Been reading a lot about jacking points. Seems that many swear that we need special jacking pads, that they can only go in one place, and that the car will implode if we don't use them (OK, I might have made that last one up). I've seen pictures of underbellies of cars where someone used MS Paint to circle supposed "jack points". I've even seen videos where people pointed at certain parts and said, "See this? This is aluminum - don't jack here."
But, I knew there was a problem with this theory. After all, when the professionals deliver the car, they don't tie them down with tire straps. They attach straps to hard points UNDER the car. And, these hard points have to be near the edges of the car. And, it stands to reason that if they are reinforced enough to hold a car on a trailer with a tiny T- or J-hook, they should be strong enough to support the car on a jack or jack stand.
So, I decided to investigate.
Sure enough, there's steel under there. Here's a picture of the front jack point of the car (assuming you have a real jack that has ~12 square inches of area on the jacking pad - not a scissor jack). It's just rearward of the front wheels - the black part with 2 big holes and 2 small ones.
(note - I took this pic after jacking the car up, and there is no noticeable mark, denting, or deformity)
And, to prove that it's steel . . .
. . . I stuck my magnetic bowl to it.
So, if you want to buy fancy jacking thingies for your car, have at it. But, if you want to just jack the car up and get to work, use these points.