Anyone in the UK , bought a lift , can give a good review , any particular make , model etc ? Seen some for about £2800 Inc jacking beam , delivery etc , about as much as I want to pay . Any suggestions .a,
Don’t know what’s in the UK market, but if price is the criteria for purchase, I for one don’t want to have a conversation with you while standing underneath of your lift.
Not that China doesn’t make quality products because they most certainly do. It’s the buyers who source cheap quality Chinese products at certain price points.
Probably better to try and buy second from a dealership or some pro shop that actually have bought better quality units than you can get new for the money that you want to spend
Thanks for that AJ , I know what you mean , and yes , some of them do look crap . The thought of my mk2 crashing down on top of my mk7 is just to awful to contemplate 
I mentioned the car dealership because (although a 2 post lift) that’s I got mine. A Chrysler had gone out of business.
I’ll mention one other thing of note that is often overlooked: Even if purchased new, I would not rely on the shipped hydraulic fluid or any bargain basement run of the mill fluids. Do yourself a huge favor (this is not the place where you want to save money) and purchase the very best hydraulic fluid that you can find. Your life and your property depends on it.
thanks for your thoughts on that , never thought of that !
I got mine from these guys. It’s the second one I’ve had over 15 years. Mine lives outside which isn’t ideal but my only option. The first one eventually got too rusty. I built a shield around the motor to keep water out.
No complaints and has been a godsend.
Thanks for that John , I have been looking at them among others . It’s good to hear a good review , it will help me decide . Where are you based ? Regards Ken .
I’m in Barnsley. You’re welcome. Will you be putting it in a garage?
I’d recommend getting the jacking beam. Nit cheap but easier and more useful than the jacking tray. The current design has a rail for it to roll on. The previous one didn’t and I used a Sealey jacking beam. That rolled on the platform top edge so that bit rusted through over many years outside.
It’s currently in use for this big job:
Very impressive , you must be young and fit , working outside . I gave that up many years ago .
57 
Not as flexible as I was!
It won’t go in my garage as it won’t lift high enough before hitting the beams. Besides there’s a V8 250 and a 72 Beetle in there 
That’s young to me 
Stay away from Chinese junk; shop I worked for bought 2 from a wholesaler new, both had safety issues (lock broken weld and arm stop broken weld), along with arm pivots that came loose and cheesy lock releases.
Hi Ken
Following on to the comment on hydraulic fluid, that may well be good advice but I wouldn’t get a lift that doesn’t lock safely & securely in position.
Relying on hydraulics may well be bye bye Ken 
What is the difference in hydraulic fluids, such that it would be “dangerous?”
I’ll just offer my personal experience… I have been using a 4 post lift for the past 13 years. It sees a lot of cycles as I have it for storage as well as maintenance.
It was the cheapest one on the market, a ‘global’ model which was their euphemism for made in China. 1800 US$ delivered was hard to pass up.
I have had zero problems with it. I do a regular visual inspection and lubricate the pulleys from time to time. That’s about it though I think I adjusted the cables once during the first year.
Of course this is anecdotal and one lift from one source, but the technology is pretty basic so materials are likely the factor to consider.
I do have rather light weight cars so perhaps that contributes to my satisfaction.
Do they really deliver them with oil included?
I am not qualified to answer any questions pertaining to the quality levels of hydraulic fluids or any other fluids for that matter. I have simply taken the advice of a small mom & pop hydraulic shop in my town.
After initially setting up my lift I obviously needed hydraulic fluid for it and I was wondering where to buy it. I saw some fluid on sale at one of the local big box stores and had every intention of buying what I needed for my lift. For some other reason, (I forget but probably needed a tool of some sort) I visited the the small shop because they carry top quality tools. Long story short (I live in a small town and everybody knows everybody) we got to talking about other things as we usually do when the subject of my new lift install came up (which I installed by myself). The conversation led to the fluid that I was thinking about using and they were adamant about not using the fluid that was on sale. As you all that have lifts probably know, they don’t take any more than maybe a gallon or two to fill. Anyway, they offered up whatever the amount was to fill the tank, but I’ll never forget the gasp I had from sticker shock of the fluid. It was years ago and I don’t recall the exact amount but it was well over $100.00. They warned me not to gamble with my life and I never questioned what I was told, I paid the money, left the shop, and filled up my tank. I don’t know anything more than that about the fluid.
Here is what I do know, though. That had to be more than 10 years ago, probably closer to 15. In all that time I have never had to change the fluid and as coincidence would have it, it was just a few months ago I had reason to drop the tank and dump the fluid, and to my surprise it was clean as a whistle. I lost a few ounces but decided to refill the tank using the same fluid, for good measure I strained the fluid on the re-pour.
There are two other points that I think should be noted:
- I have left my XJ40 suspended high on that lift with another car underneath for years at a time because of living out of the country and it’s never moved a centimeter. Was that the fluid, the lock, or a combination of the two? Dunno
- Prior to installing the lift I hooked up a 50 hp 3 phase air compressor in the shop. The air compressor called for a 5 gallon pale of oil (no big deal). When I went to purchase the oil, that 5 gallon pale cost me upwards of $1,000.00. I only mention this because that was my first introduction into the world of fluids for industrial equipment. That’s why I didn’t balk at the direction of the little mom & pop shop.
Industrial grade oils, hydraulic fluids, and the like are not in the same league as your regular run of the mill fluids.
I spent the money, it didn’t change my life for doing so, and I’m still here to talk about it. I can only suggest that you do the same.
Seems like a bit of a minefield , cheap is usually associated with crap , but here we have two testimonials for the cheaper end the market which have lasted for years . No , I wouldn’t consider a lift which relies only on hydraulics , all that I have been looking at have mechanical locking mechanisms , which are a safety requirement anyway .it’s good to have everyone’s input , so I will probably go for the cheapest , or nearly the cheapest I can find . Lol