A little bump here to educate a little on the weaknesses and dangers of the MaxJax for those looking.
Full disclosure: I've had mine about 4 years or so, and installed outside. So yes, I'm using it against the manufacturer's recommendations.
So this is not a knock on the quality of the unit. It's more a field abuse test to reveal the weaknesses in an accelerated fashion.
Failures I've had:
1. Failed rotary switch and bearing inside motor. My fault, water had gotten inside. Locally rebuilt for $125.
2. Failed hydraulic hose that burst during a lift sending fluid EVERYWHERE. Replaced with local USA made longer 15' goodyear hoses. Cost $133. See note below, this one was almost a very catastrophic event.
3. Right lift cylinder leakage. Discovered this week. This one might be the last nail in the coffin for this lift and me. A call to Danmar reveals this cylinder costs $400 to replace if it can't be rebuilt locally due to scoring.
4. Rust on the yellow lifting arms. Fixed this myself with some scrapage and Ospho.
Notes on Failure #2. This is the same failure as noted in the other thread posted a few posts up. I was lifting a 2007 Toyota RAV4 and the left hose burst at 3/4" of the way to the top. Left side came down while the right side kept going up. This created a LARGE leveling discrepancy resulting the car nearly coming off the lift into the left column.
I reacted as fast as I could and released the lift button. This stopped the right side going up, but the left was still coming down uncontrollably. Now the leveling is MUCH worse with the car at a 30 degree angle from level and steepening.
I then realized the only way to maybe avert disaster is to hit the release bar and lower the other side asap. As I did this, they both came down together altho I was dangerously close of having the titled over roof of the car hitting the column. But I had no choice. I just let it go.
The roof luckily cleared, and as the car came down, one side of the tires landed first, an then the other. As the car adjusted itself coming down at an angle, it sheared and blew off the rubber frame pads from the lifting arms.
This failure I feel is not attributed to being outside. Hydraulic hoses are used on heavy equipment that reside outdoors. However, these (chinese?) hoses are likely not rated for this, and they do fail. Lesson #1 here is replace those hoses after 5 years with locally sourced US made hoses. Get longer ones while you're at it, it's a mod most of us have to do anyway.
Lesson #2 here is that the MaxJax does not have an automatic locking system as you raise the load. If a hose blows while lifting, the load is coming down, no matter what, and sideways.
If a hose blows between putting in one lock pin and before the other, it's all over. One side is going down and the other will not no matter what. The load is lost at this point. In most cases, it's a roll over of the vehicle and likely a total loss depending on what you got.
Other lifts have automatic locks that engage as you go up so if there is a problem, the lift falls an inch or so and locks.
The MaxJax does NOT have this safety feature.
I feel I will sell my MaxJax and get a mid rise scissor as these feature the automatic safety locks and even if there is a failure, the car is coming down level.
The independent column design is just asking for it. Each column is it for itself, and this leads to unlevel lifting (I've NEVER gotten mine to lift level BTW, since day 1) and very dangerous failure modes when something does go wrong. And they do, these are machines that fail just like any other. A good back up plan is needed.
Replacing your hoses is a good start, and maybe even every 5 years. $100 or so in hoses is cheap insurance.
Another good idea is to stop your lift mid way, and insert the lock pins in the mid way holes and then continue your lift. This way if there is a failure, the load only comes down half way, possibly avoiding the roll over. You're essentially mimicking the automatic locks of other lift designs. It's only one safety stop versus the multiples of other lifts with a proper system, but it's better than nothing.
Again I'm not knocking the design or quality of the MJ. Altho I do feel these hoses could be better. A quality hose is critical with this style of lift.
They say not to use them outside. I agree. Don't do it. I had to as it was my only choice and accepted the consequences.
I'm moving to a new garage with an indoor repair bay and am debating whether to bring the MJ with me. I don't think I will.
I'm not a professional mechanic. I just play on the weekends.
These are just thoughts for you guys to ponder while making your decisions. I still think it's a good option for some, provided you're ok with the certain lack of safety features as compared to other options on the market.
I will say they do always answer the phone with humans and that's always nice.
Hope this helps.. 
