Many of us do a lot of our own repairs. One of the most significant hazards to working on cars is improper use of jacks and jack stands.
When things are going badly in a repair job, I'm running into hours beyond what I had planned and just want to get it done, I have made a few mistakes and am lucky that I haven't been badly hurt or damaged my car.
-Thought that I had the car off the jack stands, but still had one under the right rear. Drove it off.
-Working outside on a slight slope, had a rolling jack roll with the car and fall over because I didn't chock a wheel.
-Lifting an engine from the rear of an MR2 using the winch and boom on the back of my old truck. The engine stuck and pulled the car off the jack stands. I was standing between the car and truck and got pinned. Luckily it was a light car and my concern was extracting myself before my wife found out rather than my injury.
:dance:
Here are a couple good videos:
From Neil_B
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=La6i3TwMB8k
From a Rennlist user
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFAqJ_3fwYg
Both mention a technique that works safely and is convenient. Using the rear jack point to raise the vehicle and place the front jack stand.
Here's the PelicanParts Tech Article:
Jacking Up and Lifting the Porsche Boxster on Jack Stands | 986 / 987 (1997-08) | Pelican Parts Technical Article
Much of the work on a Boxster is done from underneath. As an additional precaution, I like to place a large block of wood or wheel under a car to assure a safe space if all else fails. ...and then check to be certain that Everything is removed from underneath the car before I lower it.
Some good posts here:
http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/60650-safe-place-jack-up-rear-boxster.html
Good reading if you are considering a lift:
a car lift in your shop | Grumpys Performance Garage
Anyone have a tip or story to share?