I know a floor jack can lift the front of my 2021 Subaru crosstrek but could or should I use a bottle jack at the lifting plate underneath my car?Any help would be great
Not a bad idea. They're not as cheap as they used to be, but the 1.5T HF ones are pretty handy things. Small and easy to carry around. I have used to lift a corner of my Tundra on occasion, it didn't have enough lift but that didn't stop me, it wasn't like it was lifting the entire truck in the process.If you don't have a floor jack, now is a great time to get one.
I have 5 floor jacks left bcs I just put my oldest to the road … They have to move because it’s a pivot arm - not a linear motion like the bottle jack or the scissor jack that many vehicles come with …Anytime you lift up a vehicle whether it be with a jack (various) or a lift...there is always an element of danger. There are no guarantees with any of it.
Now about lifting or jacking up one end of a vehicle...you can use a bottle jack (I've done it myself), but it is more dangerous with a bottle jack than with a good floor jack. Bottle jacks are basically 'static' in that they have no degrees of movement to compensate for the movement and shifting of the vehicle as it is being lifted. There is a greater chance of the jack 'slipping' of the lift point of the vehicle. If you are lifting one end of a vehicle (front or back), it does not raise in a linear motion...it raises in an arc. So, using a floor jack is safer as it can 'follow' this arc because of the design of the floor jack (pivot points and wheels, etc.).
If the bottle jack is your only option, I would jack a corner of vehicle at its designated lift point...jack stand that corner and then lift the opposite corner...finishing off with a good jack stand on that corner as well.
Further more, the lift 'pad' on bottle jacks are smaller than those on a floor jack. The greater the area, the better the load spread which could help prevent potential damage to the vehicle.