M4 scraping on driveway

[Clark_Kent]

Originally Posted by G35POPPEDMYCHERRY

https://curbramp.us/

idk if this will provide enough elevation for your tires to bite. might make it worse?

dman the middle scraping is quite a pickle

This is very interesting. Seems quite involved vs. your standard Bridjit type of device.

[CachacoF80]

I used this and don't recommend. It's ok at first but then it becomes a mess and any sort of power from the driving wheels will destroy it.

I

[Clark_Kent]

Originally Posted by CachacoF80

I used this and don't recommend. It's ok at first but then it becomes a mess and any sort of power from the driving wheels will destroy it.

I

Thanks for sharing. Care to share any pics of said damage?

[Alpine_F82]

Only problem is air ride suspensions are known to screw up. That’s why I haven’t got it. And it’s expensive as is

[CachacoF80]

Why is the house so low relative to street? Was this done to help with flooding?

My 2c get a good contractor to assess and redo driveway. But that's a 3-5k job. But it's mental peace.

[CachacoF80]

Originally Posted by Clark_Kent

Thanks for sharing. Care to share any pics of said damage?

This is all I have and I scraped it off. It's useful for a small indentation, not a big problem like the OP's.

1. It's a lot of work and it's messy because of the glue.

2. You need a top coat of glue which becomes yellow over time (looks awful).

3. If you hit the gas a bit, instead of rolling over it then it will come apart.

OP - If you plan to live there for a while, then do it right!

[CachacoF80]

Do you have enough clearance in the actual garage? If so, one solution is to raise it a few inches and the pour concrete to level the portion after the crest.

I feel for you. Mine is just steep and had to add concrete on one side so I could angle it.

[oneknightr]

Originally Posted by AustinGelbM4

I had a similar problem but I ADDED concrete to either side of the crest/peak thus flattening out the top. This meant that as the front wheels were starting to go down the other side of the new extended crest the rear wheels were starting to come up therefore maintaining more clearance in the middle than was there previously.

Originally Posted by CachacoF80

Do you have enough clearance in the actual garage? If so, one solution is to raise it a few inches and the pour concrete to level the portion after the crest.

I feel for you. Mine is just steep and had to add concrete on one side so I could angle it.

I wasn't aware that adding concrete to existing concrete in a driveway was an option. I was assuming that it would be tough to have the new concrete adhere to the old and be long-lasting. How long ago did both of you do this and has it held up well over time?

Originally Posted by mmmmQuattro

Ouch - what a problem!
...
The other option is to grind away at the peak.
However, it's the local council's (local government) property and check before you start cutting / grind it, otherwise, you might get a fine.

Perhaps ask the local authorities if there's any services that would't be affected if you were to reshape the peak.

The concrete might also have some mesh reinforcement - you shouldn't grind away at it, if it as, as there's a certain amount of concrete cover that's required to avoid the mesh from rusting.

Since it's my driveway, isn't that considered my land? I was thinking I may need a permit to make sure any work is up to code, but that would be about it, or is that what you were referring to?

Originally Posted by Relak

I'm sorry but that driveway is a nightmare. If street parking isn't an option, I would not have considered a car that sits so low. It will cost more than it's worth to fix that grade and it's likely at that angle for an important reason (others suggested drainage or sewer lines). My suggestion: Street park or upgrade to an airbag suspension so you can max out the ride height pulling in and out of the driveway.

Thankfully we live in a decent neighborhood and street parking is ok but I'd love to park it in my garage for several reasons...keeping it clean, protecting it from sun damage, bird poop, etc. When we bought the car, I was too excited to even think about the driveway clearance. I guess if we bought an Audi S5 (another car we considered), we'd be ok...but I think we ended up with the better car.

Originally Posted by CachacoF80

Why is the house so low relative to street? Was this done to help with flooding?

My 2c get a good contractor to assess and redo driveway. But that's a 3-5k job. But it's mental peace.

We live on a downslope but I'm guessing how low the house sits relative to the street was based on the original architectural designs of the house back in 1952. Several houses on my side of the street have sloped driveways like mine (some worse) but some have level driveways. My neighbor to the left has a more sloped driveway than mine while my neighbor to the right has a flat driveway. Go figure.

[Germanauto]

Originally Posted by TurboM

Good luck selling your home

OP is in the Bay Area, his house will sell for over market value even if it were a cardboard box.

[oneknightr]

Originally Posted by Germanauto

OP is in the Bay Area, his house will sell for over market value even if it were a cardboard box.

Thanks for the chuckle! Thankfully for us, that's true. The housing market is crazy here. Our home value has increased $200k+ since we bought it less than two years ago.

We're never moving again. This is our forever house so whatever remodeling we do will be long term. The only problem is the $$$$. We spent most of it buying it. My wife wants a new deck off our main floor (deck will be 20' off the ground) and a second one for our lower level. Estimates have ranged from $80k-$120k.

[Germanauto]

Originally Posted by oneknightr

Thanks for the chuckle! Thankfully for us, that's true. The housing market is crazy here. Our home value has increased $200k+ since we bought it less than two years ago.

We're never moving again. This is our forever house so whatever remodeling we do will be long term. The only problem is the $$$$. We spent most of it buying it. My wife wants a new deck off our main floor (deck will be 20' off the ground) and a second one for our lower level. Estimates have ranged from $80k-$120k.

Loll yes it's become insanity. In the Seattle area the market's been hot but nothing's as notorious as the Bay.

I've always liked the BA but it has just become prohibitively expensive. Luckily in my profession I can live wherever I want. Moving to SoCal in some weeks which is still insanely expensive.

[oneknightr]

Originally Posted by Germanauto

Loll yes it's become insanity. In the Seattle area the market's been hot but nothing's as notorious as the Bay.

I've always liked the BA but it has just become prohibitively expensive. Luckily in my profession I can live wherever I want. Moving to SoCal in some weeks which is still insanely expensive.

Good luck to you out there in SoCal. It's definitely insanely expensive out there too!

[AustinGelbM4]

Originally Posted by oneknightr

I wasn't aware that adding concrete to existing concrete in a driveway was an option. I was assuming that it would be tough to have the new concrete adhere to the old and be long-lasting. How long ago did both of you do this and has it held up well over time?

The existing concrete was "roughed up" first then concrete bonding agent applied. New concrete applied on top of that. You say you never plan to move, well it will be there long after you're gone.

[jmg]

Maybe trade it for a *gasp* X3M?

[dezzracer]

Originally Posted by oneknightr

Good luck to you out there in SoCal. It's definitely insanely expensive out there too!

Try Colorado nowadays. I don't live there anymore but it's my home state. Real estate is absolutely ridiculous now. Colorado used to be a well-kept secret. Where do all of these people with all of this money come from? Wait I already know the answer. California LoL

[dezzracer]

OP, that's cool you have a Prius and an M4. You prolly have the slowest AND the fastest car on the block.
Haha. Man.. I do not have any other ideas other than what has already been posted. I know I could not leave an M4 out on the street every night tho.

[Maitre_Absolut]

OP that slope into the garage also looks like it would tear off a front lip, so don't buy one of those before trying either!

[SD ///M4]

Looking at the picture in post #4, it appears that your garage is below the street level and that the driveway apron is angled up like that to act as a barrier for runoff. If you make the driveway apron flatter you risk water running down the driveway into your garage. It seems like the angle of the rest of your driveway would already cause that.

I don't believe that there's anything you can do to your driveway that will make it easier to get your car into the driveway without risking water damage in your garage.

I hope that I'm wrong.

[oneknightr]

Originally Posted by jmg

Maybe trade it for a *gasp* X3M?

Ummm, no. haha

Originally Posted by dezzracer

Try Colorado nowadays. I don't live there anymore but it's my home state. Real estate is absolutely ridiculous now. Colorado used to be a well-kept secret. Where do all of these people with all of this money come from? Wait I already know the answer. California LoL

Most definitely California...specifically, my former employer, Charles Schwab. They moved several departments to Denver over the past few years. I didn't want to move so I got laid off at the end of 2017. Prices have gone up a lot since Schwab started opening up the three huge offices they have in Lone Tree.

Originally Posted by Maitre_Absolut

OP that slope into the garage also looks like it would tear off a front lip, so don't buy one of those before trying either!

I had the same concern so I tested it with my Prius last week. As I pull into the garage, the front lip clears by a few inches so I'm thinking I should be good. *hopefully*

Originally Posted by SD ///M4

Looking at the picture in post #4, it appears that your garage is below the street level and that the driveway apron is angled up like that to act as a barrier for runoff. If you make the driveway apron flatter you risk water running down the driveway into your garage. It seems like the angle of the rest of your driveway would already cause that.

I don't believe that there's anything you can do to your driveway that will make it easier to get your car into the driveway without risking water damage in your garage.

I hope that I'm wrong.

I agree but if I get the peak fixed, I won't make the driveway apron entirely flat. If flattening the peak is doable (will need to check with a contractor), I'll have them leave the lower half of the apron alone which should still be a big enough barrier for runoff. If I go the other route of adding concrete to both sides of the peak, the barrier should still be there as well. Crossing my fingers.

[SMGCFP]

I'm wondering if you were to hire a civil engineer and get his/her opinion. I shouldn't cost but a couple hundred bucks to have them draw you a plan to change the slope of the driveway. Then you can have a contractor do the work. If you're going to live there for life, this would be the route I go. I'm not parking my car on the street because I can't get it in my garage. And tell your wife you'll build the deck after you fix your driveway...sort of kidding/not kidding.

[Kyler13]

Have you considered investigating a properly placed speed bump?

http://jlcproducts.com.au/driveway-straddling/

[oneknightr]

Originally Posted by Kyler13

Have you considered investigating a properly placed speed bump?

http://jlcproducts.com.au/driveway-straddling/

That's definitely the problem I have but looking at the solution in their second picture, it seems the car will still scrape after going over the speed bump, unless the speed bump is wider.