I am trying to determine the process for using a floor jack on my W210 (97 E320) to put it on 4 jack stands. I would like to use the built in rubber pads as the jacking points for the floor jack so the placement of the jack stands is my primary concern. I have 4 of the AC flat top stands as shown here http://www.ultimategarage.com/acstands.html. I have searched this and other forums with no real good answer. I really do not want to use the factory "emergency" jack, I have in the past and is okay for lift half the car (front or back).

Is there possibly other safe jacking points so I could place jack stands on the pads? I do not see many places in the front and have read a lot of warnings to not jack on the rear differential.

The differential is suitable for lifting the car. I've used it for many, many years and never had a problem. At the front, the W210 has a jack pad on the front sub-frame, under the steering rack. It is a plastic pad about 1" high and 2" wide. Place the jack stands under the pads along the rocker panels.

putting a car on four stands scares me..... others will offer advice on where to put them.... i would add a piece of wood with a wider base to distribute the load a bit better....

i would also have a safety in each corner....like blocks, bricks, tires... i always fear that we may try to loosen over-torqued or over-tightened bolts and pull the car litteraly off its jacks.

Maybe I am being silly... 3 thousand pounds off the ground just scares me...

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1989 300ce 129k
( facelifted front,updated tail lights, lowered suspension,bilstein sports, lorinser front spoiler, MOMO steering wheel, remus exhaust,stainless steel brake lines). (Gone)

1997 s320 154k (what a ride). Sold with 179k miles. Replaced with Hyundai Equus

1994 e320 Cabriolet 108k



1972 280se 4.5 153k Owned for 12 yrs, sorry I sold it


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Scares me too. It's more like 4,000 pounds. What could be the possible reason for having all four corners up on jack stands at once?

Vince, I think I know what front jack point you are referring too. I just do not understand why I can not find any official MB information on this subject. I guess they just assume one will be using standard garage lift.

Lee & deanyel
As for the safety issue, I always have that in mind regardless of what I am doing, especially under the car, 2 or 4 wheels do not matter. That is why I purchased the best jack stands I could find, have you guys seen these before (check link in first post)? I would never trust the $10 variety from Walmart. Lee, where would you add a piece of wood? My jacks stands are already flat topped and are about 2x larger than the jack pads on the sides. I guess I could see using it on the rear differential but my jack has the same rubber pad as the stands.

I guess I am surprised to even hear the "shock" of putting the car on all 4 jack stands. If one has the right equipment, what is the harm? My intention is not to argue, just to understand. I appreciate the safety concern and for your comments.

It is always interesting to watch and see how World Rally Teams support their cars at pit stops - ususally you'll see the cars up on four jack stands and a garage jack or two under the diffs.
Also interesting to watch how manufacturers raise road cars when testing at the Nurburgring or winter tire testing. The Ring has garage lifts for raising. Pictures I've seen of Porsche doing winter tire test near the Artic Circle show one corner of the car raised with a hugh floor jack. I also saw pictures of a Ferrari Challenge cars lifted on one side at the center of the wheelbase by a hugh floor jack.

I have seen in Mercedes dealerships, on a garage lift, techs use inner structure inboard of the jack pads at the front below the front firewall to support a road car and in the back the rear jack pad points. tech said he did this for stability.

I've seen auto body repair shops use all kinds of items and methods for lifting and supporting cars while in storage.

I haven't seen any pictures of a manufacturer supporting a modern road car with four floor jack stands. And the most recent picture of a Ferrari F430 Challenge car seems to show an on board pneumatic three point lift system - but I have a feeling this may have been a special set-up for display.

I have been using stands for years. I have quality stands and I make sure they are placed properly. Two stands, or four stands, what is the difference?

As for the reason to have a car on four stands: 1) I had to pull the rear axle assembly on my 250SL, which meant I had to drop the exhaust system 2) for a full inspection of the undersides of the car 3) to rotate all four tires 4) to drain the transmission or rear axle - the car needs to be level for a full drain 5) to work on the driveshaft 6) to install a new exhaust 7) etc, etc.

Exactly.

There is no "entitlement" or law for that matter that compels an auto manufacturer to facilitate shade tree mechanics.

That is, the car is not designed to be lifted this way.

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Kent Christensen
Albuquerque
'07 GL320CDI, '10 CL550. '01 Porsche Boxster
Two BMW motorcycles