Topic: Test Drive: 2013 Mazda2 GS

[johngenx]

We have a large detached garage, which I really like.  It's not heated, so the snow doesn't melt on the cars, but no scraping windows, etc.  Detached means lower insurance premiums and less fire hazard.  Garages are also a popular entry point for burglars.  The PITA is when unloading groceries, etc.

The best thing about our garage is not the location, but the size.  30 feet deep and well over 20 feet wide, we can fit three cars plus lots of other stuff, but is still a "two car" garage from the street.

Bummer is the 18' wide single door when a replacement is due.  They're pricey.

[Ice]

I thought that only applied to heated garages. If your garage is only a degree or two warmer than outside you shouldn't be subjected to much more in the way of freeze/thaw cycles and your car is protected from some of the harsher elements (sun, wind, rain, etc.).

i should have clarified that a bit better...if you have a detached garage (what i consider a large "shed" to park your car in), then it likely won't matter (you just won't have to brush snow off your car)...my garage isn't heated, but is attached to the house (like most new homes), so while i don't "heat" the garage, it is warmer in there, and any snow on the cars will melt over night.

Got it. My car is currently parked in a attached garage but it's still pretty cold in there... but maybe not cold enough.

[dkaz]

I never found the need for heated garages. Cars just need a dry place to stay overnight. I scraped my Mazda years ago and took a year and a half to finally fix it, it never even started to rust although I had the body shop make sure that any trace was sanded off. This was in an exposed underground parkade, inside temperatures were probably a few degrees warmer than ambient.

The condo I'm in now, it never goes below 10C where I park smack dab in the middle of the parkade.

[dirtyjeffer]

again, the issues is the lack of salt used on the roads...salty slush and the constant back and forth temps play havoc on most auto bodies...rust proofing helps keep it to a minimum though.

[Fobroader]

I never found the need for heated garages. Cars just need a dry place to stay overnight. I scraped my Mazda years ago and took a year and a half to finally fix it, it never even started to rust although I had the body shop make sure that any trace was sanded off. This was in an exposed underground parkade, inside temperatures were probably a few degrees warmer than ambient.

The condo I'm in now, it never goes below 10C where I park smack dab in the middle of the parkade.

Theres so much need for a heated garage, you ever work on a car at -20 below or colder?

Sent from my Galaxy S3

[dkaz]

I had to change my shocks once when it was +5C outside, close enough right?  The concrete floor was cold.