Damaged sill when jacking up car.

[rower]

Hi,
I've had my 996 C4S for nearly 6 weeks now and decided to fix mesh grilles to protect the new radiators I'm having fitted next week.

After reading how to correctly jack a 911 up, I started from the rear jacking point and planned on putting my axle stands under the
front lift points but as the rear wheel was starting to leave the ground I noticed a gap between the trim and sill and it was growing
as I was lifting, so obviously I immediately stopped.
I used a jack pad designed for a Porsche http://www.design911.co.uk/fu/pt62_160_-cma81-cmo82/Porsche/Boxster-986-987-981/Specialist-Tools/
and it was inserted correctly as the "knob" was in the hole on the lifting point and the rest of the pad was flush with it. I was using a low profile jack and there
was nothing touching the car apart from the contact with the pad and lifting point.

Really p*ssed off.
Has anyone seen or has any idea what's happened here?

many thanks,
Rob.

 

[Richard_Hamilton]

I'm not surprised you are majorly pi$$ed off. It looks like the sill has a slight buckle now. Can you see any obvious difference between the rear jacking points on each side?

 

[rower]

Sorry, forgot to add that the actual lifting point is about 3 inches back from the damage?

 

[rower]

Hi Richard,
I haven't looked at the other side to be honest, I will take a torch out and see. Had to go out, buy a new camera
and get some pictures before it got dark.

 

[Lancerlot]

The sill panel has buckled. Looks like either the circumference of jacking pad is too large, the vehicle has tipped back on the jack and damaged the panel or the jacking point has given way due to impact or corrosion.
Regards,
Clive.

 

[rower]

Richard, both jacking points look the same, both in the same position in relation to the plastic cover with the access hole.

Hi Lancerlot, I also thought the pad was too large but checked the size of the pad earlier and it doesn't touch anything but the underside of the car.
The car was level and the jack was solid, there was no movement of the car and now you have me worried, as I was also thinking maybe the point is
weak, I have just seen it under an LED for the first time and there's a lot of corrosion.

 

[Lancerlot]

Could it be the jacking pad is too soft and is compressing under load?
Regards,
Clive.

 

[rower]

you mean compressing out of the side and pushing into the body work? that's possible.

Looking at it I think it could have been jacked incorrectly in the past, where the damage is, been badly
repaired and by me jacking up and stressing that side of the car it's bent again.
Looking at forums today I have read drivers with similar damage suggesting (some) inexperienced tyre
fitters may have caused their sills to crease. I'm hoping this is the issue and nothing major, the car did have a general
inspection during a major service so I'm sure anything serious would have been picked up.

I will take it to my Indy and get their advice as soon as I can get a day off.

Thanks for your suggestion Lancelot.

Rob.

 

[wibble]

The jacking points are exposed. Any previous lifts without pads will soon remove any paint and protection leading to corrosion. However, I would expect these even unprotected to last decades before they are weakened. I notice my car has evidence where the rear air-con pipe has been creased due to poor jacking and needs to be replaced at some point in the future. Further inspection will hopefully reveal why yours has creased in this manner.

 

[rower]

Thanks wibble