Halfords 2 Tonne Low Profile Trolley Car Jack - REVIEW

[@harryjack2302]

You shouldn't get under a car with any jack holding it up!! Doesn't matter if your jack was £5 or £500, if it collapses you die, end of. Buy some axle stands, and if you can't afford them, don't work on your car

[@JoeLamOfficial]

I have got some. I do agree what you said, but have done it quite a few times and I think I'm still alive. Or am I?

[@euanroy4673]

Harry Edmonds lift car up put on jackstands, why do people risk there lives under jacks? If a hydraulic seal goes the jack drops, if the valve is faulty the jack drops. Don't do it

[@soilmanted]

With a hydraulic jack you are depending an o-ring to keep hydraulic fluid from getting past it. An o-ring can give out suddenly without warning, causing the vehicle to drop suddenly and quickly. You do not need commercial jack stand though. The kind of lumber used to contruct buildings, if properly stacked up or screwed or glued in a proper orientation is actually stronger than steel jack stands, although a bit heavier. If it can hold a house up it can hold a car up.

[@garyfox8701]

On this note... I used one of these jacks this week... it was only when I went to put the wheel back on that I realised that the car had lowered itself (the axle was too low).... now imagine if you were under that car... and it was lowering itself one millimetre every two minutes... you just wouldn't be aware until you were trapped... and still down it comes...

[@012_ljk]

Bought the Jack from Halfords today, did the job, pumped up quicker than 5 minutes, would recommend. Good video.

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Good to know that they still sell them. What price do they go for these days?

[@BrodzFn]

@@JoeLamOfficialI got one for 30 quid low profile the normal one is a bit cheaper I think

[@Dalil_chippyv2]

Yeah but the thing is, there’s better cheaper choices to get

[@andrewlightwood3895]

I really don't think you should be working on cars , you dint have a clue that the handle opened and closed the valve I knew that at 13 years old

[@techdeckerkick]

Everyone starts somewhere mate

[@mizztree954]

Andrew your feminine name would be “Karen”

[@Bobandy6969]

Stfu u nerd no one works as a grease monkey for 40 years like your divorced arse x

[@Grzesiua]

I have one too. It is heavy-true, but not slow. Mine lifts car in few pumps.

[@JoeLamOfficial]

That's good to know, possibly need to air bleed mine.

[@TopperRico]

This man is a pumping machine, good review cheers.

[@JoeLamOfficial]

+Rico LOL the stupid cheapo jack does require some mega pumping action to lift the car by .1inch it would seem. Madness. You get what you pay for I suppose. Haha. Thanks for watching. Have a good day!

[@TopperRico]

***** Haha thanks :-)

[@minhajuddin6607]

Joe Lam it’s rubbish doesn’t lift it high enough

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Can’t expect too much from this budget lift. How high do you need it to lift?

[@LENNYGLOVER007]

Where were your axle stands?

[@JoeLamOfficial]

** UPDATE ** I brought mine during the Sale, but the price seem to have shot up as of today (20/11/2014). I'm not sure if I would have brought one at £50! And the review may have been more harsh if it was at that price. Anyway just to let you guys know.

[@MrTcvip]

bought one today and it lifts a BMW in about 4 pumps. not sure if they changed it or your doing it wrong.

[@JoeLamOfficial]

i think lifting the handle all the way up then pumping it helps rather than doing short strokes (sounds rather dirty.... lol)

[@walterpickford3204]

" I didn't read any of the manual because who needs to read a manual for a jack". Then proceeds to ponder how to operate the jack without pliers to release the relief valve. Who needs to read a manual for a jack? YOU DO ! What was the comment about getting help for patheticness?

[@AgentGhQ]

Awesome video! I was more impressed by your videography than the jack despite looking for a quality one. ///M3 🇩🇪

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Thanks man. This certainly isn't a "quality" jack, but it was cheap and it works for what I need :) But yeah, I would recommend a better one if you do a lot of work or can afford one :)

[@simonspencer397]

You definitely sound like an expert pumper.

[@TheGreatestBeyonder]

No offence fella but you must must be the weakest link here. I can jack my BMW F10 (5 series) up in 10 - 20 seconds using this jack. Same as you, for cleaning wheels or changing lamps, oil, etc... (with axle stands of course) but if it's taking you 5 minutes your lifter is either shot or you are not putting enough effort in!

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Hi, after using it a few more times, I have realised that you need to lift the handle all the way between each pump to get the max lift, but its slow compared to more expensive ones I've used and a lot more effort due to the short handle bar. But yeah I am weak, but i feel like this jack (or mine) is a sh*t and weak. Probably has a slow leak. I know you are meant to use jack stands, but for quick wheel clean / change, the jack slowly goes down.

[@bengaliTq]

It's a good jack in my case and took a minute to lift my car. Mind you... You didn't exactly read the instructions!!!!

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Nope I didn't read the instructions lol. I do like it though. does the job alright. Found that if you complete the full pump action from top to bottom it lifts the car quicker rather than small pumps each time. So maybe it's not as slow as I have made it appear in the video :P

[@h4mza786]

I got this exact same trolley jack, it broke today after 8 years RIP 🙏

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Wow. That’s a long time. Still have mine but I don’t use that often 😅

[@surewin1773]

Did you get a white M3 or did you paint your silver one? If it's different, why the change? DCT still?

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Yup, sold the SilverstoneII manual M3 and got the Alpine White M3 DCT instead. Always wanted a white one and the manual box is quite heavy in traffic. Mines a daily so went for the lazy mode instead. Having owned both, can tell you that the manual is definitely more fun/engaging. Clicky paddles is a bit lifeless. Quick - yes, but missing something for sure.

[@surewin1773]

***** Ahh. Yeah, I have a manual alpine white E92 M3 myself. I just love the analog feel of a manual, even in Southern California traffic haha. It's worth it when I go on the track and get to heel toe :) Have you had any issues with the DCT? I was at a local track in California lately and an E90 DCT M3 completely stalled in the middle of the track and had to get towed off. I heard there has been some software upgrades that have been available for the DCT. Maybe you can do some reviews on that. In any case, love your videos and keep it up! BTW, I'm still loving the MTEC LED Angel eyes!

[@JoeLamOfficial]

surewin Yeah use to love heel n toe my M3 on twisty roads. But 95% of the time I'm in completely standstill traffic. 1st/2nd gear. Over an hour to travel 17 miles. Not much fun with the manual in those instances. No issue with my DCT. It was (and still is a bit jerky sometimes), but I already upgraded to the latest software there is for the gearbox/engine etc. Definitely improved shifting speed and smoothness. And bit more clever when downshifting depending on the gradient etc. Sooo smooth and seamless and quick. As with all cars. I guess that guys DCT just had some issue. I've seen cars with actuator issues at 28k miles, rod bearing at 60k. Coil issue at 18k. Fingers crossed mine is okay. But my previous M3 at 56k miles had zero issue. Really depends on luck it would seem. Thanks for your support. Really need to make more videos... been lazy recently.

[@surewin1773]

***** Nice! Glad it's working out for you. I had the dreaded piston rod bearing issue recently. Fortunately, there is a dependable shop here that was able to fix the problem for me. I switched out the bearings with WPC surface treated OEM piston rod bearings, and the piston rod bolts with APR piston rod bolts. If you ever run into this issue I'd get these two parts. The WPC bearings are chemically treated to actually make the bearings stronger without compromising its clearance. Here's a link of the whole process, starting at post #389. I give my take of the story later in the page in post #393. www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?p=16521509#post16521509

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Damn how many miles or what symptoms did you have? It's a big thread, so it'll take some time to read through it all lol Mines at 26k miles at the moment. Fingers crossed things will run smoothly for now. No money to fix stuff.

[@mizztree954]

Thank you for this video,wouldn’t of known which one to get 💎

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Glad I could help! 😉

[@ssteve6726]

Hello matey. Very entertaining video. Just one question how do you get the horrible grip off the platform so that you can create a flat platform for the pug

[@JoeLamOfficial]

I'm not sure, I use a hockey puck to wedge between that and the car. Can carve the rubber out on the puck to make it fit that stupid platform a bit more.

[@markburnett7461]

It needs air bleed out ive one had same problem

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Thanks for the tip. How do you fix it?

[@markburnett7461]

MY HK FEET u need to remove black cover and youll see a black grommet, pump jack up to full height and keep pumping a few more times then move grommet slighty to one side and u should hear the air coming out worked for me, i also just bought jack oil today so im going to put more in it seems to want to lower on its own, ill let u know how i get on

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Thanks Mark. Next time I use it, I'll take a look. Sounds too easy to move the grommet if its suppose to keep the air in?

[@markburnett7461]

MY HK FEET trust me it can keep it in, i topped oil in jack yesterday and just about got the grommet back in lol youll see what i mean

[@JoeLamOfficial]

If I break it in the process, I'll blame you! lol

[@WelcometomyHades]

Just checked the price and it’s 55. Is it still worth it after almost 10 years? I wonder.

[@1981CJR]

Hi mate, have you bled the air by opening the release valve and pumping the handle 4 or 5 times? Just got one today on sale, if mine takes that long to lift fully it's going straight back, a bloody scissor jack would be faster! Wicked car btw.

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Hi there. Turns out that you needed to fully lift the handle all the way up and pump all the way down. That way its actually quite quick. 7-8 times and the car / wheel is off the ground. I thought it can do the gentle stuff like a £200-400 jack lol. But I was expecting too much precision with a cheap jack. But yeah, pump it all the way from the top to bottom and its actually much quicker. Used it a few times to change / clean wheels. Working so far. However its not very good at holding pressure. Don't leave it on the jack for too long. Use jack stands if needs be. The jack isn't 100% safe as with most.

[@1981CJR]

Cool, hopefully it'll do the job for me so. Wouldn't trust it (or any other jack) for 1 second without stands!

[@JoeLamOfficial]

1981CJR Good one. So far its worked well and especially for the price!

[@SHates]

Cheap but served me really well over loads and loads of track days. Hasn't failed me in the last seven years that I've owned it.

[@JoeLamOfficial]

SHates Wow - thanks for letting me know cause I did have some concern over the build quality of the jack. But thats' nice to know and its so cheap!

[@SliceOfPy]

increase the range of your pumping. Moving the bar up and down in increments of 2cm... of course its going to take 5 mins.

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Hi Ryan, good point. I think that tip does help. Thanks again for watching.

[@shush_ya_mush]

Ive been having the problem with it going up slowly, looks like 2/3 of the stroke was doing nothing, so Ive bled the air from it and now the full length of the stroke pumps it up.

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Thanks for the tip. And yeah, apparently it does help by using the full stroke rather than smaller pumps like I did.

[@vbml]

how's the jack working now since the review?

[@JoeLamOfficial]

I have used it rarely but still works. Some people have mentioned that the jack needs air bleeding so it should work better. It does work.

[@alljoy6541]

This video is a bit misleading , as I own this jack. The jack depicted in this video either has air in the system, or the release valve is either not fully opened . In order to pump the jack you have to operate the valve. A bad tradesman always blames his tools, lol.

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Perhaps mine is faulty or something. I have closed the valve fully or perhaps like you say, there is air in the system. I have used other more expensive jacks (not saying more expensive is better) but I'm just saying that I have come across better ones - that definitely doesn't need that many pumps.

[@johnrichardson544]

You seem to be getting a fair few comments, suggesting that YOUR at fault, however, I'll just add I also own one of these, and I hate it for two main reasons, 1) It seems to take forever to get anywhere, 2) the piece where you insert the handle to pump it, is very flimsy and loose. Either it's a design fault or fault in that particular model, or it's a case of you get what you pay for?

[@alljoy6541]

The jack is cheap diy. I own it, and I have an heavy duty garage jack , if you wait for a sale or Black Friday sale you may get lucky like I did. This lad in the video is lifting a £40000 car with a £20 jack. You make your own deductions why people do such things. This small jack is ideal to put in my car and go help a friend change her tyre, it's better then a sizzor jack anyway. My garage jack is huge and heavy 3 ton.

[@anne-mariemarshall]

@@JoeLamOfficial If you have used other jack's, how come you didn't know to use the pump bar to operate the valve?

[@johnlock1398]

I can see we have here a hardcore mechanic ;) - you never should do any work keeping the car on the jack only if it is expensive or cheap ;)

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Thanks for your message. I know i probably should be more careful but didn’t really use it much after anyway. Didn’t need to change wheel or do any spacers stuff, so I knew I wouldn’t be doing a ton of work with it.

[@johnlock1398]

@@JoeLamOfficial no prob man best regards and good luck

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Thanks John, all the best too 🙂

[@TheRabbitFear]

I have a silverline trolley jack and it's just as slow, no idea why low profile jacks are so expensive for just different shaped metal

[@JoeLamOfficial]

I found at the end if you lift the handle all the up before pumping, it helps to speed things up a little.

[@Chestercb79]

Great vid. I was going to get this one but, thank you, I wont. 5 minutes to rise it? It's joke. Thank you again.

[@JoeLamOfficial]

It is a bit crappy. But it'll do for my needs. I only used it for few times. If you plan to use it more often, do get a better one.

[@Kevin1951M]

I just bought one of these. It took 55 seconds to close off the valve and lift the front (heaviest end) of my Mondeo to maximum height. Sure it takes a bit of effort, but 5 minutes is incorrect and TBH a bit silly. I paid €60.00 for mine and I'm very happy. Sure it's a cheapo, but a huge lot better in every way than the last one I had.

[@MrChiptatum]

good vid bud..i bought one of these shitty jacks..does the job but your right the fker takes ages to lift..lol

[@wildeprox]

im so lucky i got ice hockey puck from old times :D and of i got bmw :)

[@JoeLamOfficial]

That’s handy 😄 I don’t play hockey so had to buy one.

[@realcubano4301]

Halfords broke my side mirror and after3 month of emails They are not accepting liability….. Just disgusting behaviour ….. Anyway if u know any other way to get my mirror fix plz ?

[@JoeLamOfficial]

I'm really sorry to hear about your experience with Halfords and the trouble you're facing with your side mirror. It can be incredibly frustrating when a company doesn't take responsibility for the damages they've caused. Firstly, it's important to keep a record of everything. Make sure to document any evidence of the damage, such as taking photographs or saving any emails or messages you've exchanged with Halfords regarding the issue. These records can be quite helpful if you need to escalate the situation further. What happened to your mirror?

[@realcubano4301]

@@JoeLamOfficial the side mirror is not folding, apparently the motor is gone and they don’t accept liability … they offer me £30 voucher for the issue but I didn’t accept it!

[@MortyParko]

Wow, more than 5 min!! I think if you’ve used the jack that came with the car it would have been a lot faster 🤣😂

[@JoeLamOfficial]

True... but in my case (or some newer models) don't come with jacks anymore. They usually give you those foam spray repair kits. Which begs the questions, if there's a total blowout, how does the foam hold the tyre together? 😅

[@pkumar5411]

Good video (I like it) but if it's from Halfords than expect it to be cheapest and quality can be questioned. The only thing I was bit not ok with is that at 00:51 you say the person who cannot lift this may be pathetic! Well it depends some people have physical challenges even to lift a normal weight let alone a heavy sounding jack. So I would not have called someone pathetic as I know few people who have back issues as such, so for them it's best they seek help from others, however I agree with you that Halfords have over-warned this by stating 'very' heavy product which obviously is not a very heavy product. Thanks for the video as it's great to hear some honest perspectives.

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Thanks for watching and your comment. I'll take it into consideration for future videos.

[@flumoxeduk2379]

It's not very good imo - I had mine just over a year and lifted my mx5 approx 5 times , then the seal went. Just outside the warranty! What a bugger . I now need to split it and see if i can source the seals etc

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Agree. All jacks leak I suppose, but this one even when it was new, could very quickly start to slowly go down (jack stands must of course). You get what you pay for I suppose.

[@boydwagon]

Your're just weak..Are you SURE you don't need help lifting it, as you did mention it's heavy? Good review though :)

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Weak as in lifting the car or the jack itself? For the car, you do need to pump it x 25,600 million times till the car is off the ground. If for the heavy jack, it's bit heavy and without a handle to grab hold of which is annoying. Tried grabbing the black cover bit with all the text/instructions and it just comes off which was annoying. I thought I could use that bit for some grip lol Thanks for watching :)

[@Simon-zv4hi]

Thanks

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Welcome! Thanks for watching too.

[@hawaii5084]

It seems you’re the type of guy who’s bored that’s why you had to post this video.

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Not really. I was looking for a cheap jack for a quick wheel change / wash and wanted to tell you my experience whether cheap = no good. As the saying goes "buy cheap buy twice". Might be a user error or faulty unit but my experience hasn't been that great. There is a purpose for this video.

[@bolter99]

Been through two of these within a year. They aren't the best.

[@JoeLamOfficial]

+bolter99 Agree. Cheap and not super cheerful. I feel like mine is dying already after a few use. Its slowly loosing pressure and going down when using it - feels very dodgy. As they say, buy cheap - buy twice? Is that the saying? But the pro jacks are so expensive - but expensive for a reason I suppose?

[@pegleg1992]

+Media6D Bleed it

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Jake Bleed it?

[@bolter99]

I did, tried to twice, still wont hold a car up for long. Gave it to somebody i work with, he is yet to get it to work also.

[@pegleg1992]

***** A term that basically just means getting all the air out. Air in the system can cause this sort of problem.

[@zalupkin85]

Thank you for vidio its prevented me to buy one of this

[@JoeLamOfficial]

+Aleksandr Krugliakov lol - well it sort of works, but don't put your life on it.

[@klasykapolskiegohh8798]

Don't buy these £20 jack's. On eBay you can buy a jack which is £55 and size of proper professional jack. Lifts the car up in 5 pumps, good quality and weights so much you won't be able to lift it of the ground

[@JoeLamOfficial]

Yeah I shouldn't have cheaped out. But I only used it for a few times so it does its job. But I do agree, if you are going to use it regularly, I wouldn't recommend this one.

[@the.internet]

Klasyka could you let us know the name of the jack you found on eBay please? Wouldn't mind an upgrade to my £20 Silverline one which performs much like the one in this vid. I want something that can lift the car higher (current one only gets it front wheels a few inches off the ground) and doesn't take so long to raise the car.

[@bitiboy786]

Same price 10 years later

[@jefcharles]

Doesn't know the handle is for the release valve. Makes a video anyway.

[@paulstearne1]

That thing's defective.

[@JoeLamOfficial]

I did try and bleed the air out and it helped a little.