Automotive Lift Maintenance: What Shop Owners Should Actually Be Watching
Automotive lifts are easy to take for granted.
They go up. They come down. After a few years, technicians may stop paying much attention to them until something starts making noise or quits working.
That's not a great maintenance plan.
You don't need to tear your lifts apart every morning, but there are several things worth paying attention to.
Look at the lift
This sounds obvious, but a quick visual inspection can catch a lot.
Watch for leaking hydraulic fluid, damaged hoses, unusual cable or chain wear, loose or missing hardware, damaged arm restraints, worn pads and adapters, and anything that simply looks different than it did before.
If a lift suddenly starts sitting unevenly or operating differently, don't assume it will work itself out.
It probably won't.
Listen to it
Technicians who use the same lift every day usually know what it sounds like.
A new squeal, grinding noise, bang, hesitation, or change in speed is worth investigating.
It may be minor. It may not be.
Either way, continuing to run the lift until it fails usually doesn't make the repair cheaper.
Keep moving parts maintained
Different lifts have different lubrication and adjustment requirements.
Cables, chains, sliders, pulleys, sheaves, bearings, locks, and other components may require inspection, lubrication, or adjustment depending on the lift.
Follow the maintenance schedule for the actual lift you own rather than treating every lift the same.
Don't ignore small hydraulic leaks
A few drops of hydraulic oil on the floor may not shut the lift down today.
That doesn't mean it should be ignored for six months.
Find out where it's coming from. Hoses, fittings, cylinders, seals, and power units all age, and catching a leak early is generally much easier than dealing with a larger failure later.
Pay attention to the lifting points
Pads and adapters are wear items.
If they're damaged, badly worn, missing rubber, bent, or no longer fitting properly, replace them.
The lift can be in perfect condition and still be unsafe if the vehicle isn't being supported correctly.
Don't make your own modifications
We've seen some creative repairs over the years.
That isn't always a compliment.
If something on a lift breaks, use the correct replacement component and repair it according to the manufacturer's requirements. Welding, modifying, bypassing, or fabricating your own safety-related lift parts is not where we recommend getting inventive.
Have the lift inspected annually
Routine maintenance and an annual lift inspection are not the same thing.
The current ANSI/ALI ALOIM standard calls for vehicle lifts to receive a periodic inspection by a qualified lift inspector at least annually.
An inspection gives you a documented look at the overall condition and operation of the lift and can identify items that aren't obvious during daily use.
Fix problems before they become downtime
Most shops depend on every available bay.
A lift that is suddenly out of service doesn't just create a repair bill. Now you're moving scheduled work, tying up another bay, and losing productive time.
If something doesn't look, sound, or operate correctly, have it checked.
Northcoast Equipment Specialists provides lift maintenance, repair, and inspection throughout Northeast Ohio.
Automotive Lift Maintenance 101