Questions for Seattle Owners

[TommyFive]

I'm looking at moving out to Seattle from New York in the coming months, and had a couple questions for our Seattle area owners.

1. Is ground clearance an issue? Out in the Northeast our hills are pretty gradual. Save for an odd irregular driveway curb, everything's fine. When you're in Seattle (especially downtown), hill entrances can be incredibly steep and sudden. Do any of you regularly bottom out or scrape with the stock ride height?

2. Rust is a HUGE issue here (mine stays garaged for the winters). What's the big regional car care issue for the Pacific Northwest? I know it's not rust just from the number of rust-free Tercels I see when I'm in town.

Thanks!

[DaBrz]

I'm lowered 1 inch and never had a problem. The only thing that scrapes is my mud flaps sometimes.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by TommyFive

I'm looking at moving out to Seattle from New York in the coming months, and had a couple questions for our Seattle area owners.

1. Is ground clearance an issue? Out in the Northeast our hills are pretty gradual. Save for an odd irregular driveway curb, everything's fine. When you're in Seattle (especially downtown), hill entrances can be incredibly steep and sudden. Do any of you regularly bottom out or scrape with the stock ride height?

2. Rust is a HUGE issue here (mine stays garaged for the winters). What's the big regional car care issue for the Pacific Northwest? I know it's not rust just from the number of rust-free Tercels I see when I'm in town.

Thanks!

Hello TommyFive and welcome to the PNW channel.

I think your stock height BRZ will survive most Seattle streets without scraping.

Car care issue? Besides molds, mildews, mosses, and waterbugs growing all over and in your car ..... car care is a piece of cake. Why? Because it doesn't make much since to wash it because, for 9 months of the year, .... it will be raining before you finish the wash job ....

humfrz

[Touge_ninja]

Unless your lowered to a crazy amount, you wont be scraping that much. Just avoid underground parking, Pacific Place in downtown is the worse. I high centered comming out of that mall alot.

[TommyFive]

Originally Posted by humfrz

Hello TommyFive and welcome to the PNW channel.

I think your stock height BRZ will survive most Seattle streets without scraping.

Car care issue? Besides molds, mildews, mosses, and waterbugs growing all over and in your car ..... car care is a piece of cake. Why? Because it doesn't make much since to wash it because, for 9 months of the year, .... it will be raining before you finish the wash job ....

humfrz

Moss, mold and waterbugs? How do you guys regularly combat that?

[Missy]

Originally Posted by TommyFive

Moss, mold and waterbugs? How do you guys regularly combat that?

That really only happens if the car sits for like a year..
If it's garaged you have zero worries but either way yea bugs will sometimes be on your car, rarely IN unless you have it open for a decent amount of time.

[Missy]

Originally Posted by Marchy

my buddy had his old GTI parked at his parents house covered for 4 months. when i borrowed it from him when i needed a "rental" after i had crashed my old car there was mold on the seat belts, moss growing on the outside window and mildew on the inside. I spent a good 3 hours cleaning it all off and killing it with bleach.

Seriously??? Maybe the cover was the problem..could've created a green house effect, that and I suppose the surroundings came into play. I had my old car out in the weather for a couple years and it had only a small amount of mold on the inside and zero moss. It sucked to clean that's for sure...

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by TommyFive

Moss, mold and waterbugs? How do you guys regularly combat that?

Well, you mix up a concoction of bleach, ferric sulfate and DDT in really hot water ..... then you spray the outside, under the car, trunk and under the hood .... and mist the interior ...... once a week ...... during the "wet" season (September - June). Also, be sure to check your feet and cut the webbing that will grow in between your toes......

Oh, @TommyFive ...... we are just ah messen wich ya ....

It's a slow day up here in the PNW .....

humfrz

Seriously, your car will be just fine ....

[mwy23]

Originally Posted by Marchy

2. Rust isn't an issue here like out east because salt is not used on the roads.

according to q13, Seattle uses salt now (unfortunately).

http://q13fox.com/2013/12/19/crews-c...#axzz2pkluobUs

[Missy]

Haven't seen salt in the Tacoma area yet so hopefully just there! Sorry seattlites...

[mwy23]

well the article lists it as a salt brine, so its sprayed in liquid form. probably not as corrosive as salted roads in the NE since its diluted before application, and potentially further diluted as snow/ice/frost melts but still... boourn.

[Touge_ninja]

its not that much of an issue here since it rarely snows.

[moomoopanda]

Taking driveways and inclines at any sort of an angle greatly reduces any possibility of scraping, rubbing or anything.

Rust isn't an issue because our roads are rarely salted.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by moomoopanda

Taking driveways and inclines at any sort of an angle greatly reduces any possibility of scraping, rubbing or anything.

.

........sorry

Especially my driveway ..... (car not lowered, no passenger, no luggage, 45 degree angle) ......

humfrz