[fastboatster]

I was just watching some non-American BMW service video today and one of the steps where suspension bolts needed to be tightened at right height was performed with car above a service pit. I never saw it done this way in any NAR videos and also never seen service pits in use in any shop I went to. Wonder why they are not used this much in the US

[Dog Face Pony Soldier]

In the early 90s I was working on building a small mansion where the homeowner had a service pit designed into one of the garage bays. I never met the homeowner but it must have been a cool guy because he was wealthy enough to never open a hood.

[fastboatster]

I see, I just don’t see them in a professional setting.

[AnOldBiker]

The local Wally World here has two, but the store was built in the mid 70's. Modern bays gave up on them in the 80's or before. It was believed you can do it better on the hoist ? I've used them and for many jobs below is way better than the hoist.

[fastboatster]

Wonder where that belief the hoists are better came from? Perhaps somebody drove the car into the pit or suffocated from the exhaust gases or fuel fumes.
Or perhaps it's just because digging up the pit in the leased property's floor is not an option. Perhaps even if you own the property, getting a 3 grand lift you can finance is cheaper.

[IllSic_Design]

I figure it has to do with it being probably more expensive to have a proper pit made rather then to just buy some lifts and bolt them in, but I could be wrong. We have the, at work, but it's because we work on/build trains.

Old local place called the Cherry Pit had one, but that place has been around forever.

[Emilime75]

Most oil change places have them, but not common in shops that go beyond OCs and fluid fill ups.

[freakystyly]

Pretty sure they're outlawed by OSHA for safety reasons in commercial settings. Might be different for personal use. It's a great idea in theory but a lot can go wrong.

[Dog Face Pony Soldier]

Originally Posted by freakystyly

Pretty sure they're outlawed by OSHA for safety reasons in commercial settings. Might be different for personal use. It's a great idea in theory but a lot can go wrong.

That's interesting. I perceive them as being safer than a lift as the weight is already on the ground.

[GuidoK]

Originally Posted by freakystyly

Pretty sure they're outlawed by OSHA for safety reasons in commercial settings. Might be different for personal use. It's a great idea in theory but a lot can go wrong.

I don't think they're outlawed. Lots of (most?) semitruck/bus service stations use pits.
This is of course because it's not so easy to lift a 10+ tonne vehicle as it is to lift a car.

Also a pit is safer in lots of situations compared to a lift.
A lift can collapse, a vehicle can fall from a lift, and, in this instance, the bushings have to be torqued in the riding position: If you want to achieve that on a lift you have to put a lot of pressure under the wheel while the car is on the lift. That is a very dangerous situation.

[Emilime75]

Originally Posted by freakystyly

Pretty sure they're outlawed by OSHA for safety reasons in commercial settings. Might be different for personal use. It's a great idea in theory but a lot can go wrong.

Do the Jiffy Lube type places not have to meet OSHA requirements?

[freakystyly]

Places might be able to be grandfathered in, if built before certain dates? Could vary by region (state) too? Maybe if they meet certain requirements, like movable guards or proper safety standards?

There doesn't seem to be a lot on the internet about it, I wonder if it was before the internet (80s)? Apparently workers would fall into the pits a lot. Cars too I assume. Maybe there's some older folks that have more knowledge on this?

Everything is unsafe these days, you almost need to cover workers in bubble wrap. I remember hearing a horror story of someone not carrying a cardboard box properly leading to injury and that company was sued... (Ontario, Canada).

[jkoral]

Originally Posted by fastboatster

Perhaps somebody drove the car into the pit...

I swear this video is from the 1990s:

[DanG]

Jiffy Lubes near me all have service pits.

[fastboatster]

Originally Posted by DanG

Jiffy Lubes near me all have service pits.

Can this also be location dependent? I.e., in some states/towns there might be some shops which were around since long time ago which have service pits and in some other places which were builtup in 70-80s or where the properties change their owners/lessees often there are no pits at all. I didn’t see any pits in the Bay Area or maybe local American tire had them, not sure. They didn’t have lifts in that location, though I saw them just jacking the cars up.

[Mason Hatcher]

Originally Posted by fastboatster

Can this also be location dependent? I.e., in some states/towns there might be some shops which were around since long time ago which have service pits and in some other places which were builtup in 70-80s or where the properties change their owners/lessees often there are no pits at all. I didn’t see any pits in the Bay Area or maybe local American tire had them, not sure. They didn’t have lifts in that location, though I saw them just jacking the cars up.

The Kwik Kar near me, built 5 years ago, has service pits. All of these types of places in Texas do.

[VChenz]

Just speculating but I think it's because a lot places that have pits, built them when the building was put up. Most of the pits in a commercial setting are like a basement. There is a whole area you can't see under there that stores tools, oil, etc. If you just dug a narrow pit then you would need to keep having to come in and out of it for tools and supplies, making it really inefficient. More effort to keep clean as well.

Also pits are much more expensive if you consider the digging, reinforcing, outfitting, etc. . You can buy a commercial grade lift for $5k . Also most garages are put into existing commercial buildings that are designated for mixed use and generally not solely designed for automotive use only.

My dad and his brothers dug a pit in their garage when they lived in the UK because they worked on all the family cars. Literally a hole in a dirt floor garage. Looked like something out of a horror film lol.

[IllSic_Design]

Originally Posted by VChenz

Just speculating but I think it's because a lot places that have pits, built them when the building was put up. Most of the pits in a commercial setting are like a basement. There is a whole area you can't see under there that stores tools, oil, etc. If you just dug a narrow pit then you would need to keep having to come in and out of it for tools and supplies, making it really inefficient. More effort to keep clean as well.

Also pits are much more expensive if you consider the digging, reinforcing, outfitting, etc. . You can buy a commercial grade lift for $5k . Also most garages are put into existing commercial buildings that are designated for mixed use and generally not solely designed for automotive use only.

My dad and his brothers dug a pit in their garage when they lived in the UK because they worked on all the family cars. Literally a hole in a dirt floor garage. Looked like something out of a horror film lol.

Yup, this was my thought

[N54Yankee]

Lifts are better because many times you need to have the the suspension unloaded to work on it and cant do tires and brakes in a pit, just two instances of many.

[DieselDiner]

Originally Posted by Emilime75

Most oil change places have them, but not common in shops that go beyond OCs and fluid fill ups.

This. For a purpose built location that changes fluids, a pit makes sense. For service areas that might do many other services (suspension and so on) as other posters have noted, not so much.

[j0oftheworld]

My Dad has one at his house.. makes exhaust swaps a breeze!

[jmhumr]

I've been to brand new Valvoline instant oil change places that have pits, so I don't think it has anything to do with regulation. It's just the cheaper and safer option for shops that don't offer tire or suspension work.