aspireguy99

Hi

My car will be left unused for almost 4 months.
so is there anything i need to do before going ?
thx

laneshift

Lock it.

I would have said disconnect the battery, but that'd screw everything up when you reconnect it..

Hopefully someone else will chime in if you need to put something in your fuel.

MW_ATL

We've had this happen with a couple of cars at work from time to time. We jump them off, put them back in service and don't see any unusual problems. (That being said, they do not get treated gently, so I wouldn't say we were the perfect example.) Of course, they are not MBs.

I know Coupe has sat undriven for about 6 weeks at a time. My only procedure was to switch it on and give a few seconds for the fuel pump to do its thing. Each time it fired right up, sounded horrid for the first 5 seconds or so, but that was just oil pressure coming up. I just made sure not to rev it. I did figure that the tranny fluid was just as cold and settled, so tried to give it a bit of idle time before I drove off, but really no idea if that helped or not.

omg its nate

I would like to to know this too. Maybe I will search around here and see what I come up with. I live in MN so I will not be driving my car in the winter.

tommy

Nate, I would remove the battery then and connect it to a trickle charger.
Then change the oil and filter first thing in the spring before starting it up.

krisv420

You could hand me your keys for 4 months... Ill look after your baby for you..

Damn there are people that don't drive there cars in the winter time??? what do you drive then??

tommy

Ugh - it's Minnesota. My guess is a zamboni or

Glyn M Ruck

4 months is nothing - as a previous poster said just lock it.

Keep tyres inflated properly if possible, Get someone to roll it back & forth a few times to prevent flat spotting the tyres. I would not put it on stands for such a short break. Some tyres are more prone to flat spotting if left stationary (Bridgestone for one). This is not a train smash. When you first use the car again just drive it carefully for the first 10 miles or so to let the flat spots settle out of the tyres. You might hear a slight tap, tap, tap initially.

If the vehicle is going to be exposed to conditions below freezing point - make sure your coolant concentration is correct with a refractometer or similar device.

benzc230wz

Try a battery tender. Keep it plugged in.

http://batterytender.com/default.php?cPath=11_2

omg its nate

Thanks for the info guys. Yeah have to have two cars up hear. With the snow it can be hard to drive a RWD car. After a few inches its a no go. Then there is the salt that they put all over the roads. Which helps in the rusting of your car. It's great.

BlackLiquorish8

i just came back from MN. My sister lives out there in Rochester, MN. I could imagine how harsh the winters are going to be out there... There are so many bugs on the highway too in the summer.... it's baddd

omg its nate

Yeah once you get out of the twin cities the bugs are bad.

LILBENZ230

I can see not driving the car in 6 inches of snow, but not driving it in winter at all? No way. The car was cold-weather tested and should be fine. Plus the 2006 year cars are properly galvanized and rusting shouldn't be a concern.

Dingleberry

put some sta-bil fuel stabilizer in the tank

omg its nate

Come up here in the winter.

No one that has nice cars drives them in the winter up here. The salt and sand on the roads really messes up the car and RWD with ice and snow don't mix. I don't take any chances.

C230 Sport Coup

Old school wisdom used to be, to pull the plugs, pour a tablespoon of oil in each cylinder,
so they don't rust while sitting.
Put it up on jackstands so the tires don't get flat spots,
put the battery on some sort of trickle charger and a timer.
If it's going to be unattended, and depending the climate, I'd also get a 'desiccant'
bag at the local hardware store, it sucks up moisture, keep your interior from getting musty. And cover the car to protect it.
I'd also try to park it with as little fuel in the tank as possible. Like on reserve.
Syphon it off if you have to, put it in a vehicle you will drive.

When you're ready to drive it, get a 5 gallon gas can of fresh fuel before starting.
Longer periods, drain the tank.

And I'd start with fresh oil....either drain and fill before leaving, or after.
I don't think it matters, if it's just sitting.
Check the belts etc before starting.

Glyn M Ruck

All good advice apart from draining the tank. You are going into a cold period. Fill the tank to the brim so no condensation takes place in the air space on tank walls. With a full tank in cold weather you won't loose the light ends of the fuel & the car will start fine after the layup. You can do the other things but probably overkill for 4 months.

Moisture in the fuel system will do more expensive damage than any other types of neglect.