rhino ramps for oil change questions
 

I am thinking of doing my first oil change using rhino ramps but I have a question about draining the oil. question is when I get the car on the ramps it wont be level so will I still be able to drain out all the oil, or is there a way I can jack up the front of the car while the back is still on the ramps.
another question is I have the Racedeck modular tiles on my garage floor, will the ramps slide when I am backing my car up on the ramps. Thanks Jimbo

Racedeck flooring materials are not conducive to shop work. We have several customers that ended up pull it out after floor jacks and jack stands did permanent damage to the tiles. The flooring is fine for non working shop areas, but you can’t really do serious work with it in place.

I understand but will the ramps slide around.i heard that jack stands might damage the race deck tiles..

I've been using Rhino Ramps for years, but I recently had an opportunity to use a drive-on lift for an oil change. I did not make a precise measurement, but my impression is that I needed about an additional 1/2 liter of oil to bring the reading up to full. So, I believe you don't get all the oil out using ramps.

There's a spot under the front of the car (search on a term like "jacking up a Boxster") for more information. I've thought about doing this, but my mental risk versus reward calculation (i.e. the possibility of pushing the car off the ramp versus squeezing out a few more drops of oil) caused me to decide not to do it. Also, the Boxster has low clearance and if the nose is pointing down, some jacks may not fit under the car.

Regarding your floor - my ramps have rubber feet on them and I don't think they would slide on a Racedeck. Please be advised that the oil comes out very quickly and it may overflow some oil receptacles. You may want to take steps to protect the floor against a spill.

Good luck

If the wheels are on, you can only get one front wheel up at a time with a jack. I've used ramps to change my oil by backing down a slope in my driveway so the car ends up level. I've never had the ramps move when backing down onto them, but i did shoot one backwards when driving off of them one time.

This.

Works great.

As to the other question, my ramps have rubber feet on the bottom that keep them in place as I drive the car up them.
Never an issue with me pushing them along with the car.

Thanks every one.

I use the ramps in the front and jack the back up and use jack stands to level th4e car

My ramps slip on the garage floor. To keep them from slipping I lay the ramps on plywood with block of 2x4 screwed at the tall end to block the ramp.
I don't see a pic exactly like mine, but just a piece of plywood or course material under the ramp should hold it.
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1545653476.jpg

I Never thought of using the ramps for the front of the car and then jacking up the rear

+1 . . . I have done this for every oil change since getting my Boxster.

Using ramps on a sloping driveway.
 

Same experience at my place.

Ramps on sloping driveway
 

I don’t have a sloping driveway

Rhino ramps don't get my Boxster even near high enough to get under to do work. I put the rear on the Rhinos then us an air operated bottle jack to raise the car up enough to get tall jack stands under it. If you're worried about your garage floor, buy a couple of sheets of sanded shop or sanded OSB to take the jacks, stands, and Rhinos.

I never have a problem getting up on the Rhinos, but sometimes they shoot out when I'm driving off them.

Yeah, ya gotta be a little careful on this...one time I almost nailed the pet springer spaniel with one. Things'll sometimes fire out of there like they were shot out of a cannon :eek:

Here ya go!

https://youtu.be/D0m-hDzvfns

last question, if I drive up on the rhino ramps in front and then plan on jackng up the rear and using jack stands wont the fron slip off the rhino ramps when I jack up the rear end

I do it all the time and have not had any problems

Are you saying the front doesn’t foll off the ramps,anything special that you do besides having front on ramps and jacking up the rear,any chocks

Yup, I believe that's what he's sayin'.
This is basic physics. Don't overthink it. If the front tires are solidly on the ramp, and you're not on any weird angles or slopes you should be good.
That said, chocks are never a bad idea--I'd be using them. (I DO use them, regularly.)

the front of the ramps have a raised bumper to keep the tile from rolling too far forward

I place my jack under the rear motor support and lift the back from there. The car will just pivot on the front hubs and the jack may roll a little forward as the car raises.

Put jack stands at the rear jack points on the side of the car.

I don't know where you would put chocks, other than maybe a block of wood behind the front tires on the ramps if you like.

As Frodo said, don't over think it. It ain't rocket science.

I will let it drain for a few hours, even overnight. Even still, you never get all the oil out

I was a wood worker guy before I became a half-assed shadetree mechanic. Shortly after acquiring the car, I built some ramps out of lumber I had lying around. They've served me well through the years.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1545867068.jpg

I had those little pieces on the top level to try to keep from driving off the top end. They were sufficient if I had someone on the ground guiding me up the ramps as I drove. But oftentimes I was wanting to get the car on the ramps when I didn't have any volunteers around to help me. Under those circumstances, those little strips were kinda inadequate. So I added some big honkers, as shown below. I suspect there's little chance I'll ever drive over them ;) Plus, with the overhang of the newly added pieces, I've got something to grab onto when I go to pick the ramps up.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1545867818.jpg

So, as far as chocks go, I've pretty much got things covered at the end of the ramp.
As far as the back edge of the tire, I've got little wedge-shaped pieces of wood here and there that I'll add as chocks to keep the car from rolling back down the ramp the way it came up. I've not used Rhino ramps, so YMMV with them. But they look like they're built so that the tires on the ramps will stay put once in place. Just use some common sense when jacking the other end of the car: check the end on the ramps from time to time to make sure things aren't shifting in a way you don't want them to. They're not suddenly going to "foll off the ramps." You'll see the problem developing if you're paying attention.

At this point I ended up with four rhino ramps. Never tried driving up those ramps since usually I'm doing oil change alone.

So you jack up the car and slide the ramps under?
You might as well just use jack stands :dance:

Thanks every one, this really helps.I love this forum .one of the reasons I bought a Porsche boxster the forum is so helpful

Haha I use to use one set with the ramps. I think the ramps are a little safer than my stands. Plus the jack point hold my jack as a precaution. Both works well but it seemed to me the jack stands were always a tad higher.

I'll try driving up next time. A little tricky with a manual but obviously you guys are doing it.:cheers:

In the spirit of reviving this thread endlessly...

Yeah, ascending ramps on my own made me nervous the first time or two, but it's not too bad. Obviously, make sure you've got them aligned precisely, and well centered on each tire. The other thing that's helped me a lot is a measuring stick. Took an old piece of 3/4" x 1" and cut it to the exact length I need to drive to get up the ramp the distance I want to go. Once the ramps are in place, I position it as shown in the photo, point my finger at one end and let out the clutch. Obviously, when my finger reaches the other end I'm at my destination. It helps, because you don't want to be too hesitant in the driving process (esp with a manual---you tend to stall), but gunning it is nerve-wracking when you don't quite know how far to go.


http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1546535960.jpg


As you can see, there's a piece of green tape more toward the middle of the strip as well. On a day that I apparently had more time on my hands than I knew what to do with, I made a set of 4 shorter ramps. They're handy when I wash, clay, wax, whatever the car. This old back of mine appreciates not having to bend over quite so far when tackling such projects :) Anyway, the shorter distance marked by the 'middle' green strip of tape is the distance for the shorter ramps.


http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1546536035.jpg

I like to use the Rhino Ramps, I feel safer underneath. I then jack up the front to level out. if I'm lazy I'll just put rear up on ramps and change the oil + filter
If I don't need to remove the tires I always use the ramps on the end I plan to lay under. Some time trying to ascend in my garage I will squirt them out if the floor is dusty. Fortunately the Rhino ramps have a large lip on the end so you know when you have reached the edge.