Sure wish I could find a way jack it up for fog light install

I made some adapters for my floor jack out of hardwood that consists of a square piece with two "strips" on top so that there is a channel across the middle for the "seam", as you call it. It works well.

But, I also have a pair of Rhino ramps that I picked up a while ago from WalMart. That's what I used to install my foglights.

 

The Rhino ramps are made of a composite material and work fine. I have the Rhino ramps but another thing you can use since you have the floor jack are jack stands.

These are adjustable stands that you can put under the car while you are working. You can get these at WalMart also or at an auto parts store. Just be sure to get the correct weight for the Prius which is around 3000 pounds. You jack the car up and then place the jack stands at other jack points and then lower the vehicle on to the jack stands while you work.

I used the Rhino ramps when I did my fog light install. I also use the Rhino ramps for basic oil changes, etc. I will use the Rhino ramps on the front along with the jack stands in the back when changing tires or changing the transaxle fluid when the car needs to be level on refills.

 

Yeah, I love the ramps. Can't beat them for a quick front, or back end lift. The only disadvantages are that you can't work on the wheels (obviously), and that the car wont be level, unless you then jack up the opposite end and use jack stands as mentioned above.

The plastic shield under the car comes all the way off, just be sure to remember what type of fastener goes where (there are three different types). I used my kid's colored chalk to make colored hash marks on the shield next to the fasteners as I removed them, so I could replace them correctly when reassembling the shield. The wheel well liner is the plastic piece you see hanging down in the fog light installation instructions, those don't come all the way off because they are riveted on.

 

I add another "plus" vote for the Rhino Ramps. Although, I do have to put a 2x4 in front of them so that the bumper doesn't just push them out of the way up front. I've always felt better with the car up on the ramps vs jack stands given the material my driveway is made out of.

 

Do you put the 2 x 4 between your tire and ramp so you drive up over the 2 x 4 onto your ramps, or do you mean you put the 2 x 4 behind your ramps like a chock/stop?

 

Here is a free ramp idea for you. I had an issue in a parking lot where I needed to get under my car. Problem was that I had a 300 and the front was about 6 inches off the ground. I pulled up to one of those cement parking stops (at the front of the parking space so you don't go too far). I powered up slowly and got the front wheels up and on top of the parking stop. Put the parking brake on and was able to get the front of the car up from 6 inches to 14 inches. enough to get in and make a fast repair. also extremely dangerous and potential fatal....

 

Be very careful with this. Once I put the front wheels on ramps then proceeded to jack up the rear. Mid way through the process car turned on the front wheels and shifted sideways, then fell off the jack.

 

Sorry, guess I should have clarified that. I put them between the tire and ramp so I drive up over the 2x4 onto the ramps.

Although, I'm sure some people would recommend using them as a chock/stop after the car is up on the ramp. I set the parking brake as well whenever I put mine on the ramps.

 

Check your owners manual there are single point lift floor jack usage positions in both the front and the back of your car. You mentioned downloading 2 pics that should be what I am talking about, if you look under your car you should be able to easily identify both jacking points. No need to hope that you hit the right spot. Once you jack it up put your jack stands on the seam where you would use the tire jack.

 

I am not sure what you did to cause this. I have done this with my car numerous times and have never had that problem.

My ramps have a fairly deep indention right in front of the wheel stops. If you have the car all the way to the front and down in the indentions I am not sure how the front wheels could turn.

It also sounds like you may not have had the jack positioned correctly when you picked up the car and the car shifted on the jack.

 

You mentioned a procedure. Have a link for that? I also kinda like the rino-ramp idea other than jacking up the front end-I can't locate the front/center jack point. And the colored chalk is a neat trick! I may have to get some. I'll try to get this done tomorrow

 

The front jack point is about a foot in, directly in the center. There's a round opening in the plastic under cover, so it's easy to spot.

The procedure is the installation instructions found in the the oem foglight sticky thread in the Gen 3 modifications forum, page 1.

 

When I change the oil in my Gen 4 I just set down a couple of lengths of 4 x 4 in front of the tires and drive up on them. They are not quite as wide as the tires, but there is plenty of support.

 

Shouldn't really be so difficult to spot the central floor jack points. If you get your head below the front bumper and look, you're mostly looking at plastic aero under covers, but they have a round opening just like a little round picture frame right around the metal jack point showing right in the middle of it.



For access to fogs, I found it's really not much extra trouble to just take the bumper cover off; then all the wiring's easy to see, including where the wiring back to the firewall should come out. I didn't raise the car at all. (For removing the bumper cover, the manual says to remove the front plastic spoiler underneath it, but even that isn't necessary, only taking out the fasteners along its front edge that go into the bumper cover.)

-Chap

 

Tried to do it today, car up on the ramps, but it starting raining hard, it was mid afternoon, and I work early. I put the underside panel back on and called it a day. About just taking the front "nose" cover off, you don't have problems with the wiring hanging up? Too much tension?

 

Just going to take the front cover off and do it that way. Seems easier... It'd be cool to have the ability to turn the fog lights on even if the headlights were off. ???