Dave, at what point have I blamed VW for what's happened here, exactly? Forgive me if I am mistaken but is it not every other individual who has posted in this thread who has criticised them for their choice of hardware supplied with the vehicle from new besides me?
I have gotten it wrong in the past and used this to jack my car up from the front but save for that, everything else I have done is as-per your above highlight from the manual. I have only ever used the tool to raise one corner because how else do you lift two, other than positioning the jack in the middle of the car, bending the metal work in the process? Even with an unladen weight of 1400Kg, with three other contact points on level ground, the weight is automatically distributed evenly so more than 1100Kg on the jack at any time shouldn't be possible, unless you are not following the instructions?
In every instance where this has had to be used, that's been the case - I may not be the most experienced person in this thread but do possess the intellectual capacity with a Higher in Physics to know what forces do when they're not placed at 90 degree angles.
I can't speak for why he didn't notice this himself and I'm not going to - he did, however, read the literature again last night (as did I, in the very early hours of this morning) and I'll stand by what I said previously; VW do not state clearly that this an "emergency" tool, only that it's designed to raise a corner of the car when the other three are comfortably sat on a flat, stable surface. IF that is what VW are implying, their choice of words is ambiguous and opens them up to being pressed on cases such as this one - operator error aside. In fact, reviewing the information in the manual again right now, I'd go so far as to say that it's something which has been coined through experience - particularly given the various anecdotes supplied by others who have posted here.
If he's guilty of anything, it's VW's ridiculous notion of jacking the car up at one end to change a spare on the other. I can only imagine the incredulous look I'll see flit across his face as he pictures the implied notion of jacking up his old P48 Range Rover at the back to change the tyre on the front.
The same could be said about the RR Sport he drives now and the 9 or 10 other Land Rovers he's had over the years. In fact, I'll take a look in the manual for the one he has now and see what their current recommendation is. If it's the antithesis of the lunacy VW are suggesting, I think he can also be forgiven because it would be clear where the anomaly is...
I'm sure I'm not alone here in feeling that the car should be supplied with OEM equipment which is fit for purpose and not fit for the bin.
I'm man enough to admit when I've gotten my facts wrong and I'm brave enough to do it in front of a group of faceless egos in a car forum - in my naivety, I have overlooked the sticker on the jack which alludes to only being suited to raising the car from the rear. How one goes about changing a front tyre when it would still clearly be on the ground is beyond me - now that the jack is f*cked, however, a replacement which is capable of lifting both ends of my car (comfortably & safely) will be procured and stored with the rest of the spare wheel kit. I will need this when I return home at the start of the Autumn because I'll have no access to a suitable facility to store a floor jack and need to ensure I can still change a spare should the need ever actually arise.
I should think that what I've just said states, clearly, that I am not blaming anyone else for what's happened here - I'd ask anyone who still feels that's the case to remove themselves from this thread now, that input is neither necessary nor wanted, at this stage. My original question was "has anyone else had the OEM jack with their Golf fail" and the answer to that question is a resounding "YES" so I'll take this information on board and action it appropriately.
I'm not going to aim this next comment directly at anyone, however everything else just seems to have been an opportunity for some to swing their wee dicks around - a bit pathetic, really.
To those of you who have offered sage advice, I thank you and appreciate it. I will be turfing the OEM jack this afternoon on my way past the tip and that will be the end of it. Of course, if someone can recommend something to me that is actually up to the job, which I can shove in a cupboard in my flat when it's not needed, I'd very much appreciate that because god only knows, I don't want to find myself in this particular position, ever again.
For future projects look into a hydraulic jack.
