Safety and Maintenance Checklist for Car Hoists and Auto Lifts

Levanta’s guide to ensuring safety in your workshop

Now that you’ve invested in one or more two post or four post auto hoists for your vehicle workshop, you’ll no doubt want to keep them in top working order for the long term.

The good news is that there are a number of maintenance tasks you can (and should) perform yourself every day, every week, and each month.

By adhering to this simple car lift service plan, you can keep your lifts working safely and effectively, and potentially save money on repairs with some preventive maintenance.

To keep your car hoist in the best condition, remember to carry out the following regular maintenance tasks.

Daily car hoist maintenance

  • Each morning, you should carefully inspect all your vehicle hoist’s moving parts, cables, and hoses for obvious defects or any signs of unusual wear and tear.
  • Wipe off any excess dirt or grease, both to keep your car lift clean and to make the visual inspection more accurate and easier to perform.
  • Check that all locking mechanisms and safety features are working properly before attempting to lift any vehicle.
  • Repair or replace any damaged parts immediately as required.

Weekly car hoist maintenance

  • Thoroughly lubricate all pulleys, rollers, chains, and safety lock pivot points to ensure the smooth operation of your lift, as well as preventing rust.
  • Carefully inspect all nuts, bolts, cables, and pins to ensure they’re intact and properly mounted. Tighten any loose components as necessary.
  • Repair or replace any damaged parts immediately as required.

Monthly car hoist maintenance

  • Check the hoist columns to ensure they are still squarely and securely anchored to the workshop floor. Tighten any anchor bolts that have worked loose – and if you notice a more serious problem, call a licensed service technician
  • Give your entire car lift a thorough cleaning, both to keep it looking good and to expose any potential problem areas.
  • Check the tension of all cables and hoses, and tighten or slacken as needed.

Flexible service plans make hoist maintenance simple

By carrying out these daily, weekly, and monthly car hoist maintenance tasks, you can ensure the safe operation of your car lifts, and prolong the life of your auto repair equipment.

As well as the above “DIY” car lift maintenance tasks, it’s important to schedule an annual service from a professional auto lift technician with specialist knowledge of your particular brand of hoist. Not only will it give you added peace of mind, it’s also a requirement under Australian law. Talk to Levanta about a flexible service plan today.

Want to know more about maintenance plans for your workshop’s car hoists? Talk to the vehicle hoist experts Levanta on 1300 577 541 or with your local branch’s contact forms here. 

Workshop hoist servicing and maintenance

The importance of preventive maintenance for vehicle hoists

As a vehicle workshop service manager, you’ll no doubt be aware of the need for preventive maintenance for vehicles. After all, the service you’re offering to your clients is helping to minimise repair costs, and keeping vehicle down time to a minimum.

It’s no different for the actual vehicle hoists in your workshop. As you know, efficient vehicle throughput is absolutely crucial for the profitable running of your service department. And that means that if workshop equipment breaks down, you won’t be able to service vehicles until it’s fixed – and your bottom line will suffer as a result.

Of course, one of the best ways to ensure you don’t have a problem with your car hoist is to prevent breakdowns from occurring in the first place.

The answer? With preventive maintenance for car hoists, you can ensure that equipment breakdowns are minimised, and you have service capacity available when it’s needed – helping maximise vehicle throughput for your auto workshop.

Service contracts keep hoists in top working order

One of the most cost-effective ways to service your workshop equipment is to commit to an ongoing 12 month service plan. This will allow you to plan your car hoist maintenance around your busiest times, rather than simply having to repair a broken down lift – while also doing without one of your auto lifts at potentially the busiest time of day.

Another advantage of ongoing service plans is that, because a hoist service takes up to one hour for each hoist, it’s a significant time cost to your business. By planning ahead for regular servicing, you can choose the exact time for your hoists to be serviced – allowing you to plan around your workflow for the minimum interruption.

What’s more, with a 12 month service contract you’ll know your costs are locked in for the period – which helps when you’re budgeting for the year’s service costs. You can even lock in a service plan for up to five years, allowing you to plan ahead with certainty.

And because your car hoist maintenance service provider is responsible for the frequency of your hoist servicing, there’s no need to keep track of when your hoists are due for a service. The service provider will simply schedule service dates across the term of your contract.

Preventive maintenance offers safety and reliability

By setting up a regular service plan for your car lifts, you can rest assured that your vehicle hoists will meet applicable Australian Workplace Health & Safety laws.

These regulations mandate that your vehicle hoists must be serviced at least every 12 months – and of course, unannounced inspections can happen at any time. To avoid having to respond to a ‘make good’ order for your workshop safety at short notice, it makes sense to have an ongoing maintenance plan for car hoists in place. To make sure you meet this requirement, ask your hoist service provider about setting up an annual maintenance program.

It also pays to ask the question, “Who is responsible for servicing my car hoist?”. If your workshop hoist supplier isn’t currently providing the maintenance services themselves, they may be sub-contracting the service to another business. In that case, what standard of servicing are you really getting? Does it meet Australian Standards? Is this arrangement the best way to ensure vehicle lift safety for your customers, your employees, and your investment.

To find out more about car lift maintenance and how we can help make your workshop safer and more efficient, call Levanta on 1300 577 541 or use the contact forms here.