Is there another jack for the Volvo. When I use the one provided it lifts the entire side of the car making it very dangerous to change the tire, even if its on a level surface. As far as I can tell, there is only one slot for the jack, on each side,in the middle of the car.

I have incorrectly positioned the jack on my S70 and had

it slip. It bent part of the jack but the car did not fall

off. Lesson: Make sure the jack is correctly positioned

before using, then double-check it, then proceed.

The jack on my wifes 855 was actually recalled (too weak,

as I recall).

The jack supplied with any car should be used for emergency flat tire change out only. And never even put anything of value (including your head) under the car when supported by the jack (ANY jack) only....if it goes there will be NO warning.

Indeed the jacks supplied with the 240 series were a cruel joke - Volvo screwed up in the past too!! I bought a nice 2.5 ton scissor jack for like $15 that is better than any supplied jack to replace the 245 piece of sh%t.

If you do ANY car work, even rotating/changing to snows yourself, a hydraulic floor jack and some jack stands is a very worthwhile investment. I mean you just spent over/around $30,000 for a car...Is about $150 too much to protect your life/limbs?

Now to address your questions - the 850 jack (haven't seen the S70 jack) seems really funky, but no more dangerous than most. To tell you the truth I've never had to use mine because I have a floor jack and the one time I got flats it was both left tires so I had to call for a tow anyway (one spare)!!

As to the one slot to jack one side up, I think it works great - 3 Ton floor jack under slot, a couple pumps, car up, four (yes 4!) jack stands for saftety, shake the car hard to make sure it solid and it's off to work...

Maybe I'm missing something but I use the supplied jack on my '95 850 to change from street to snow tires in the garage and from street to competition tires and back at the race track. I've not encountered anything that I would call dangerous about lifting the car a side at a time. In fact, it would be murder to have to jack up all four corners and impossible to rotate your tires yourself.

It IS important to put the vehicle in Park AND set the emergency brake before jacking the car. There is some play in the transmission in Park and you can get a small movement if you're on a slope. With those two things done the car isn't going anywhere, even on a slope.

I find the jack in my car very sturdy and easy to operate. I have rotated tires using that jack and did not feel endangered. Am I missing something? I think the way the jack "hinges" around the round grab pin on the bottom of the car is very smart. This prevents the car from slipping off and also allows for a better position of the foot of the jack. On a Saab I helped a co-worker with the jack was much flimsier and slid into the special bracket on the bottom of the car (also in the middle). This is a similar concept to ours, except that it is much more difficult to get the jack to slide into the bracket. In general the jacks provided with the cars are only intended to be used for tire changing purposes and are not meant to be heavy-duty. I think for that purpose the stock Volvo jack works well.

I`ve always considered Volvo jacks to be dangerous which is odd for a company which supposedly prides itself on safety. The 240 jacks are absolutely dangerous & after a near accident I threw the jack away & bought a REAL jack.

Rich

Interesting.....

I've never owned a 240, but I have had one fall off a jack on me!

In the 1980s in NYC, my department physicist, age 70, drove one, and had a flat. As I was only 35, I volunteered to go out and change it for him. The jack collapsed. No damage (I didn't even tell him), but still....on a VOLVO???

I always use a floor jack and jack stands when working on my car. When I have a flat, I always have either the flat tire or the spare under the car!

-Uncle Olaf

Yeah, what's wrong with the 240 jacks? Are you talking about the scissor jacks, or was there a different type for older 240s? I've used the jack that came with my '87 240 many times, and it works great, it's very stable, and works quick.

What made the jack dangerous Rich?

Sorry I'm not Rich but:

1) The early tall pups (bastard jacks) were just plain unstable and one good shove and the car would fall down. At least they would put a wailing dent in the side of your car. Volvo discontinued these.

2) The scissor jacks were of dubious built/design quality. They were made of fairly bendable sheet metal. I have seen the top cradle bent to shit on some or worse the sheet metal popped off the "hinge" pins. Some folks say these are ok...everyone I've had is now buried in some poured concrete slaps for my shed, walkways, etc...I love life too much to say "good enough"...

Not sure how lifting the entire side of the car makes it more dangerous. If anything, I prefer the way the jack locks into the jacking point, less chance of it slipping off the jack. Only car I've seen that has this feature. Jacking the entire side also makes it easier to rotate the tires.