Fremantle and what it does to a car
Salt from the sea and the harbour
Fremantle has five beaches, from Leighton and Port Beach to South Beach, as well as the harbours and the river mouth. A car parked near the water collects salt, so the underside, brake lines and exhaust are worth a rust check at each service.
The Fremantle Doctor
The sea breeze arrives between noon and 3pm and keeps Fremantle a few degrees cooler than Perth in summer. It's strong enough to draw kite surfers, and an onshore wind brings salt spray inland with it.
Port traffic
The Inner Harbour handles almost all of WA's container trade, and Leach Highway, one of the state's most important heavy vehicle routes, links it to the Kewdale and Welshpool industrial areas. Expect trucks on the way in and out.
Stirling Highway
Stirling Highway is mostly a four-lane single carriageway at 60 km/h between Fremantle and Perth, through the western suburbs. It's steady, stop-start driving rather than freeway running.
Licences
Fremantle's repair businesses each need a WA repair business licence, and their mechanics hold a repairer's certificate. You can look one up online through Consumer Protection WA.
Rust, older cars and Fremantle
Salt works slowly, so it shows on cars that have lived here for years. Ask the mechanic to look at the underside, the brake lines, the exhaust and the battery terminals at each service, and to tell you early if anything's starting.
Buying an older car that's lived by the beach? Get it inspected before paying, and mention where it's been kept. Pre-purchase car inspections in Perth covers what the mechanic looks for, and exhaust work in Perth covers the rust that ends in a blowing exhaust.
What we'd suggest
If the car lives near the beach, we'd hose the underside with fresh water now and then and ask for a rust check with every service. On an older Fremantle car, we'd rather hear about surface rust at a service than find out when something lets go.