Living by Bramble Bay
Salt air
Sandgate faces Bramble Bay, part of Moreton Bay, and its foreshore, Lovers Walk and Moora Park have drawn Brisbane people to the seaside since the early 20th century. A car that lives a street or two from the water collects salt on its body and underneath, whether or not it ever goes near the sand.
The Gateway on the doorstep
The Gateway Motorway marks Sandgate's western border, so a run into town can be motorway nearly all the way. Steady speed is gentle on brakes. Distance and summer heat test the tyres and the cooling system instead.
Or the train
Sandgate station on the Shorncliffe line is a short walk from the Brighton Road shops. If the car stays home while you take the train, it mostly does short local trips, and those are the trips that flatten batteries.
What does a bayside car need?
Rust checks, mostly. Subaru lists coastal areas among the severe conditions that call for extra maintenance, so look for similar wording in your own book. Ask the mechanic to look underneath at each visit, at the brake lines, the exhaust and the suspension mounts in particular.
Salt also finds the battery terminals and electrical plugs. RACV lists corrosion or swelling around the terminals as a warning sign, along with slow cranking and dim lights. Car batteries in Brisbane has more.
For the motorway commute, ask for the coolant and hoses to be checked before summer. If the temperature gauge climbs, pull off somewhere safe, switch off and leave the bonnet closed until the engine has cooled right down.
Our take
We'd ask for the service in the book plus a proper look underneath for rust, and we'd rinse the car's underside with fresh water every few weeks, more often if it's parked facing the bay. A garden hose is a lot less trouble than a rusted-through brake line.