Dear Tom and Ray:
I have a wonderful car, a '97 Saturn that gets great mileage and has been reliable all this time. But it's beginning to signal me that it's time for a replacement. I'd like to get a Toyota Prius, but my curb cut is just steep enough that everyone I know who drives a Prius scrapes when they turn into my driveway. My questions are: (1) Would frequent scraping on the front of the car damage it? And (2) if the scraping would cause damage, can I have the car raised a couple of inches somehow so it doesn't contact the sidewalk every time I drive in and out? This probably sounds pretty stupid, but I really don't know anything about car bodies, so I'd appreciate your advice. Thanks! — Peter
Tom: Frequent scraping certainly can cause damage, Peter. Ask anyone who spends a lot of time riding a bicycle.
Ray: It really depends on what's being scraped. Lots of cars have a plastic wind deflector under the front bumper to improve mileage. If that's all you're scraping, it would be of no mechanical consequence — until it fell off. And even then, it still might not be of much consequence.
Tom: But if you were scraping, say, the oil pan, that could cause problems. Then you could tear it open one day as you were backing out of the driveway, lose all of your oil, seize the engine and then have to go out and buy yourself a cheap replacement car, like a used '97 Saturn.
Ray: So this requires some specific investigation, Peter. Explain to your Toyota dealer that when you test-drive the new Prius, the route is going to have to include a trip up your driveway.
Tom: When you turn into your driveway (go very slowly), if you hear a scrape, you then can get out and watch and try to determine what's scraping. Even if you can't tell by watching, you may be able to see telltale scrape marks on something under there.
Ray: The Prius is designed with mileage in mind, so my guess is that what's scraping probably is some plastic shielding that improves airflow underneath the car. But since this car starts out low to the ground for aerodynamic purposes, you also could be risking a more important component. So my advice would be: If it scrapes, look for a different car.
Tom: You're not going to raise the car a few inches. That's impractical, and it's difficult to do. Plus, you'd change the car's handling and decrease its mileage. You might get half an inch out of larger tires, but if you need more than that, try something else.
Ray: There are several other Prius models now — The Prius V and Prius C — and you might find that one is better suited to your particular situation. If not, there are other great hybrids out there made by other companies, and you'll just have to consider one of those instead.
Tom: But before you buy any of them, make your driveway part of the test drive. You don't want to drive your brand-new car home for the first time only to discover that you now have to sell the house and move!
(Car Talk is a nationally syndicated column by automotive experts (and brothers) Tom and Ray Magliozzi. Write to them at the Car Talk website.)
12 Comments
By Brian Cary on December 30, 2012 12:24 PM
Cars scraping on driveways is not unusual if the driveway was designed for older cars with more ground clearance.
If Peter can determine where cars are scraping( by scratches or gouges in the driveway), just have a paving contractor grind off the excessive paving.
By Brian Cary on December 30, 2012 12:29 PM
Cars scraping on driveways is common if the driveway was designed for older cars with more ground clearance.
Peter should have a paving contractor grind off the excess paving and the scraping will stop.
By Matty on December 31, 2012 11:29 PM
Now why in the world would anyone replace a perfectly good '97 Saturn with a Prius? In fact, why in the world would anyone buy a Prius in the first place? It's the only car I've seen where the back windshield is ten degrees from the horizontal, it's ridiculous. Plus Prius owners have a contemptible attitude about them that makes me just want to give them a nudge into the ditch.
By Tim on January 1, 2013 7:42 AM
Matty it seems to me that you're the one with a contemptible attitude. And Saturns are crap anyway.
By Amy in Oz on January 1, 2013 11:45 PM
Surely you could get your driveway curb reconcreted soit was lower and wouldn't scrape *any* car?!
Here in Australia, the newer suburbs all have rounded curbs so the local councils don't have to cut them to put in driveways (you just pave or concrete up to the edge wherever you want and everyone has a massive bump to drive over), but that's just cost cutting, and there isn't anything to stop people getting the old style driveway curb put in to protect theirs and everyone else's cars.
By janereader on January 2, 2013 9:53 AM
Consider buying a Tesla Model S with air suspension.
We raise the Model S up a couple inches using the air suspension when encountering steep drives. The suspension setting gives you the options of Very High, High, Standard and Low.
The joys of owning an all high performance all-electric car with long range is an amazing thrill that are beyond expectations. That is a great bonus.
By John Nielsen on January 2, 2013 6:09 PM
Buy Prius and back into your driveway. It's all about approach angle.
By M6805 on January 3, 2013 8:46 AM
Maybe it is time for a driveway re-hab?
How hard can it be?
I find it very difficult that only the Prius has this problem? Toyota doesn't have a corner on low profile cars!
By Sam on January 3, 2013 9:25 AM
You don't have to grind down the high spots on the driveway; you can fill in a bit at the lowest point (usually at the junction between driveway and street) so that the car starts to climb just a tad sooner.
It's easy to fill in the low spots, so that the car clears the high spots. Raising the car and grinding the pavement down are much, much tougher options.
That said, my folks had a Volvo that scraped every single time it came into the driveway and my parents did... nothing. Let it scrape. It lost a tiny bit of metal every time it entered the driveway, for many years, no problem.
By Mike on January 3, 2013 5:11 PM
My neighbor purchased an 8' long rubber piece that lays in the gutter to make for a slighter incline angle. It has a tunnel to allow drainage. Works for his Corvette!
The most environmental solution is to drive your Saturn as long as it remains reliable and cost-effective.
By Michael on January 5, 2013 2:21 PM
Yep, lotsa solutions, including buying a different hybrid (only the Prius seems to have the "hate them, hate their drivers" prejudice).
And as a mid-90s Saturn owner, congrats on finally stepping up. I wanted to drive mine for 10 years, but by year 9 the thing was falling apart.
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