Front Jack Point

You can safely jack it up in that spot but it's really hard to get the jack that far under the car and still be able to lever it up.

I sometimes use that spot once the car is higher up in the air. To get things started the jack points near each wheel for flat tires are my preference because I built this jig to put on my jack. Makes everything go real quick...

 

Even the lowest height floor jack gets caught on the bottom of this low clearance car. I don't know why the repair manual's recommended jack point is essentially in an unreachable position.

You just have to use good sense and make your way there. 2nd post advice was solid

 

I usually pick up one whole side of car at once . Roll tyres from front to rear on that one side . Then do other . 1 Jack etc .

 

Yes I'm using a real shop type floor jack at my house it's like 4 tons of big red t o r i n manufactured thing it barely fits under the lip between it's like 8 in from the rear jack point towards the front door something like that then you jack up in the front and the rear wheel come right up off the ground it's not sloppy either you can't push on the front end and knock the front end down to the ground and vice versa I could take both tires off the car with my electric DeWalt wrench and a few seconds roll them into positions where they're going to go kneel down and be putting back on either tire front or back doesn't matter it doesn't make the car go wobbly and make it feel like the front end is going to fall down and the brake road is going to knock your knee into the ground or none of that stuff. It is purely uneventful unless somebody's going to try and sit on the hood or something while you're doing this so if you've got friends around that tend to do stuff like this keep them away from the car while you're changing your tires

 

Making some low-rise ramps (say 3”~), rolling the front end onto them, may help you getting a floor jack started on the front/centre jack point.

my 2 cents: getting the whole car up on jack stands (by raising first the front and then the rear), is the way to go.

I eschew the scissor jack specd points for jack stands, use more substantial points. This is on 3rd gen, but sim I suspect.


“Oil change info” link in my signature might help. Again, it’s 3rd gen but sim. If on phone turn to landscape to see sig.

 

Gen 2 AND gen 4 front/centre jack points are waaay back, something like four feet? Roughly inline with the front wheels. Gen 3 front/centre jack point is on the lower support beam at the front of the engine bay, only about 18" back.

Another issue: it seems like the latest floor jacks have a handle that has to be angled up about around 30~45 degrees to start pumping. Which is nigh impossible to do with these way-recessed jacking points. I have an older, cheapie 3 ton jack that starts pushing up the cradle with just 10~15 degrees angle.

 

I think they recommend that jack point because there's no one doing Prius work for Toyota that lacks access to a lift that puts the car up in the air. They're a bunch of executives that haven't ever needed to use a floor jack, let alone get down on the ground just to see under the car. All theory, no practice. Or as my co-worker used to say about our boss back in the '90's: "He hasn't turned a screw in his life!"

 

Is it even possible to get a low profile jack into the recommended jack point? I tried, it was jammed up/scraping something on the bottom bumper.
3 ton Low Profile Rapid Pump® Floor Jack
that's my jack

 

Again, low-rise ramps will help on two fronts: allow your jack to roll under there, and give more head room, for operating the handle, hopefully enough. Something simple, say 2 layers of 2x8.

 

I gave up on my ramps... I have a really cramped space to work in and it's been a huge hassle to keep the ramps from slipping when driving up them and sometimes despite all the extra wood to make the ramp work better I still end up putting pressure on the bottom of the front bumper skirt. So many times I thought I had everything perfectly lined up only to finally get to the top of the ramps and see one of the wheels not perfectly centered but hanging off the edge a litte. Life is way less stressful without those annoying ramps!

 

I shy away from regular, steeply inclined ramps, the kind meant to raise the car about 6" or more. I almost always use nothing but floor jack and safety stands. But for getting a jack under and functioning (with deeply set-back jacking points), 3" or so lift with a gentle incline can save the day. Made out of 2x material they're very solid and simple. I made sets with ramps at both ends; no risk of "going off the end".

 

Got some pictures?

 

I hate ramps like PriusCamper, but I like the idea of an extra 2-3 inches, just so i could fit my low profile floor jack far enough back

 

Mine are a little “complex”, give 3.5” lift (see attached). @jerrymildred made some with 2x on the flat; he may see this and post pic.

 

Dead-simple: