Car ramps - plastic or metal?

lordrobs

lordrobs

lordrobs

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I'm going to get myself some ramps purely to make basic car maintenance a little bit quicker and easier. Basically, I just need something that will give me enough access to get under a Polo / MX5 to drop the undertray (on the Polo at least), drain the sump and swap out the oil filter.

I was all set to get some of the traditional metal ladder style ones like my grandad had 40 years ago but I did spy in one of Gibbo's photos some nice looking plastic jobbies that look like they may be a better option.

Has anyone able to give any advice as to which are better and even better some recommendations for which ones to get?
 
Call me paranoid but I still use ramps and axle stands or better just pay someone else to do it on a proper ramp :s (though I might do more myself if I had a proper ramp and somewhere to get the vehicle out of the weather while working on it rather than a sloped stone chip parking area).
 
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you need heavy duty metal ones and a pair of heavy duty axle stands as a minimum.

it is incredibly dangerous, i used to do it quite a bit to underseal cars but it used to make me cringe.
 
I though most plastics deteriorate under UV so I'd go metal; I have used some pieces of wood to roll the car onto in the past,
but mostly use axle stands, and always have a wheel off , under the car, too,
for oil change you may need to make car level too, to get it all out, so I often lower jack once pan is millimetre aligned and most has torrented out (down my arm)
 
dave28 said:
you need heavy duty metal ones and a pair of heavy duty axle stands as a minimum.

it is incredibly dangerous, i used to do it quite a bit to underseal cars but it used to make me cringe.
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Many many moons ago when I was a lad I went round to a mate's and he was working under his mini, on a sloped gravely drive, his head under the sump with a single column of bricks under each axle...

It still gives me a queer sensation in my stomach thinking about it to this day :-/
 
Thanks for the advice everyone. I've got a decent set of axle stands and a slightly less decent trolley jack. I think I'll get myself a set of metal ramps to go along with them with the intention of upgrading the jack at a later date.
 
I inhereted a cracking pair of metal ramps from FIL when he died but they we useless -They were for 60/70's cars and my cars wouldn't get over the slope to the flat bit.
Scaffold planks and a few bricks.
Also used a concrete ramp that was at Bham uni in Selly Oak -Just drive there and up the ramps - looking back they were dodgey as there was nothing to stop you dropping off the side - Got a inspection pit in garage but it was built for Mini's and midges (people)
 
Yea I had some old metal ramps no good for wider wheels. I also would be dubious about using older metal ramps in case of corrosion especially under the paint could compromise those might not necessarily be obvious.

I got some plastic ones they are great for servicing. I do have a decent jack and axel stands depending what I'm doing.

jpaul said:
for oil change you may need to make car level too, to get it all out, so I often lower jack once pan is millimetre aligned and most has torrented out (down my arm)
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Both of ours the oil drain plug is right at the back corner of the sump so if the car is tipped upwards it actually helps get more out as it makes the drain the lowest point

I guess that is car dependent though.
 
BUDFORCE said:
Both of ours the oil drain plug is right at the back corner of the sump so if the car is tipped upwards it actually helps get more out as it makes the drain the lowest point

I guess that is car dependent though.
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Our Polo certainly has the sump plug on the back of the sump. MX5 I'm not actually sure as I've always sucked the oil out with my Pela oil extractor previously.

Seeing as both our cars end up getting serviced after 2 or 3 thousand miles due to exceptionally low annual use I'm not massively worried about there being half a cup full of oil left in anyway.

Went for the Halfords ones as they have £20 off, plus I had a £5 voucher. There seems more horizontal bars than some ramps I've seen so hopefully that will help with getting up them a touch easier.
 
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