'wheel hangar alignment pin' and buy one. Actually, check your car's toolkit as there might be one there already.

Puck? Have a look at your car's manual and the jacking points to see if you think you need one.

[M4cruiser]

braddo said:

Breaker bar not needed,

^ You may need a breaker bar for the first time you try to undo them .... as the previous fixer will have done them too tight.

[Mr Tidy]

P675 said:

Any tips for a compact jack that would live in the boot? My new car doesn't come with anything at all, thinking about buying a spacesaver and jack for long trips.

I carry a full size spare in my BMW Z4 and got a BMW one from an earlier model that fits the jacking points.

Back to the OPs question I swap the wheels on my 3 Series between winters and summers and I got a low-rise trolley jack from SGS Engineering for about £40 delivered, and it's been fine for doing that for 5 or 6 years.

[740EVTORQUES]

When you refit the bolts, torque them in a star pattern, eg if you have a 5 bolt wheel do 1,3,5,2,4 in that order NOT 1,2,3,4,5

If you want to look like a pit team, get an adaptor to mount the socket on your impact wrench, but only for removing and the initial tightening, always start by hand to avoid cross threading and finish with the torque wrench.

[Quattromaster]

Just make sure you keep away from anything made by SGS.

To be fair, Halfords stuff is pretty good for what you’re looking for.

Wheel refurbisher with mobile vans, I’ve pretty much tried every make of Jack in the last 22 years.

[J4CKO]

Get a Jack, get an impact gun, practice using a wheel brace first, don’t need a torque wrench.

[hidetheelephants]

Mercdriver said:

Don’t buy a cheap made in China jack if you can find one, they are st and the seals leak before you get it home.

I bought two, separately thinking the first one was a bad un, no they are all rubbish.

Tend to think jack supplied by manufacturers are not good.

Think it is worth buying a torque gauge especially if alloy wheels.

Good luck finding a jack not made in China.

[Martin315]

Doofus said:

You don't need a trolley jack and, with an element of mechanical nous, you don't need a torque wrench either.

Given that wheel nuts should be torqued to manufacturer’s settings, suggesting using “mechanical nous”, rather than a torque wrench, is idiotic.