Narrabeen's beaches, lagoon and roads
Surf on the doorstep
North Narrabeen hosts surfing competitions, and the beaches from there down to Collaroy take regular storm damage and erosion. Sea spray carries salt, and the chloride in salt makes steel rust faster.
Chips and scratches
NRMA says bare steel can rust quickly around salt and water, and once rust starts it keeps spreading under the paint. A chip from a roof rack strap or a board knocked against the door is worth sealing straight away.
The lagoon
Narrabeen Lagoon covers about 2.2 square kilometres, with an 8.6 km trail around it and a camping ground on its north shore. If you tow a boat or a camper down to the water, NSW counts trailers and caravans of 4.5 tonnes ATM or less as light vehicles, so an older one needs its own pink slip.
Wakehurst Parkway and Pittwater Road
The Wakehurst Parkway, opened in 1946, heads inland from North Narrabeen to Frenchs Forest and Seaforth. Along the coast, Pittwater Road runs 21 km between Church Point and Manly.
Servicing a car that lives at the beach
At each service, ask the mechanic to look underneath, not just at the paintwork. RAA says the underbody collects grime thrown up by the tyres, especially in the wet, and left alone it can lead to corrosion and gum up suspension parts.
Between services, RAC WA's advice for a car that sees salt air or salt water is to wash it as soon as you can, and at least once a month. Don't forget the underside when you do.
Pink slips work the same here as across NSW. Once most light vehicles are more than 5 years old, a yearly check at an AIS station comes before the rego renewal. Pink slips in Sydney has the detail.
What we'd do
We'd rinse the underside with fresh water after every beach week, ask for the underbody and suspension to be checked at each service, and have any chip in the paint sealed when we spot it rather than leaving it for the next service.