Working on my car and my looooong Quickjack story.
10-06-2016, 05:20 PM
#1
Instructor
Thread Starter
Working on my car and my looooong Quickjack story.
I have had my 1995 993 coupe for about 10 months. She's got 125k on the clock. I have been slowly assembling the parts to do a suspension refresh: Bilstiens from Gert, Walrod bushings, etc.
Just like many Renllisters I like to work on my own car. I am handy enough to be dangerous, I like to save money and it’s good therapy. My problem is that I don’t have a garage. I live in a condo and only have half of a shared carport.
I dream of a man-cave someday with all the amenities including a lift, but as of now, I am extremely limited on space and what I can get away with with my neigbors and HOA.
Earlier this year I got the Pelican e-mail/ad featuring the "Quickjack." I watched the video and dug a little deeper. It seemed pretty cool and like a good solution to my situation.
To justify it (to my self and my better half), i did the math and for about the cost of having my suspension installed by a shop, I could do it myself and basically get the Quickjack for free. (I love rationalizing this stuff :-)
I read the posts of people recommending other options—scissor lifts, etc. but felt for *my* circumstances, QJ was the best option.
QJ’s come in 3 sizes based on lift capacity. Stuff I read lead me to believe the 5000 pound unit was right because I could use it for other cars (like my wife's jeep cherokee) whereas the 3500 could be limiting. I did the measuring to be sure it would fit under my car (more on this later) and ordered the 5000 from Pelican. It took a while to get here and I got busy with work and it was freaking hot in Texas, so it took me a couple months to get around to setting it up an trying it.
Last month I had old fan resisters that needed be changed for both oil and A/C fans and it was the perfect opportunity to get the 993 off the ground to pull the front wheels off.
I finally put the QJ together (a few hydraulic fittings). BTW, the quick-release hydraulic hose fittings are trick! Click on and off with nary a drop of ATF on the ground—again, HAPPY HOA! The first time I ran it just to pressurize the lines, etc., it was pretty cool. I never thought I’d have anything like this in my condo-carport. I was excited.
I put the ramps under my car and aligned the rubber blocks to hit the factory jacking points. I tapped the “up” button and raised the ramps a little at a time adjusting placement to hit under the car where I wanted. As the ramps lifted, the front part came up and started to hit the tires at their widest point. It was clear that if i kept lifting this was going to be a problem—possibly pushing/damaging the suspension!
Time to re-group. I lowered it and tried to reposition the ramps as far back as possible, but with the car on the ground, the back of the QJ hit the back tire and still hit the front tires when I went up. I just didn’t fit. I was bummed and frustrated.
I looked on-line and had a back and forth with a fellow RL’er who was having the same problem. I contracted Pelican and QuickJack. The answer I and fellow RL’er got was to try the QJ’s turned 90 degrees, so instead of setting the ramps left and right, try them across the car, one in back and one in front.
I was skeptical about this and not happy that this method would defeat the unobstructed “creeper” access under the car. But it was worth a try.
The next cool (ish) day I tried it. It did not work well. For whatever reason the front raised higher than the back (I know the engine is back there and is heavy, but QJ are supposed to have a valve that keeps the ramps level). Anyway, it didn't work and was unstable, being raised out-of-kilter.
I reached back out to QJ and Pelican. There were pauses in the communication and response lags that were a bit frustrating. What I didnt know was that behind the scenes, there were major conversations happening about the situation.
On the one hand, they (QJ and Pelican) could have told me to bug-off. It had been several months since the purchase (way past 30 day return) and I may have measured wrong when I “confirmed” that the 5000 would work on my car. To be fair (to me), the instructions on how to measure are a bit confusing—the instructions show measurement between the tire contact patch but the instructions SAY to measure several inches above the ground. I looked at the picture and measured there. Anyway, I potentially ordered the wrong product and had had it well more than 30 days.
But instead of telling me to go pound sand, Pelican and QJ got together and offered to swap a 3500 (which has a shorter ramp length) for my 5000. And while the 3500 is a bit less expensive new, they would do it as a wash and PAY freight for the 3500 to me AND the 5000 back (and these are HEAVY)!
THIS ALONE WAS A CUSTOMER SERVICE HOME-RUN BY BOTH PELICAN AND QUICKJACK. I was super happy and they will forever have my praise.
But, a day later after the 3500 was shipped (but not received yet), I get a call from Jeff Kritzer who turns out to be a Sr. VP at Bendpack/Ranger—the maker of QJ and a bunch of other lift products.
He was looped in on my situation. According to Jeff “the Porsche 911 market is too important to ignore” and they want us “Porsche guys happy.”
He saw my pictures and was having a special shortened ‘porsche edition’ 5000 product customized as a concept prototype and if I was willing, he’d like to send this mock-up out to me to try as well and compare to the 3500 that was on its’ way. I said "wow, sure!”
I have just received the 3500 via fedex ground yesterday. The prototype 5000 will probably be here tomorrow. I have in-law-duty this weekend, so it won't be until next week that I get to try it all.
But I want to give a shout out to Bendpack/Ranger for their approach to this. How many other big(ish) companies take the time to drill down on a single customer situation (esp where the customer probably screwed up in the first place), and not only provide great customer service on an exchange, but then look at a REDESIGN of their product to accommodate niche segment? I am impressed.
More to follow with better pics once I try the two lifts.
-mark
Just like many Renllisters I like to work on my own car. I am handy enough to be dangerous, I like to save money and it’s good therapy. My problem is that I don’t have a garage. I live in a condo and only have half of a shared carport.
I dream of a man-cave someday with all the amenities including a lift, but as of now, I am extremely limited on space and what I can get away with with my neigbors and HOA.
Earlier this year I got the Pelican e-mail/ad featuring the "Quickjack." I watched the video and dug a little deeper. It seemed pretty cool and like a good solution to my situation.
To justify it (to my self and my better half), i did the math and for about the cost of having my suspension installed by a shop, I could do it myself and basically get the Quickjack for free. (I love rationalizing this stuff :-)
I read the posts of people recommending other options—scissor lifts, etc. but felt for *my* circumstances, QJ was the best option.
QJ’s come in 3 sizes based on lift capacity. Stuff I read lead me to believe the 5000 pound unit was right because I could use it for other cars (like my wife's jeep cherokee) whereas the 3500 could be limiting. I did the measuring to be sure it would fit under my car (more on this later) and ordered the 5000 from Pelican. It took a while to get here and I got busy with work and it was freaking hot in Texas, so it took me a couple months to get around to setting it up an trying it.
Last month I had old fan resisters that needed be changed for both oil and A/C fans and it was the perfect opportunity to get the 993 off the ground to pull the front wheels off.
I finally put the QJ together (a few hydraulic fittings). BTW, the quick-release hydraulic hose fittings are trick! Click on and off with nary a drop of ATF on the ground—again, HAPPY HOA! The first time I ran it just to pressurize the lines, etc., it was pretty cool. I never thought I’d have anything like this in my condo-carport. I was excited.
I put the ramps under my car and aligned the rubber blocks to hit the factory jacking points. I tapped the “up” button and raised the ramps a little at a time adjusting placement to hit under the car where I wanted. As the ramps lifted, the front part came up and started to hit the tires at their widest point. It was clear that if i kept lifting this was going to be a problem—possibly pushing/damaging the suspension!
Time to re-group. I lowered it and tried to reposition the ramps as far back as possible, but with the car on the ground, the back of the QJ hit the back tire and still hit the front tires when I went up. I just didn’t fit. I was bummed and frustrated.
I looked on-line and had a back and forth with a fellow RL’er who was having the same problem. I contracted Pelican and QuickJack. The answer I and fellow RL’er got was to try the QJ’s turned 90 degrees, so instead of setting the ramps left and right, try them across the car, one in back and one in front.
I was skeptical about this and not happy that this method would defeat the unobstructed “creeper” access under the car. But it was worth a try.
The next cool (ish) day I tried it. It did not work well. For whatever reason the front raised higher than the back (I know the engine is back there and is heavy, but QJ are supposed to have a valve that keeps the ramps level). Anyway, it didn't work and was unstable, being raised out-of-kilter.
I reached back out to QJ and Pelican. There were pauses in the communication and response lags that were a bit frustrating. What I didnt know was that behind the scenes, there were major conversations happening about the situation.
On the one hand, they (QJ and Pelican) could have told me to bug-off. It had been several months since the purchase (way past 30 day return) and I may have measured wrong when I “confirmed” that the 5000 would work on my car. To be fair (to me), the instructions on how to measure are a bit confusing—the instructions show measurement between the tire contact patch but the instructions SAY to measure several inches above the ground. I looked at the picture and measured there. Anyway, I potentially ordered the wrong product and had had it well more than 30 days.
But instead of telling me to go pound sand, Pelican and QJ got together and offered to swap a 3500 (which has a shorter ramp length) for my 5000. And while the 3500 is a bit less expensive new, they would do it as a wash and PAY freight for the 3500 to me AND the 5000 back (and these are HEAVY)!
THIS ALONE WAS A CUSTOMER SERVICE HOME-RUN BY BOTH PELICAN AND QUICKJACK. I was super happy and they will forever have my praise.
But, a day later after the 3500 was shipped (but not received yet), I get a call from Jeff Kritzer who turns out to be a Sr. VP at Bendpack/Ranger—the maker of QJ and a bunch of other lift products.
He was looped in on my situation. According to Jeff “the Porsche 911 market is too important to ignore” and they want us “Porsche guys happy.”
He saw my pictures and was having a special shortened ‘porsche edition’ 5000 product customized as a concept prototype and if I was willing, he’d like to send this mock-up out to me to try as well and compare to the 3500 that was on its’ way. I said "wow, sure!”
I have just received the 3500 via fedex ground yesterday. The prototype 5000 will probably be here tomorrow. I have in-law-duty this weekend, so it won't be until next week that I get to try it all.
But I want to give a shout out to Bendpack/Ranger for their approach to this. How many other big(ish) companies take the time to drill down on a single customer situation (esp where the customer probably screwed up in the first place), and not only provide great customer service on an exchange, but then look at a REDESIGN of their product to accommodate niche segment? I am impressed.
More to follow with better pics once I try the two lifts.
-mark
10-06-2016, 06:34 PM
#2
Rennlist Member
Fossilfuel,
Thanks for sharing this story. Good to hear that Pelican and BendPak have both stepped up to the plate. I'm already a big fan of Pelican and their customer service, but great to hear that BendPak is also doing the right thing here. I have a BendPak four-post and the shop I purchased it from did not have a lot of nice things to say about BendPak - tough to get customer service, they don't stand by their product, made in China, etc. BendPak appears to be doing right by you, and in so doing they are dispelling at least some of the murmurings of discontent. I'm very happy with my BendPak, and happier now knowing that they did the right thing here.
Thanks for sharing this story. Good to hear that Pelican and BendPak have both stepped up to the plate. I'm already a big fan of Pelican and their customer service, but great to hear that BendPak is also doing the right thing here. I have a BendPak four-post and the shop I purchased it from did not have a lot of nice things to say about BendPak - tough to get customer service, they don't stand by their product, made in China, etc. BendPak appears to be doing right by you, and in so doing they are dispelling at least some of the murmurings of discontent. I'm very happy with my BendPak, and happier now knowing that they did the right thing here.
10-06-2016, 07:57 PM
#3
Rennlist Member
I've been watching these QuickJacks too, and I thought for sure your story was going to end in tears. I'm really happy to hear how you were taken care of -- keep us updated!
10-06-2016, 09:39 PM
#5
Rennlist Member
I've been following several QuickJack threads and the suggestion to place the jacks in the "wrong" direction seemed nutty to me as you'd lose the clear access to the underside of the car.
Can't wait to see how the modified version works for you as I too have a shared garage with some issues that make a permanent lift impossible. (maybe they'll have the special version available for their black friday sale).
Can't wait to see how the modified version works for you as I too have a shared garage with some issues that make a permanent lift impossible. (maybe they'll have the special version available for their black friday sale).
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10-06-2016, 11:03 PM
#8
Rennlist Member
10-06-2016, 11:12 PM
#9
Rennlist Member
Great info! Thx for sharing,
10-07-2016, 03:44 AM
#10
Rennlist Member
Hmm, wonder if I need to contact them.
Placing the jacks in the "wrong" direction is mentioned in quickjacks own literature. My result was a little less scary. It lifted front and rear evenly, but when I stopped lifting to check, the rear started to lower, I was not at the safety stop yet. I had to keep lifting to keep hydraulic pressure so it would not keep lowering, stopped at the first safety lock.
Thanks for the update.
Placing the jacks in the "wrong" direction is mentioned in quickjacks own literature. My result was a little less scary. It lifted front and rear evenly, but when I stopped lifting to check, the rear started to lower, I was not at the safety stop yet. I had to keep lifting to keep hydraulic pressure so it would not keep lowering, stopped at the first safety lock.
Thanks for the update.
10-07-2016, 05:04 AM
#11
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Great story; keep us informed. What's the consensus of opinion - is the 3500 suitable / safe for the 993 but people prefer the 5000 because it can also be used for larger vehicles, or is the 3500 simply not suitable for the 993? I was planning to buy a 3500 for my 993 but maybe I should wait for the "Porsche Edition".
10-07-2016, 09:31 AM
#12
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Thanks for sharing, if resolved, and portable enough, these also look to be great "at the track" for tire & brake service. Thanks for sharing story. Best of luck on the outcome.
Best of luck on the outcome.
10-07-2016, 09:39 AM
#13
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Subscribed!
10-07-2016, 10:03 AM
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10-07-2016, 10:43 AM
#15
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Thread Starter
LexVan....I am on the waiting list for production info on the RennStands
Part of what I really love about the Rennlist and Porsche communities is the inventive nature of so many members---like Frank with the RennStands, and Gmorat with his bumperette deletes, Engineerboy with his 996 lightsavers, and of course Tore with all his stuff...and the list goes on and on and on.
These cars attract smart, creative people (not sure how i got here?) who are willing to put time and effort into helping solve problems. Which member is it who has the signature line: "Is this a great place or what"?
-mark
Part of what I really love about the Rennlist and Porsche communities is the inventive nature of so many members---like Frank with the RennStands, and Gmorat with his bumperette deletes, Engineerboy with his 996 lightsavers, and of course Tore with all his stuff...and the list goes on and on and on.
These cars attract smart, creative people (not sure how i got here?) who are willing to put time and effort into helping solve problems. Which member is it who has the signature line: "Is this a great place or what"?
-mark