Most liked posts in thread: OctaneGuy's MINIs since 2003

I bought it used from a retired detailing friend. I later purchased a hydraulic scissor lift for $3,000 that is a lot more flexible and not reliant on a compressor...turns out my compressor is only good enough for cars under 3000 pounds and on cold days. The air bag lift was a good intro to having a lift in the shop and how crucial it is.

Richard

 

At stock ride height it was ok, but after I put on coilovers, I had about 1/4" of clearance at their highest setting...and once people were inside, I tore up the liner..they really are too wide and tall. I wouldn't do them again.

Richard

 

Strangely enough, the air bag lift costs much more than an electric hydraulic scissor lift. I think part of it is the fact that it doesn't use electricity and is suitable for hazardous or flammable environments. If you aren't lifting a variety of cars, this lift works well. You need a variety of arms to fit different jackpoints on each car, so it becomes a bit like solving a puzzle. If you're just pulling up your own car, it's not much of an issue. For cars that have body parts that hang lower than the jacking points, this lift isn't suitable as the huge plate in the middle will lift the lowest point up and miss the jackpoints altogether. MINIs aren't like that.

I don't use this lift anymore...I just use my hydraulic one that's more flexible for my needs. I might be interested in selling it but it weighs around 1,000 pounds, so it needs to be sent by truck.

Richard