[nadsab]

Can a volt be jacked up with traditional Hydraulic jacks? Or a car jack? Or are drive up ramps required?

If a jack can be used, any suggestions as to lift points on the chassis?

The clearance is so low i am wondering if even ramps are appropriate...

 

[Jim Fallston Md.]

Can a volt be jacked up with traditional Hydraulic jacks? Or a car jack? Or are drive up ramps required?

If a jack can be used, any suggestions as to lift points on the chassis?

The clearance is so low i am wondering if even ramps are appropriate...

I use a motorcycle jack similar to this one and place a 2x4 on it to jack up either side and ramps for the front if I need to change oil. I locate the side frame rail and use that to lift the car in the spot that will bring both wheels of the ground for tire rotation. Never had a problem using this method it has pump action and locks when you get to the desired height.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Motorcycle...046367&hash=item1eac8f4164:g:QdwAAOSw8fRbMwPO

 

[fishhawk]

Some info in the owner's manual here (around page 302). Note that the 2018 Volt doesn't have the notch in the pinch weld that the 2016-2017 models have.
https://my.chevrolet.com/content/dam/gmownercenter/gmna/dynamic/manuals/2018/Chevrolet/Volt/2018-chevrolet-volt-owners-manual.pdf

 

[dznf0g]

I use a motorcycle jack similar to this one and place a 2x4 on it to jack up either side and ramps for the front if I need to change oil. I locate the side frame rail and use that to lift the car in the spot that will bring both wheels of the ground for tire rotation. Never had a problem using this method it has pump action and locks when you get to the desired height.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Motorcycle...046367&hash=item1eac8f4164:g:QdwAAOSw8fRbMwPO

That jack/stand only has a 1500# capacity. Be very careful.

 

[nadsab]

Great thanks for the info. Our Volt did not come with a jack.

I just thought about using those plastic yellow Motor home drive up leveling blocks instead. We have a set - they look like giant Lego blocks. Anyone ever use those for a Volt?

The clearance is so low, I wonder if the back end would scrape if I raised the front 3 blocks high...

 

[dznf0g]

Great thanks for the info. Our Volt did not come with a jack.

I just thought about using those plastic yellow Motor home drive up leveling blocks instead. We have a set - they look like giant Lego blocks. Anyone ever use those for a Volt?

The clearance is so low, I wonder if the back end would scrape if I raised the front 3 blocks high...

That would work fine....and I think you could EASILY use 3 blocks...probably more

 

[Eagleco]

Although I have yet to drive our Volt onto ramps, Rhino Ramps work fine for my 2011 Cruze Eco. I do need to drive onto 1×8's first though. The Eco has a lowered suspension and a low front air dam like the Volt.

To my naked eye, our Volt does not seem any lower then the Eco. It certainly doesn't scrape the front air dam on steep driveways etc. any more often than the Eco does.

I put a 1×8 in front of each ramp and by driving up on those first, I am able to get the Eco up the ramps with just enough clearance. This is how I do oil changes, and plan to do the same with the Volt once the 2 free dealer changes are done.

Rhino Ramps may come in different heights, I don't recall, having bought mine several years ago. Obviously, the lowest ones are the ones to get in that case.

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[Jim Fallston Md.]

That jack/stand only has a 1500# capacity. Be very careful.

I have used it at least 20 times on my 2012 Volt, 2016 Volt and on my 2017 Bolt with no issues. The locking mechanism helps I am sure.

 

[Tacoma]

For oil changes I drive mine onto ramps. The Volt pretty car easy to change the oil in.

For tire rotation I put mine on 4 jack stands. I use the lift points recommended in the manual. I bought this hard rubber hockey puck for my jack which seems to help along the unibody pinch weld points. If you search this forum you can find some detailed discussions about this topic.

 

[dznf0g]

For oil changes I drive mine onto ramps. The Volt pretty car easy to change the oil in.

For tire rotation I put mine on 4 jack stands. I use the lift points recommended in the manual. I bought this hard rubber hockey puck for my jack which seems to help along the unibody pinch weld points. If you search this forum you can find some detailed discussions about this topic.

Likewise here. Will be doing the same this evening with my Son's Gen 1.

 

[KenC]

I've used Rhino ramps when I installed the hitch. And, I've used a floor jack with a puck, with a slot in it, on the pinch welds to rotate my tires.

 

[Eagleco]

For oil changes I drive mine onto ramps. The Volt pretty car easy to change the oil in.

For tire rotation I put mine on 4 jack stands. I use the lift points recommended in the manual. I bought this hard rubber hockey puck for my jack which seems to help along the unibody pinch weld points. If you search this forum you can find some detailed discussions about this topic.

I'm glad to hear you have had no problem driving your Volt onto ramps, and that oil changes are easy too. I'm just about to bring our 2018 in for it's first free change, so it will be awhile still before I do it myself.

As for tire rotations, I am able to do that when swapping out snow tires in the fall and spring, so can get away with jacking up one wheel at a time. That's one of the perks of having snow tires on separate rims.

I use the hard points that are on the 2018 and a low profile floor jack. Using a rubber block between the jack and underbody prevents metal to metal contact.

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[Saint]

For oil changes I drive mine onto ramps. The Volt pretty car easy to change the oil in.

For tire rotation I put mine on 4 jack stands. I use the lift points recommended in the manual. I bought this hard rubber hockey puck for my jack which seems to help along the unibody pinch weld points. If you search this forum you can find some detailed discussions about this topic.

If you use weld points for the jack where do you place the jack stands?

 

[Eagleco]

I've used Rhino ramps when I installed the hitch. And, I've used a floor jack with a puck, with a slot in it, on the pinch welds to rotate my tires.

Glad to hear my Rhino ramps will work on the Volt

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[lagagnon]

Saint: right beneath the weld points - but as Tacoma says go buy a couple of ice hockey pucks and cut a slit in them the width of the weld joints and then the puck goes on top of the jack stand and the weld seam point fits into the slit in your hockey puck. Been using that method on both a Toyota Matrix and Mazda MX-5 for years now....

 

[martik777]

Saint: right beneath the weld points - but as Tacoma says go buy a couple of ice hockey pucks and cut a slit in them the width of the weld joints and then the puck goes on top of the jack stand and the weld seam point fits into the slit in your hockey puck. Been using that method on both a Toyota Matrix and Mazda MX-5 for years now....

But the jack was used to lift at the weld points (notched section), so how do you move the jack and replace it with the jack stand?

 

[Tacoma]

If you use weld points for the jack where do you place the jack stands?

Short answer is I put the jack stands on user manual approved interior lift points.
In addition to the 4 pinch weld lift points, there are 4 interior lift points, see the manual. I never liked putting traditional Jack stands on pinch weld lift points. In my opinion, even with the small rubber caps (the condom type, not the hockey puck ones) there isn't enough surface area to distribute the load.

Recently purchased a new set of jack stands with a flat top and hard rubber hockey puck with slits for pinch welds and rated at 6000 lbs each. I purchased the new jack stands primarily for another vehicle, but plan to use them on the Volt too. If I use them on the Volt I will jack up on interior lift points (again, see manual), then put these jack stands on the pinch welds. To lift from the interior points you have to have a low profile long reach hydraulic jack.

One interesting thing I learned along the way, jack stands sold as pairs have a load rating. And as I understand it, that load rating is for the pair. So in other words if you buy a pair of 2 ton jack stands, each stand is rated at 1 ton.

 

[Eagleco]

Fortunately low profile long enough reach floor jacks are readily available for around $100.

I bought a Pittsburgh 1 1/2 ton aluminum jack several years ago that works fine on the approved interior lift points on my 2018. The same jack goes by different brand names,, depending on where it's purchased.

It's made in China of course, but it has worked well for several years. I got it for my 2011 Cruze Eco, shortly after buying that car new.

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[martik777]

I cannot find anything in the manual that refers to " approved interior lift points on my 2018" other than the info on page 302. Could you give me a page #?

 

[Saint]

Interior lift points are right behind the pinch welds. They have some holes. I use the area for both jacking and placing the jack stand. It is tight and I need to plan ahead the angles. I have a hockey puck. Will try to cut a slit. Thanks.