Raining Explorer - Garage drops Explorer off lift | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

  • Register Today It's free!

Raining Explorer - Garage drops Explorer off lift

I live in Brooklyn, NY. I am always loath to climb under a jacked-up truck on a city street - you just never know…

Consequently, I occasionally visit a mechanic for work that I would ordinarily do myself. On this particular occasion, we needed a routine starter replacement. The mechanic was going to install it while I waited - 15 minute job!

As the lift raised my beloved '93 to just above my head, a strong wind hit the side of the truck. The lift shook and without notice the vehicle lurched. I reflexively stepped back away back and not a second too soon!! It immediately crashed onto it's side to the ground at my feet!! My first concern was for the lift operator who had been standing closer than I! A panicked scan revealed that all but my poor Explorer survived unscathed.

At 2:45pm, I had 30 minutes to get to my kid's school before dismissal. I turned to the owner of the garage who's eyes were still bugging out of his head and calmly said, "This is really bad". I dashed to catch the "L" train…

The diagnosis?? A poorly placed lift support. As all of us who own a First Gen know all too well, the rocker panel just behind the rear doors are NEVER a good spot to place any kind of jack!! My truck was no exception.

The moral of the story??

Watch carefully where your mechanic places his lift supports!!!!!
 

Attachments

  • 1.jpg
    1.jpg
    41.3 KB · Views: 943
  • 2.jpg
    2.jpg
    45.4 KB · Views: 928
  • 4.jpg
    4.jpg
    42.6 KB · Views: 921
  • 5.jpg
    5.jpg
    45.7 KB · Views: 936



Join the Elite Explorers for $20 each year.
Elite Explorer members see no advertisements, no banner ads, no double underlined links,.
Add an avatar, upload photo attachments, and more!
.





That's a really sad scene and you and the mechanic are very lucky not to have been hurt.

Setting the lift pads on the rockers instead of the frame? Amazing...

I set you up with an Elite account so you can sell the left over parts in our for sale forum. This story and the accompanying photos definitely belong in the "Whoops" forum ;)
 






[MENTION=42004]BrooklynBay[/MENTION] Mike, do you recognize the shop?
 






What kind of moron lifts a vehicle that has a frame by the body???? Hopefully everything works out for you. The wind was probably a good thing that made it fall then instead of when they would've been under it working on it. Still sad to see, not many nice Ex's (especially 1st Gen left in the northeast).
 






That's really sucks, I work on cars every single day of my life, and I don't see how in the world you could mistake racking a full frame vehicle, I mean sure some are annoying, especially our Explorers with the front lift point some times, but to lift it by the "pinch weld" is simply idiotic, I would not suggest going to that shop anymore. Although I am certain somebody previously has done the same thing on my truck and gotten away with it, my front fenders are bowed out, and the bottom is crushed, nothing I can do now except wish people where not so stupid.
 






The only time I go to a shop is for an inspection. One guy crushed my rocker panels the first time he put it on the lift. They don't put the lift's bars on the frame even though they should. Since they put cars, van, and SUVs on lifts all day they should know how to lift them by now but they don't. The picture looks like 3rd Avenue under the train tracks possibly near Grainger or further up. Even tire shops that work on tires all day don't know that you shouldn't use a high powered impact wrench on locking wheel nuts or that you have to start the nut by hand, and not with the impact wrench. They cross thread the studs, ruin the nuts, and strip the locking wheel nuts. They continue to make these mistakes even after they ruin everything, and don't learn from their mistakes.
 






The only time I go to a shop is for an inspection. One guy crushed my rocker panels the first time he put it on the lift. They don't put the lift's bars on the frame even though they should. Since they put cars, van, and SUVs on lifts all day they should know how to lift them by now but they don't. The picture looks like 3rd Avenue under the train tracks possibly near Grainger or further up. Even tire shops that work on tires all day don't know that you shouldn't use a high powered impact wrench on locking wheel nuts or that you have to start the nut by hand, and not with the impact wrench. They cross thread the studs, ruin the nuts, and strip the locking wheel nuts. They continue to make these mistakes even after they ruin everything, and don't learn from their mistakes.

I had a VA safety inspection done once, and the guy comes out and tells me something is wrong with my lug nuts. I walk into the bay, and the guy is hammering away with an impact wrench (trying to take a wheel off), and BAM! the socket cracks in half. He tells me its the stud, and I owe him for the 3 sockets they've already broken trying to take the nuts off.

Hmmmm......so I get down to take a look, have him get another socket, and with him witnessing, I slide the button on the wrench to the "take it off" position, and spin the nut right off the stud, just like it should be.

The 3 guys from the shop are standing there, slack-jawed. I put the nut back on, tell the guy I don't owe him anything, and to back my car out of his garage.

30 seconds later I drive off the lot.

Just because they have dirty hands doesn't mean they have a clue what they're doing.
 
























I don't think I would ever trust a shop that has a lift set up outside.
 






Wow that sucks! Nothing like displaying there work for the whole world to see. That can't be good for business people seeing a vehicle fallen off the lift. Its like "Hey everyone look what dumb ***** we are"
 






Although I am certain somebody previously has done the same thing on my truck and gotten away with it, my front fenders are bowed out, and the bottom is crushed, nothing I can do now except wish people where not so stupid.

Same issue here..

What kind of moron lifts a vehicle that has a frame by the body????

The kind of moron who really doesn't give a crap about the car he's working on and just wants to get out of there.

The kind of moron that ruined my fenders and side skirts..
 






Any updates on the truck? Parting out? Selling? Repairing? I might have some spare Explorer parts if you're repairing and I'm just out on the island if you need a hand.
 






Back
Top