Warning! Don't try this at home!
 

Yesterday I decided to change the oil pressure sensor in my car. So I get out the plastic ramps, put them in front of the wheels and start driving up the ramps.

Going really slowly and thinking I was at the top of the ramps I let of the throttle and the car started rolling backwards slowly. So I tap the gas pedal and BANG, CRUNCH, the car is now back on level ground.

I looked up at my daughter who is standing outside the car with a look of Horror on her face, still trying to figure out what happened and how bad the damage will be.

After gaining the courage to step out of the car I inspected the carnage. When I "Tapped" the gas pedal both ramps had shot rearword wedging themselves under the door sills about half way between the front and rear wheels.

I took my floor jack and raised the car a little, to get the ramps from under the car and inspected the underside of the car for damage. Surprisingly there was no damage to the car and only one ramp broke at the top.

Now I know what you're thinking- "That guy is a dumb@ss!" But I can assure you I've been using ramps for many years without trouble. There's two things I should have done differently.

One- let the car roll back down the ramp before trying to go up again. Two- The ramps were on my garage floor which has very smooth concrete. The ramps have only one rubber pad on the bottom to prevent slipping. Next time I'll use ramps on my driveway which has a rough surface or put some extra rubber pads on the bottom of the ramps.

So I share my story with everyone here hoping that people are entertained but also cautious enough not to make the same mistake I did.

That would've been quite the interesting sight to see. Good that the car's ok.

One of my buddies gave it too much gas right near the top and shot them out from under the wheels, no damage to the ramps or car though

what I like to do is use both feet to give it just enough brake power to not roll back so I can ease it up the ramps

I 2 foot it up the ramps. Never even got close to over shooting.

I hate putting my GXP on my ramps, but have to for oil/filter changes. The only way I can use them is to put them behind the front tires and back onto them. They wont fit under the front bumper cover.

I'm glad I have easy access to a Craftsman 4 ton jack and stands to get it up in the air in the same amount of time it takes me to put it on ramps

Done that before coming back down. Not safe with jacks too. My friend put the jack on the floor board and not frame rail. Nice lump under the passengers feet.

Jack and stands always for me!

I've shot a ramp under my car once. The ramp had some oil on the bottom where it contact the floor and as I gave it gas to move up the ramp....whoooop under the door sill it went! :)

My dad just clean drove my tempo off the end of the ramps one time. But these were metal ramps, and did not simply slide out from under the car. Had to jack it off. BTW, if you are flinging ramps around, you's got too much torque yo!

wow thank goodness the car was okay. u r not a dumbA. i've done stupid stuff too & so has prob a lot of peeps on this forum

Well I can look back and laugh about it now. I was so focused on undoing what I just did that I didn't think to grab the camera. Heck, video would have been better. The noise inside the car was horrible. I thought for sure I broke something on the car.:eek:


Funny thing is I was always nervous about putting a car on the alignment rack but not on ramps. I think I'll be more wary in the future, and nobody got hurt which is good.

I'll bet if the car was a small import metal would have folded. I hit a cone with a Honda Civic and it folded the right front quarter panel.:mad:

I've always wondered what would happen if I overshot my ramps. Thanks for the heads-up.

Two foot here as well. So far so good. :thumbup2

I bolted a small piece of steel to the back of my ramps that extends about 3/4" beyond the bottom of the ramp. The ramps will not set on level ground because the steel extends out and makes them teeter. Now, slide the ramp over the tooled joint in the concrete and it cannot slide. Works great every time.
I was us using a jack and stands on one occasion and after I lowered the car I started backing out of the garage. The wheels were cut to the left just a little bit and before I realized what happened I heard a huge racket and when I looked forward I saw a jackstand fly accross the hood. I had about six big dents in the hood, it was completly ruined.

yup we all do dumb stuff. the jack stand accross the hood likely felt just as bad as the ramp deal. ouch bigtime!

Just a note for you. I use ramps to change my oil and do any maintence under my 2001 SLE, but I also use a mirror. I got one from dollar general that you hang on a door and I lay it on it's side and I can watch myself go up the ramps and not worry. I attached an angle bracket on each end of the mirror so it will lean at the proper angle for me to see the ramp and tire.

Thanks for the tip. I bought a new set of ramps today and used them without making the same mistake.

shit man, that sucks, glad the car is okay and im soo happy your daughter wasnt nowhere near the car

Yikes! I once was trying to clean a standard duty paint gun with a little thinner in it. It was suppose to run at 40 psi or less. But I guess I forgot to turn the regulator on my compressor down from 125 psi after using an air tool. Soon as I connected it to the air hose, the metal paint cup swelled up and POP!! That sucker shot across the area almost beheading my buddy and f*cked up my hands temporarily......scared the living sh*t outta me. lol. My first lesson in DIY paint & body. lol.....PT

those ramps are dangerous... good to hear everything went ok

i did the same thing with my awd 04 durango once lucily it sat high enough to get em out wit little jacking lol