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[Tick Tock]

Everyone is probably aware that the standard Vauxhall issue jack that came with the Omega, isn't an item which fills you with confidence when using it....... I've experienced the car rolling off it before now, and luckily didn't trap itself underneath before I got the wheel off.

I'm also not fired up with enthusiasm for carrying around my workshop trolley jack all the time, so just wondered if anyone had any suggestions as to a suitable / reliable means of jacking the jar up at the roadside, that doesn't take up a large proportion of boot space.

Hopefully (in an ideal world) I'll not have to use it, but surely there has to be something a bit more rugged and easily stowable ?   

[Andy B]

I think most standard isue car jacks are iffy at best. I've only ever used them when I've had to and used my trolly jack when at home 

[STEMO]

There are only two options, really. Little, almost useless scissor jack, or trolley jack. Two tonne trolley jacks are quite compact but struggle with an omega. Three tonne trolley jacks cope admirably but takes up space and is heavy, so costs fuel. You pays your money........

[Nick W]

The standard jack is flimsy, low geared and cheap but is up to the job of fitting the spare wheel if used on a hard, flat, level surface with the car chocked so it can't move. The car's handbook tells you this, as does every other one I've ever seen


If you don't like that, buy a more secure scissor jack with an adaptor to fit the sill and a large board to use it on.


Or don't get a puncture.

[STEMO]

I'd suggest a bottle jack, but you'd have to carry a railway sleeper then. 

[Andy B]

.... Two tonne trolley jacks are quite compact but struggle with an omega.  ...

Do they .......... how?  You're only lifting 500kg at best when you remove a wheel.

My Merc is 2.3 tonnes & I lift a corner with a 1.8 tone jack with ease 

[STEMO]

.... Two tonne trolley jacks are quite compact but struggle with an omega.  ...

Do they .......... how?  You're only lifting 500kg at best when you remove a wheel.

My Merc is 2.3 tonnes & I lift a corner with a 1.8 tone jack with ease 

OK....the two tonne one I got from halfords struggled....maybe it was a cheap and nasty one. The red one with a yellow handle, came in a box with two axle stands....£9.99 

[Andy B]

.... Two tonne trolley jacks are quite compact but struggle with an omega.  ...

Do they .......... how?  You're only lifting 500kg at best when you remove a wheel.

My Merc is 2.3 tonnes & I lift a corner with a 1.8 tone jack with ease 

OK....the two tonne one I got from halfords struggled....maybe it was a cheap and nasty one. The red one with a yellow handle, came in a box with two axle stands....£9.99 

My stands came from Machine Mart and my jack from Costco 

[terry paget]

I have always managed with the tools suppplied, I also carry an extensible wheel nut spanner with reversible deep socket 17/19mm, which is very useful for getting the wheel nuts on in alloy wheel recessed holes. At night a torch is essential, so I carry that too. Whenever I buy another car I check that the tools are all present, and that the wheel nuts and the wheels will come off - wheels can rust on and that is best discovered at home, not on a wet night with a puncture. If the car has locking wheel nuts I replace them with ordinary nuts. I ensure that I have a spare wheel that is inflated and road legal.

I last had a puncture in March of this year, around midnight on a wet night. I managed to get the car on to a level spot clear of traffic, and changed the wheel in about 5 minutes. As long as you know what you are doing it should not be a problem. Otherwise it means a long wait until the breakdown services get to you.

[flyer 0712]

I use the side jack and then if changing a wheel  once jacked up  i slide the spare under the car so if it does drop then it drops onto that and you are safe....if as it should hopefully stay in the air ,once the punctured wheel is removed slide that under the car thus sliding the spare out and fit...job done safely..

[Tick Tock]

I'd kind of answered my own question in the original post, but always good to get feedback. Having now thought about it, a couple of blocks of wood to stop the car rolling (even on fairly flat surfaces) will be part of my travelling tool kit. 

[Nick W]

Terry makes a good point, upgrading the standard wheelbrace to a longer one with a proper 17mm socket is essential.

[amba]

I ring the RAC as cant be bothered getting dirty or having grief with jack.Thats what I pay for 

[TheBoy]

I have always managed with the tools suppplied, I also carry an extensible wheel nut spanner with reversible deep socket 17/19mm

The wheel wrench is the only thing that has let me down in an emergency, cleanly sheared the nut bit off, after ATS mongrels but the wheel bolts up to 10,000Nm a couple of weeks before.  So, like you, carry one of those common extendable ones available from most car places.

At night a torch is essential, so I carry that too.

I used to carry a traditional one, but had trouble with battery leaks, as it wasn't used from one year to the next. Got one of those wind up LED ones several years ago to overcome that.  A bit naff, but seems more reliable.  Granted, you'd probably have to wind it up a couple of times during a wheel change.

[Andy B]

....
...... after ATS mongrels but the wheel bolts up to 10,000Nm a couple of weeks before.   ....

The Senator had a solid bar on its wheel brace unlike the Omega's thin walled tube ...... I was bending the Senator's brace trying to undo a wheel with it. I took back to ATS to make the point

[Bigron]

What is the correct torque setting for wheel nuts, please?
If I use a garage in future I will insist on their using that setting - and NO bloody windy gun!

Ron.

[Shackeng]

110nm

[TheBoy]

What is the correct torque setting for wheel nuts, please?
If I use a garage in future I will insist on their using that setting - and NO bloody windy gun!

Ron.

As Shackeng says, 110Nm

It will "tighten" over time - this is more the bolt starts to stick (corrosion), particularly between the taper and an alloy wheel.  You are supposed to add a thin smear of grease occasionally to the taper, but few ever do.

[Mr Gav]

....
...... after ATS mongrels but the wheel bolts up to 10,000Nm a couple of weeks before.   ....

The Senator had a solid bar on its wheel brace unlike the Omega's thin walled tube ...... I was bending the Senator's brace trying to undo a wheel with it. I took back to ATS to make the point

The Omega wheel brace is made of chocolate, the only thing I achieved with it was to round it off on the one occasion I didn`t have my extendable brace with me.
Never had a problem with the standard jack though, it`s certainly not good but it is adequate. 

[Webby the Bear]

That small red jack that stemo speaks of is what I carry round. It's light and small and will lift up a corner safely enough.

For home I have a big machine mart one. Love it

[Webby the Bear]

Oh and breaker bar with 17mm socket.

[Sir Tigger KC]

I have a small red trolley jack which will lift the Omega OK, but I tend to use the standard jack even at home as I find it easier and just 'feels' better. 

I keep meaning to treat myself to a bigger trolley jack..... 

[terry paget]

The supplied screw jack has the merit of picking up a very low car, too car for my trolley or bottle jacks. When I dropped my car into the pit a couple of years ago the only jack that would pick it up was the screw jack, which goes into a tube in the chassis.

[ronnyd]

Both my supplied jacks are sh*t, one was from when i scrapped my PFL. They go up but won,t go down, screwed collar just spins. Now have  a meaty scissor jack and a 6" square bit of oak fence post. Also an axle stand too. So far havn,t had to use it thankfully

[78bex]

I`ve only used it once in anger on the side of truely dreadful carrigeway

The car started swaying around from the rear & I knew summat was up & slowed to a halt.
The nearside rear was almost flat, but the jack coped with the low attitude & raised the car.
What I didn`t realise was the jack was sinking into some bodged up black stuff.
When I offered up the spare, I was winding up again quite quickly to get some more clearance.
Some twit hadn`t compacted the tarmac correctly & the jack had sunk about an inch 

[Nick W]

I`ve only used it once in anger on the side of truely dreadful carrigeway

The car started swaying around from the rear & I knew summat was up & slowed to a halt.
The nearside rear was almost flat, but the jack coped with the low attitude & raised the car.
What I didn`t realise was the jack was sinking into some bodged up black stuff.
When I offered up the spare, I was winding up again quite quickly to get some more clearance.
Some twit hadn`t compacted the tarmac correctly & the jack had sunk about an inch 

That's not really the jack's fault though? I've had decent sized trolley jacks sink into tarmac.

[Diamond Black Geezer]

On the plus side, I find the standard Vx wheelbrace fits perfectly into a halfords 3 ton trolley jack for when you need a shorter lever (wall in the way, etc) 

[Sir Tigger KC]

On the plus side, I find the standard Vx wheelbrace fits perfectly into a halfords 3 ton trolley jack for when you need a shorter lever (wall in the way, etc) 

Glad you found a use for it.