On each side of the car has two reinforced areas for the jack/jackstands. For each spot there are two notches and a strip of metal in between for the stock jack. However, I want to place one entire side of my car on jackstands. So would it be alright to jack the car up from a few inches off that spot and place jackstands under there? Will it damage the car in any way? If so, what would you recommend?

 

The notches are there for safety purposes. The jack gets "grip" from those two cutouts so that it doesn't slip...

 

on mine they just bend up when you jack it up, use the chasis of the car which is further in and seems to be much stronger, just dont pinch any lines

 

Just make sure you don't use those "bars" running from back to front. I did, and I bent the hell out of my floor pan. I'd use the jack-points as recommended with the scissor jack. If you need to use another type of jack, I'd use the front/rear mount points (center cross-member, rear axle-guard) instead.

 

Really? I'm trying to imagine how jacking from a frame beam can bend anything. I always thought I was safe there...

 

 

I noticed a similar effect on the beam as in the pic, but I figured all that was "bending" was an anti-corrosion shell over the actual frame beam.
To me it seemed that if the little rocker panel spot recommended for the oem jack could support the car, so could a frame beam, I hope...

So...front center cross-member, eh?

 

Yeah...the "beams" running up and down the car (mine are rough, grey and rectangular) cannot support the weight for very long at all. My rear passenger's floor is pushed up to the bottom of the front passenger's seat. Not good at all. Since I noticed my cave-in, I've actually been using the scissor jack for the rears (using the axel guard makes me nervous) and the center cross-member for the front.

If you're hell-bent (pardon the pun) on using those beams, at least use a 2x4 on the jack running lengthwise on the beam to distribute the weight.

 

those beams, you can jack it in the very front of the beam (closer to the front tires). You can see the beam almost has a separate section there, and it seems to be strong enough. I always jack my car up there, and then put the jackstands underneath the actual jack points with the notches.

 

To each, their own. I've learned my lesson well (unfortunately). Hell, it's quicker to use the front cross-member, anyhow. You can get both front wheels off the ground from one jack-point.

 

Thanks for the replies all

Anyone got a pic of that center cross-member or rear axle-guard? I want to make sure I'm actually jacking up the car at the correct spot. Also, would it be safe to jack up the car from the front recommended notch area high enough for a jackstand to fit at the rear notch area on the same side? As that is one heck of alot of weight on that thin piece of metal i would think... But looks can be deceiving from what was said in this thread so far

 

No pics from me for a while (my cars lying dead w/a busted tranny! ). But the cross-member is easy to locate. Just look under the front grille; it's the center bar running from front to back. There's even a little nipple on it (IIRC) for the jack.

The axle guard is that really thick (horseshoe shaped, kinda) metal surrounding your rear beam. I never trusted putting my jack under it, though. If I ever did, you can bet your pink slip I'd put a 4x4 between the jack and axle guard to distribute the weight evenly.

You can't really jack the front of the car high enough to get jack-stands under the rear. Use the axle guard or walk on the wild side and use the scissor jack to support the vehicle.

Tip: When the wheels are off, for whatever reason, put them under the car next to the jack-stands. The life you save may be your own

 

The pinch welds are one of the strongest, if not the strongest points on the body. Not to be an a$$ but Maxima's dont have frames only unibody construction, so jacking on the beam thing is a no no (its only sheet metal). I have a Progress RSB and use the axle guard thing to jack on, but dont recommend it since it can bend.