No reason not to use them. you just don't need them. Yea, jack it on the side where the jack is supposed to go and you don't even touch the rocker, it is just that easy.

 

Yes, CANADA...HOCKEY....PUCKS everywhere...

 

The lifting points for the C5 and C6 are are where the 4 shipping slots are located on the frame. On the C5 and the C6 the pucks are not required at the front shipping slots. There is a lot of room around the slots and a lift pad can easily be placed so it doesn't hit the rocker panel. On the C5 the opening around the rear shipping slot was small and there was no way a lift pad could fit in the opening without touching or pushing on the rocker panel. The C6 has a much larger opening around the rear slot and you can definitely get a lift pad in the opening so it fully touches the frame and not the rocker panel. Thus you can get by without using pucks on a C6 if you are using a 4 point lift. If you are jacking the car at one spot you should use a wide support under the frame so the car's weight is distributed across a wide area. Otherwise you stand a good chance of denting the frame inward where the jack is lifting the car if you lift the car a lot of times like I do.

Bill

 

They can't read and they can't listen. They are the experts and you are just the ignorant fool who let them work on the car.

And as far as watching them, what do you do when every dealership within 100 miles has a "NO CUSTOMERS IN SHOP!!!" rule? Of the 3 dealerships I can easily drive to, all have the shop totally separated from where you leave the car and are allowed to wait. What should I do? Drive 200 miles one way to get simple repairs? Nope, I'll go to the Ford or Hyundai dealer before I'll go to GM because they will listen and let me watch. I can provide the shop manuals and any parts they might need.

 

if one can assert themselves on this forum, one can assert themselves in front of a service manager. in most cases that I've been in, they will allow you to watch and be up close to your car.

 

Think I may have just gotten lucky. A highly recommended owner of an independent shop who owns a C5 has just agreed that I can watch if I want to and that he is familiar with the cars and their jacking point peculiarities. If this pans out, I probably will have him do all my service work.What could be better than a Vette owner of an independent shop overseeing the work?
The recommendation came from a fellow Harley rider who also ownes a C5 and is this guys brother -in-law. Will let you know how all this turns out. I really appreciate all the comments and advice. You guys are a wealth of knowledge and have already prevented me from some costly errors. Thank you so much.

 

here in Mi. I have the real hockey pucks, that I use from the RED WINGS. No cost...

 

As mentioned, you don't need jacking pucks to safely lift a C6. I do, however, think its best to install jacking pucks before you take the car to the dealership. Tell them you did and tell them what they're for...they may not know. I would never leave jacking pucks installed 24/7. They're for a specific purpose...use them when needed and remove them promptly when you're done.


...to a point. I agree it's not the same as having your wheels/tires dangling in mid-air but after using my friends drive-on lift for years I'm convinced that's what I'd get. It's easy to remove a wheel with a drive-on lift. We simply set a small floor jack on the runners and raise the corner of the car to remove a wheel. The drive-on lift is especially good for adjusting the setup. When I raise my car it sits on a dead level surface....the lift runners are perfectly level. There are pros and cons to either but IMO you can't beat the drive-on lift for ease of use and stability.

 

I saw a black C5 backing off from a drive on quick oil change ramp at a chevy dealer in Atlanta while I was waiting for my C6. The ramp caught the left front fender and tore it off. Could not believe what I was seeing. They tried to place some wood at the end of the ramp to reduce the angle but only after they did the damage. I just ordered pucks from ecklers to take with me to the dealer.

 

If the shop is using a single post lift, you may need pucks or even two layers of pucks. The arms of the lift will bend downward under the weight of the car, and the center post can punch the floor of your car.

 

I have lifted my C6 lots in the gargare with a floor jack and if done right no need for any pucks, in fact if I used the pucks my jack would not fit under the car. My jack has a rubber pad on the lifting point and that works great no slip no damage. The entire lifting point of the jack is well inside of the rocker panel.
At a professional shop if I don't feel they know what they are doing, its a different shop for me.
In an emergency I guess if you had a set in the back you could ask who ever was doing the lift to use them, but I don't carrry a puck with me all the time.

In your own shop no need to puck just do the job right.

 

The real point here is why risk it? For less than $20 bucks you can buy a set on the auction site.
When I went into a discount tire with a slow leak, the teck rolled a jack over without any idea where to place it. Fortunately I was right there, put in a puck and his comment was, what's that?

How many rails need to be cracked before you realize that there are many service guys who have no clue. I can remember an op who left his Vette at a Jiffy Lube and thought his frame was broken by a service rep. We told him that it was another cracked rail and not the frame.

Advising newbys that there is no need is just not accepting reality IMO.

 

Get them, and use them.
I took my car to my local Chevy dealer for a free oil change. I had the Service Manager(SM) walk around the car and check the rocker panels. I wrote on the invoice "no damage on rocker panels" and had him sign it. I said the pucks are on the seat, I'm going to install them. He said don't worry about it they are going to put the car on the aligment rack to change the oil. I decided to walk into the service bay and find my car up on a lift. Sure enough the jack has got the rocker panel on the drivers side rear. He didn't miss it by much but enough to cause damage. I told the mechanic don't move the car and I went and got the SM. All he could say was "I'm sorry".

They did give me a free rental and had the repair done.

What gets me is that do you think if I didn't catch them in the act and found it later and brought the car back, they would have "manned up to it". I think not.
Not too long ago someone wrote about breaking their mirror while installing a radar detector device. I advised him to remove the mount and take the car to the dealer and tell them you were adjusting it and it came off in their hand. Another poster wrote me about how that was bad advice and that he would "man up" and tell the dealer he broke it and paid to have it repaired. Well not me brother.

Like I said before get them and use them and if possible, don't let the car out of your sight. Good Luck

 

It is simply amazing that this could happen anywhere but even worse after the puck discussion with the manager and a dealer no less. The dealerships ought to start taking the repairs out of the techs pockets. I bet you would never have the problem again.

 

Well, when you have owned 11 c5-c6's that have never had a damaged rocker panel due to improper lifting techniques.....yea, I think one is more than qualified and have every right to say, they are not needed.

 

Sounded very similar to my experience. "Largest dealership in..." Sells lots of Corvettes. Sponsors Corvette club. Still didn't use puck and broke rocker. But they did immediately take responsibility and fix it to my satisfaction. I don't know how long the mechanic who did it continued to work there but I did see the service writer having a discussion with him and he didn't look like he was enjoying the stimulating repartee.

It is possible to lift a C5/C6 without pucks without damaging anything but anyone who lets someone else lift one without pucks is just asking for trouble. Sort of like walking a tight rope 100 feet in the air. You can do it without a net but for $20 or less...

 

Racer44 11 cars and no damage. I had two C6 and both got damaged. I do agree with you when you say they are not needed, but only if they know what their doing. It usually takes someones car to get damaged and tech gets chewed out for it not to happen again. At least with that tech.

By the way, can you pick 6 numbers for me to play lotto tonight. Happy Holidays.

 

Racer44 and others are correct that you don't really need pucks.
Others are correct that pucks are a good idea.

There are a large number of Neanderthals working on cars, they will either damage your rockers or dent the frame where they place the lift arms. Explaining the pucks and giving them to the guy helps. Installing them yourself if possible (some lifts will hit the pucks as you drive on) is better. But whenever you come up with a foolproof system, someone comes up with a better fool.

 

WOW!

 

I have a question that is somewhat related. Is there a secondary spot to lift the car? I ask because I was wondering how to put the car on jackstands.