Do dealer service depts use them or are they built into their lift arms. Trying to decide it I should leave mine on when taking it in for service. If the lifts have them built into the lift arms should I remove them prior to my appointment?

 

Good question for the dealer you use.

 

So far they haven't even used that kind of lift when they service mine. They use a drive on drive off type of lifter. The tires support the car the whole time.

 

First dealer Techs have their own tools! They are not going to by jack pads for YOUR car. Even IF the dealer has jack pads the Tech has to go to the parts department where special GM tools are kept and check them out. If not returned they get charged! Techs work on commission and will not bother!

Good way to have your car get dropped is to have them use the lift pads on the most common lift used at dealers which is a post and jack arm lift. That allows them to work on brakes etc. The large Chevy/BMW/Mercedes dealer in town has ~24 center post lifts with arms and jack pads and one drive on lift in the alignment rack! In fact I was concerned enough for engine oil changes in my C6 and two C7s I did my own.

But found geart Vette Tech at the Courtesy Delivery Dealer who did my C8. But I bought the following pic to him before my C8 arrived:


Told tech the safest way to lift a C8 with 60% rear weight is to only lift on the Frame and to assure than use my 4 jack pads that his lift pads will touch in the right spot! He agreed and always uses mine.


In fact looking at what may have happened with this Vette the Tech may have placed his lifft arm pads OUTSIDE THE Frame. The only place you can lift is the GM oval slot on the frame where the jack pad fits. Look at the red triangle in pic. Looks loke a good place to lift! WRONG It's not on the frame it's outside. That area can bend and resulting the pic above! Lift on the frame but further forward and the 60% rear weight can have it fall as well!

 

This is another good reason to have the Tech use YOUR 1 inch high jack pads as mine did.

When I had my DCT Filter changed I had seen a video by Chuck the great tech where Rick Conti is a salesman. He said they had to lift a C8 several times using their large pads on their lift arms to get to the 4 outside bolts on the aluminum rear panel that have to be removed. Here are some pics and what my great tech was able to do with my jack pads on his lift arms!

The lower pic shows Chuck installing the pads on his lift arm on the frame. Chuck does many C8s so will do it right. The average Tech may not do many! Just so you can see how hard it is to position the arms try to SEE the oval slots on your C8 rear frame. You have to lay on the garage floor and put your head on the ground and use a flashlight! NOT easy. Note Chuck, from another video is doing it without looking! He's not going to put his head on the floor. Also note his pads are much larger then the GM recommended MAX 2 1/2 inch OD (which my 1 inch high pads .

(Note at the large Chevy/BMW/Mercedes dealer I use for my C6 and C7 I watched as a tech kick the center post lift arm with his foot to place in under a car (not a Vette!) Would you put your head on a shop floor to position the jack arm exactly where it should be placed??) If your jack pads are used in the GM oval slot no need. Tech can feel and place their jack arm pads under your Jack Pads properly positioned in the GM oval slots!

In top pic pic you can see the tech for my car used my Jack Pads and he was able to get the two bolts per side that are very close to the GM oval lift slits using a box wrench!
Bottom pic is Check installing his large lift arm pads on a Vette. In a video on changing the DCT filter he said a C8 had to be lifted several times repositioning the jack arm pads to get all 4 bolts! Assume they had to do the same to install!!

The aluminum panel that must be removed to access the DCT filter has two bolts on each side that are very close to the GM oval slot where the jack pads fit!

 

I leave my pucks in all the time.

 

I keep a set of 4 Katech jacking pucks in the frunk just in case they're ever needed. I've used the leave in pucks before and never really liked then due to the short height which can still cause clearance issues with some lifts and floor jacks resulting in damage.