warning AUDI A3 CABRIOLET 2015 Owners Manual

244 Tires and wheels
load. The maximum load in­
cludes the number of passen­
gers that the vehicle is intend­
ed to carry ("seating capacity")
with an assumed weight of
150 lbs (68 kg) for each pas­
senger at a designated seating
position and the total weight of
any luggage in the vehicle. If
you tow a trailer, the weight of
the trailer hitch and the tongue
weight of the loaded trailer
must be included as part of the
vehicle load .
The
Gross Axle Weight Rating
("GAWR") is the maximum load
that can be applied at each of
the vehicle's two axles.
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rat­ ing and the Gross Axle Weight Rating are listed on the safety
compliance sticker label locat­
ed on the driver's side 8-pillar.
Your Audi has 5 seating posi­
tions, 2 in the front and 3 in the rear for total seating capacity
of 5. Each seating position has
a safety belt
¢ page 138, Safe­
ty belts.
The fact that there is an upper
limit to your vehicle's Gross Ve­
hicle Weight Rating means that the total weight of whatever is
being carried in the vehicle (in­
cluding the weight of a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of
the loaded trailer) is limited.
The more passengers in the ve­
hicle or passengers who are
heavier than the standard
weights assumed mean that less weight can be carried as
luggage.
The tire pressure label on your
Audi also lists the maximum
combined weight of all of the
occupants and luggage or other
cargo that the vehicle can carry.
For the location of the label
¢page 235, fig. 172.
A WARNING -
Overloading a vehicle can
cause loss of vehicle control,
a crash or other accident, se­
rious personal injury, and
even death.
-Carrying more weight than your vehicle was designed to carry will prevent the ve­
hicle from handling properly
and increase the risk of the
loss of vehicle control.

248 Tires and wheels
A WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead
to loss of control, a crash and serious personal injury!
-Never drive a vehicle when the tread on any tire is worn down to the wear indica­
tors.
-Worn tires are a safety haz­
ard, they do not grip well on
wet roads and increase your risk of "hydroplaning" and
loss of control.
-Always keep chemicals that
can cause tire damage, such
as grease, oil, gasoline and brake fluid away from tires.
-Tires age even if they are
not being used and can fail
suddenly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more
than 6 years old can only be used in an emergency and
then with special care and at lower speeds.
-Never mount used tires on your vehicle if you are not sure of their "previous histo­
ry." Old used tires may have
been damaged even though
the damage cannot be seen
that can lead to sudden tire
-failure and loss of vehicle control.
New tires and replacing
tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to
be broken in.
Fig. 176 Tire specification codes on
the sidewall of a tire
No. Description
CD Passenger car tire (where
applicable)
@ Nominal width of tire in
millimeters
® Ratio of height to width
(aspect ratio)
@ Radial
® Rim diameter code

M N
" > co ,...., \!) 1.1"1 ,...., 1.1"1 ,....,
Sustained high tem perature can cause the
materia l of the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature can lead
to sudden tire failure <=>,& .
The grade C corresponds to a level of per form­
ance which a ll passenger car tires must meet
under the Federa l Motor Veh icle Safety Stand­
ard No. 109. Grades Band A represent higher levels of performance on the laboratory test
wheel than the m inimum required by law.
_&. WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this t ire is
based on stra ight-ahead b raking t raction
tests, and does not include acceleration,
c o rnering, hydrop lan ing o r peak tr actio n
character istics .
_&. WARNING
The temperature grade for this t ire is es­
tablished for a ti re that is p roperly inflated
and not overloaded . Excessive speed, un­
derinflation, or excessive loading, either
separately or in combination, can cause
heat buildup and possible tire fa ilure.
Winter tires
Winter tires can improve vehicle handling on
snow and ice. At temperatures below 45 °F
(7 °C) we recommend changing to winter
tires .
In some heavy snow areas, loca l governments
may require true winter or "snow" tires, those
with very deeply cut tread. These tires shou ld
only be used in pa irs and be installed on all
four wheels. Make sure you pu rchase snow
tires that are the same size and const ruct ion
type as t he other tires on your ve hicle.
If your vehicle is equipped with all-wheel
d rive*, this will improve tract ion during winte r
d riving, eve n w it h the standard t ires. Howev­
e r, we strong ly recommend t hat you a lways
eq uip a ll four wheels on yo ur vehicle wi th cor­
rectly fitted win ter t ires or a ll-season tires,
when winter road conditions are expected .
Tires an d wheel s 255
This also improves the veh icle's b rak ing per ­
formance and reduces stopping distances.
Summe r ti res prov ide les s gr ip on i ce and
snow.
Winter t ires (snow tires) must always be fitted
o n all fo ur whee ls.
Ask your authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop for permitted winter tire sizes. Use
o nl y rad ial winter t ires.
Winter tires lose their effectiveness whe n the
tread is worn down to a depth of0 .157 inch
(4 mm) .
Only drive w ith w inter t ires under w inter con­
dit ions. Summer t ires handle better when
there is no snow or ice on the roads and the
temperature is above 45 °F (7 °() .
If you have a flat tire, see notes on spare
whee l¢
page 248.
Please a lways remember that winter tires may
have a lower speed rating t han the tires o rigi­
nally installed on your vehicle at the time it
was manufactured. P lease see¢
page 251,
Speed rating (letter code)
for a listing of the
speed rating le tter codes and the max imum
speed at which the tires can be d rive n.
The speed rating letter code(¢
page 233) is
o n the side wall of the tire ¢
page 248.
_&. WARNING
Winter t ires have maximum speed limits
that may b e lower than yo ur vehicle's max­
imum speed. Always know the max imum
speed before dr iv ing off. Never dr ive faster
than the speed permitted for yo ur spe cific
win ter tires . This wi ll ca use damage to the
tires leading to an accident and ser ious
personal injury to you and your passen­
gers.
_&. WARNING
Driving faster than the maximum speed
for which the winter tires on your ve hicle
were designed can cause t ire fail ure in­
cluding a blowout and sudden d eflation,
-
•
•
•

256 Tires and wheels
loss of control, crashes and serious per­
sona l injuries . Have worn or damaged tires
replaced immediate ly.
- Winter tires have maximum speed rating
that may be lower than your vehicle's
maximum speed .
- Never drive faster than the speed for
which the winter or other tires installed
on your vehicle are rated.
A WARNING
Always adjust your driving to the road and
traffic conditions. Never let the good ac­
celeration of the winter tires and all-wheel
drive tempt you into taking extra risks. Al­
ways remember:
- When braking, an all-wheel drive vehicle
handles in the same way as a front drive
vehicle .
- Drive carefully and reduce your speed on
icy and slippery roads, even winter tires
cannot help under black ice conditions.
@) For the sake of the environment
Use summer tires when weather condi­
tions permit. They are quieter, do not wear
as quickly and reduce fuel consumption.
Snow chains
Snow chains may be fitted only to the front
wheels, and only to certain tire sizes. Ask your
authorized Audi dealer on which tire sizes
snow chains can be used.
If you are going to use snow chains, then you
must install them on the front wheels at
l east.
The snow chains must have low-profile links
and must not be thicker than 0.53 inch
(13.5 mm), including the lock.
Remove wheel center covers and trim discs
before putting snow chains on your vehicle
q 0 . For safety reasons cover caps must then
be fitted over the wheel bolts. These are avail­
able from authorized Audi dealers.
A WARNING
Using the wrong snow chains for your vehi­
cle or installing them incorrectly can in­
crease the risk of loss of control leading to
serious personal injury.
- Snow chains are available in different
sizes . Always make sure to follow the in­
structions provided by the snow chain
manufacturer.
- When driving with snow chains never
drive faster than the speed permitted for
your specific snow chains.
- Always observe local regulations.
@ Note
-Remove snow chains before driving on
roads not covered with snow to avoid
damaging tires and wearing the snow
chains down unnecessarily .
- Snow chains, which come into direct con­
tact with the wheel rim, can scratch or
damage it. Therefore, make sure that the
snow chains are suitably covered. Check
the position of the snow chains after
driving a few yards and correct if neces­
sary. Follow the instructions from the
snow chain manufacturer when doing so.
@ Tips
Where snow chains are mandatory on cer­
tain roads, this normally also applies to
vehicles with all-wheel drive .
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque.
The design of wheel bolts is matched to the
factory installed rims. If different rims are fit­
ted, the correct wheel bolts with the right
length and correct ly shaped bolt heads must
be used. This ensures that wheels are fitted
securely and that the brake system functions
correctly . .,..

M N ,....
> co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
In certain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bo lts from a different vehicle -
even if it
i s the same mode l
Qpage 284.
A WARNING
Improperly tightened or maintained wheel
bolts can become loose caus ing loss of
control, a collision and ser ious personal in­
jury .
- Always keep the wheel bolts and the
threads in the wheel hubs clean so the
wheel bolts can turn easily and be prop­
erly t ightened.
- Never grease or oil the wheel bolts and
the threads in the wheel hubs. They can
become loose w hile d riving if greased or
o iled,
even if tightened to the spec ified
torq ue.
- Only use wheel bo lts that belong to the
rim being ins talled.
- Never use different whee ls bolts on your
vehicle .
- Always maintain the correct tightening
torque fo r the wheel bolts to reduce the
risk of a wheel loss. If the tigh teni ng tor­
que of the wheel bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the vehi­
cle is moving . If the tightening torque is
too high, the whee l bolts and threads
can be damaged and the wheel ca n be­
come loose .
(D Note
The specified torque for the wheel bo lts is
90 ft lb (120 Nm) w ith a tolerance of
± 7,4 ft lb(± 10 Nm). Torque whee l bolts
diagonally. After changing a wheel, the
torque must be checked as soon as possi­
b le with a torque wrench -prefe rably by an
author ized Audi dealer or qualified wo rk­
shop.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Audi is factory-equipped with low aspect
ratio tires . These tires have been thorough ly
tested and been selected spec ifically for your
model for the ir superb performance, road feel
Tire s an d wheel s 257
and handling under a variety o f driving condi ­
tions. Ask your authorized A udi dealer for
more details .
T he low aspec t ratio of these tires is ind icate d
by a numera l of
55 or le ss in the tire's size
designation. The numera l represents the ratio
of the t ire's sidewa ll height in relation to its
tread width expressed in percentage.
Conven­
tiona l tires have a he ight/w idth rat io of 60 or
more .
The performance of low-a spect-ratio tire s is
particularl y sens it iv e to improper inflation
pressure. It is therefore important that low
a spect ratio tir es are inflated to the specified
pre ssure and that the inflation pr essure i s
regularly checked and ma intain ed . Tire pr es­
s ure s should be checked at lea st on ce a
month and alway s bef ore a long trip
~ page 240 , Checking tire pressure .
A Word about Low Aspect Ratio and High
Performance Ti res
Hig h pe rformance tires are des igned for bet­
ter performance and handling in warm cli­
mates. When driving in cold, snowy or icy
weather, you sho uld equ ip your vehicle w it h
four all-season or winter tires, which
offer
better traction under those condit ions. We
suggest you use the Audi recommended win­
te r or a ll-season tires specified for you r Audi.
High performance tires a lso have a lower as ­
pect ratio that aids performance and han­
dling . Driving over rough or damaged road
surfaces, as well as debr is, cu rbs and other
obstacles can cause serious damage to
whee ls, tires, vehicle body, and suspens ion
parts . B e carefu l to avo id road hazards and re­
du ce your speed , espec ia lly if your vehicle is
equipped wi th low prof ile tires .
Please a lso remember when making your se­
lection that, wh ile these tires deliver respon­
s ive handling, t hey m ay ride less comfo rtably
and make more noise than o thers . Finally,
these tires may wear more quickly than other
c h oices.
IJJ>
•
•
•

M N
" > co ,...., \!) 1.1"1 ,...., 1.1"1 ,....,
reached the level to trigger illumination of the
TPMS low tire pressure telltale.
Your veh icle has also been equ ipped with a
TPMS malfunction indicato r to indica te when
the system is not operating properly . The
TPMS malfunction indicator is combined with
the low tire pressure tellta le . When the sys­
tem detects a malfunct ion, the telltale will
flash for approximately one minute and then
remain cont inuous ly illuminated. This se ­
quence will continue upon subsequent vehicle
start-ups as long as the ma lfunction ex ists .
When the malfunct ion indicator is illuminat­
ed, the system may not be able to detect or
sig nal low t ire pressure as intended . TPMS
malfunct ions may occur for a variety of rea­
sons, including the installa tio n of replace­
ment or a lternate tires or whee ls on the veh i­
cle that prevent the TPMS from funct ion ing
properly. Always check the TPMS malfunction
tellta le after replacing one or more tires or
wheels on your veh icle to ensure that the re­
placement or alternate tires and wheels allow
the TPMS to continue to function properly.
If the Tire Pressure Monitoring System
indicator appears
Applies to vehicles: with tire pressure monito ring system
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too
low or if there is a system malfunction .
Fig . 177 In strum ent clus te r: indica tor l igh t w ith mes ­
sage
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure moni­
toring system compares the t ire tread circum­
ference and vibration characteristics of the in­
d iv idual tires . If the pressure changes in one
Tire s an d wheel s 259
or more tires, this is indicated in the instru­
ment cluster disp lay with an indicator light
ti] and a message c:::> fig . 177. If only one tire
is affected, the locat ion of that tire will be in­
dicated. The message turns off after a few mi­
nutes . You can d isplay the message aga in
c:::> page 2 8 .
The tire pressures must be stored in the menu
display again each time the pressures change
(sw itching between partial and full load pres ­
sure) or after chang ing or replacing a t ire on
your vehicle
c:::> page 260 . The t ire press ure
monitori ng system only monito rs the tire
pressure yo u have stored . Yo u can find the rec ­
ommended t ire press ures for your vehicle on
the labe l on the driver 's doo r pillar
c:::> page235 .
Tire t read circumference and vib rat ion charac­
teristics can change and cause a tire pressu re
warning if :
- I f the tire pressure in one or mo re tires is
t oo low,
- the t ire has structural damage,
-The tire was replaced or the t ire p ressure
changed and it was not stored again
c:::> page 260 .
-The spare tire is installed .
Indicator light s
ti]-Loss of pressure in at least one tire c:::> &.
Check the tires and replace or repair if neces­
sary. Check/correct the pressures of all four
tires . Then store the t ire pressures in the MMI
c:::> page 2 60 .
DI (T ire Pressure Monitoring System) T ir e
press ure: S ystem malfunct ion!. If Ill ap­
pears afte r switching the ignition on or while
driv ing and the
ti] indicator l ight in the in­
str ume nt cluster b links for app rox imately one
minute and then stays on , the re is system
malfunction. Try to s to re the co rrec t ti re pres­
s u res
c:::> page 260. If the indicator light does
turn off or tu rns on again after a short period
of time, drive to yo ur authorized Aud i dea ler
or qualified repa ir facility immed iate ly to have
the malfunction corrected. .,..
•
•
•

260 Tire s and wheel s
& WARNING
-If the tire pressure warning light ti] in
the instrument cluster turns on, the
pressure in one or more tires is too low.
Reduce the vehicle speed immediately
and avoid any hard steering or braking
maneuvers . Stop as soon as possible,
check the t ire and inflate the tire to the
correct pressure, which is specified on
the tire pressu re labe l on the veh icle
<:?page 235. Driving with a t ire with low
pressure causes the tire to overheat and
can res ult in failure of the tire . Low pres ­
sure can a lso have a negat ive effect on
the driving and braking behavior of the
vehicle.
- The driver is responsible for maintaining
the correct tire pressures. You must
check the t ire pressures regularly.
- Under certain cond itions (such as a spor­
ty driving style, winter conditions or un­
paved roads), the pressure monitor ind i­
cator may be de layed .
- Ask your author ized dealer if r un-flat
t ires may be used on your vehicle.
- The tire pressure monitoring system can
also stop work ing when there is an ESC
malfunction.
- Using snow chains may result in a system
malfunction.
- The tires with the ident ificat ion "AO" or
"RO" ¢ page 248 have been matched
with your A udi tire pressure monitoring
system. We recommend that you use
these tires.
- The tire pressure monitoring system can
on ly mon itor the t ire pressure of the
driving tires . Check the tire pressu re of
the spa re wheel in the luggage com part­
ment so tha t if ne cessary i t is ready for
u se.
-
Storing tire pressures
Applies to vehicles: wit h tire press ure mo nitor ing system
A change in tire pressure or a change in tires
must be stored in the system.
The tire pressure is stored in the MMI.
.. Ma ke s ure before storing that the ti re pres ­
sures of a ll four tires meet the specified va l­
ues and are adapted to the load. Otherwise
the system could malfunction
¢ page 235.
.. Switch t he ignit ion on.
.. Select: the
I MENU I button > Car > Systems *
contro l butto n > Service & control > Tire
pre ssure monitor > Store tire pre ssure >
Yes , st ore n ow .
(D Tips
Do not store the tire pressures if snow
cha ins a re i nstalled. O therw ise the system
could m alfun ction.

....,
N
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What do I do now? Luggage compartment
lid emergency release
In case of an emergency, the rear lid can be
opened from the inside using the trunk es­
cape handle .
Fig. 178 Rear lid: emergency release lock cylinder
.,. Insert the key into the lock cylinder near the
hand le .
.,. Turn the key counterclockwise .
General information
.,. Park the vehicle as far as possib le from mov­
ing traff ic in the event of a flat tire. In the
event of a flat tire, park the vehicle on a lev­
el surface. It you are on a steep incline, be
especially careful.
.,. Set the parking brake .
.,. Switch the emergency flashers on .
.,. Put on a reflective vest, if avai lable .
.,. Set up the warn ing t riang le, if available .
.,. Have the passengers exit the vehicle. They
shou ld move to a safe place, for example
behind a guard rail.
.&_ WARNING
Pay attention to the steps above . They are
for your protection and the for the safety
of other drivers.
.&_ WARNING
Improper use of the vehicle jack can cause
ser ious personal inju ries .
- Never use the screw driver hex head to
tighten wheel bolts, since the bolts can-
What do I d o now ? 261
not attain the necessary tightening tor­
que if you use the hex head, potentially
causing an accident.
- The factory-supplied jack is intended on­
ly for your vehicle model. Under no c ir­
cumstances should it be used to lift
heavy veh icles o r other loads; you risk i n­
juring yourself .
- Never start the engine when the vehicle
is raised, wh ich could cause an acc ident.
- Support the vehicle securely with appro­
priate stands if work is to be performed
underneath the vehicle; otherwise , there
is a pote ntia l risk for injury .
- Never use the jack supplied with your Aud i on another vehicle , part icularly on a
heav ier one. The jack is only su itable for
use on the veh icle it came with .
a) Tips
- Some of the onboard items listed above
are provided on certai n models only or
are opt ional ext ras.
- Before stor ing the jack*, ma ke sure it is
wound back down as far as it w ill go.
Equipment
Vehicle tool kit
Applies to vehicles: with vehicle tool kit
Fig. 179 Luggag e compar tment: cargo floor cover
folde d upward
The vehicle tool kit is located in the luggage
compartment under the cargo floor cover
¢fig . 179 .
Hook the plast ic hook CD into the luggage
compartment seal.

262 What do I do now ?
Cargo flo or cover
,. Hang the plastic hook on the l uggage com­
partment weather str ip -arrow-. ¢
fig. 179
Spare tire
General information
Applies to vehicles: wit h space -sav ing s pare tire (com pact
spare t ire)
Fi g. 180 Luggage co m pa rt m en t: cargo f loo r cover
folded upward
F ig . 181 Compact spare t ire
T he spare tire ¢ fig . 181 is intended for short­
term use only. Have the damaged tire checked and replaced if necessary by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified repair facility as soon
as poss ible .
There are some restrictions on the use of the compact spare tire. The compact spare t ire
has been designed specifically for your type of
vehicle . Do not replace it w ith the spare t ire
from another type of veh icle .
Remo ving the spa re tir e
,. Lift the cargo floor by the plastic handle.
,. Hang the plastic hook on the luggage com­
partment weather strip @ ¢
fig. 180.
,. Remove the subwoofer*, if necessary
Q page 263 .
,. Turn the large screw counter-clockwise . ,.
Remove the spare ti re .
Snow chains
For techn ical reasons, the use of snow chains
o n the compact spa re tire is not perm itted .
If you have to drive with snow chains and a
front tire fails, mount the spare wheel in place of a rear tire. Install the snow chains on the
rear tire that you removed, and install that in
place of the front tire that fa iled.
A WARNING
- After insta lling a spare tire, the tire pres ­
sure must be checked as soon as possi­
b le. The tire press ure is available on
¢ page 235 , fig. 173
-If the spare tire is more than 6 years old,
use it only in an emergency and with ex­
treme caution and careful driv ing.
- The spare tire is intended only for tem­
porary and short-term use. It shou ld be
replaced as soo n as poss ible with the
normal wheel and tire.
-After mounting the compact spare tire, the tire pressure must be checked as
soon as possible. The tire pressure of the
compact spare t ire must be
4.2 bar; oth­
erwise, you risk having an acc ident .
- Do not dr ive faste r than
50 mph (80 km/
h) . Yo u risk having an accident .
- Avoid full-thrott le acceleration, heavy
b rak ing, and fast cornering. You risk hav­
ing an accident .
- Never d rive using more than one spare
wheel and ti re . You r isk having an acc i­
dent .
- Normal summer or winter t ires must not
be mounted on the compact spare wheel
nm.
- For technical reasons, the use of tire
chains on the spare tire is not permitted .
If it is ne cessary to d rive wi th tire c ha ins,
t he spare w heel must be mounted on the
front ax le in the event of a flat in a rear
tire. The new ly available front whee l
m ust t hen be insta lled in p lace of the
rear whee l w ith the flat tire. Installing .,.

the tire chain before mounting the wheel
and tire is recommended.
- Loose items in the passenger compart­
ment can cause serious personal injury
during hard braking or in an accident.
Never store the inf latab le spare tire or
jack and tools in the passenger compart­
ment.
- Normal summer or winter tires must not
be mounted on the compact spare wheel
rim.
Removing the subwoofer
A pp lies to vehicles: with s ubwoofer
The subwoofer must be removed before the
spare wheel* can be removed.
Fig. 182 Spare wheel well: subwoofer
Removing the subwoofer
• Lift the cargo floor c:, page 262, fig. 180.
• Pull the latch (D c:> fig. 182 toward the ca­
ble.
• Press the locking tab @down .
• Remove the connector @ and set the re-
moved cable aside.
• Remove the bolt@.
• Carefully remove the subwoofer.
Installing the subwoofer
• Carefully place the subwoofer n the rim
well. The word "FRONT" on the subwoofer
must face forward .
• Insert the connector that was removed .
• Secure the subwoofer with the bolt.
~ • Fold the cargo floor cover back into place.
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What do I do now? 263
Changing a wheel
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your
own and your passenger's safety when chang­
ing a wheel.
• After you experience a tire failure, pull the
car well away from moving traffic and try to
reach
level ground before you stop c:> _&..
• All passengers should leave the car and
move to a safe location (for instance, behind
the guardrail)
c:> _&..
• Engage the parking brake to prevent your
vehicle from rolling unintentionally
c:> _&. .
• Move selector lever to position P c:> ,&..
• If you are towing a trailer, unhitch the trailer
from your vehicle.
• Take the
jack c:, page 261 and the spare tire
r:> page 262 out of the luggage compart­
ment .
A WARNING
You or your passengers could be injured
while changing a wheel if you do not fol­
low these safety precautions:
-If you have a flat tire, move a safe dis­
tance off the road. Turn off the engine,
turn the eme rgency flashers on and use
other warning devices to alert other mo­
torists.
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well
away from the road and traffic.
- To help prevent the vehicle from moving
suddenly and possibly slipping off the
jack, always fully set the parking brake
and block the wheel diagonally opposite
the wheel being changed. When one
front wheel is lifted off the ground, plac­ ing the Automatic Transmission in P
(Park) will
not prevent the vehicle from
mov ing .
- Before you change a wheel, be sure the
ground is level and firm. If necessary,
use a sturdy board under the jack.
-