Axle stand point

I tend to stick them under the suspension bottom arm mounting points.

Alternatively, depending on the car, gearbox and engine mounting points can also be suitable.

Axle stand comes from the days of solidly mounted axles - you wouldn't get away with it on most modern cars with relatively weedy independent suspension.

Your car workshop manual may well have a diagram of where to put them, some do. Also it varies according to which part of the vehicle you need access to. Generally speaking, you should put them under a part you consider to be strong enough to take the weight of the car. Some cars have chunky cross members, some don't.

But the most important thing is *never* to work underneath a vehicle supported only by a jack.

Steve

"shazzbat" wrote

Personally, I would also suggest placing some dunnage between the axle stand and the car to prevent slipping and/or removal of rustproofing from the chosen position.

If your are not sure then the jacking points are a good place to start, but how are you going to jack the car?

Under wishbones, suspension mounts, anywhere that's solid, won't slip and is intended to take a goodly proportion of the weight of the car.

It depends on the jacking points. If it's the sort of jack that fits in a hole in the sill etc the metal beneath that might not be particularly strong as it's the inner structure that takes the stress. If, however, it jacks directly on the sill then that's a good place for the stand. I always use a bit of stout timber to protect the paint etc though.

Any main suspension mounts are also a good bet.