Whats the safest and best way to jack up car?

[PassSPORT]

When it comes to jacking up Passat's, everyone seems to have a different opinion and way of doing it.
The passat manual is even very vague on this subject. It seems to indicate that the only strong points are the 4 marked points on the sills
Some say to purchase and fit rubber jacking points, as they work great for protecting the underside of your car, and give you an easy recognizable place to position your jack each time you need to.
But apparently these are designed to work with a proper car lift which is lifting all sides of the car at once.
It seem to be hard to find a place for your jack and axle stands at the same time.
I like many others don't like using the side sills as they tend to be easily bent and damaged. I did see some saying that they put their axle stands behind the sill lip.
http://gablerfamily.org/jackCover.jpg

A few people recommend to use your jack on these brackets at the front.
http://gablerfamily.org/possibleLiftPoints.jpg

Which way do some of you guys tend to do it?
And do u use a bit of wood or rubber on top of your jack axel stands ?

[snapdragon]

Yes, I use the thing with three bolt heads and a mound in the middle.
It looks the strongest point. I agree, it's not well documented.
Sometimes I use wood, sometimes, I don't.

[yaman]

Apart from the jacking points, the sub-frames are the only
places that can take the weight, but (like your circled areas)
the trolly-jack must be able to cup the place where its jacking,
or it can slide off. Wood can make it slide, unless the jack is
directly below the part that's digging into the wood.

Safety First, and always have a back-up, like a spare-wheel
or breeze blocks, that will take the weight, if things go wrong.

Regards
Jim

[martin1810]

A purpose made rubber trolley jack saddle or even a thick piece of scrap rubber are good. You get more grip. Always stick an axle stand nearby. Never tempt fate with jacked up cars. You only live once.

[caldirun]

Just like to add, keep all crushable bits away from the car, if you think about it its very seldom you HAVE to be underneath. Use all the precautions but if you can keep clear and work, do it. Just assume the damn thing is going to fall on you at any moment, if you ain't there it wont hurt you!

[headache56]

I use my trolley jack at the same place as Snapdragon with a piece of wood. When I first did it I kept my fingers crossed and listened for any crunching noises but it worked ok with no worries.

[Toonmania]

i agree with martin1810 a nice piece of scrap rubber does a perfect job, i found some at work that was around 1" thick wasn't sure what it was for but i cut a piece of anyway, but there is still another 5 foot of it at my place of work :D