Gremlin9

Ok, so here is my situation...

I have a 2013 C63 that I have owned for 5 years

It has 25,000 miles on it

It hasn't had an oil change in 2.5 years (at 12,000 miles)

It has sat in my garage (not heated) for the past 8 months without being started.

Should I drive it to the dealership for servicing or get it towed?

If I drive it, after jumping the battery, is there anything I should do as a precaution to prevent any potential damage to the car?

Thanks for any advice!

realjones88

If it's in your garage I would change the oil first. Yeah it'll be cold, but it should all be in the oil pan anyway and you'll get most of it.

Check the tires to make sure they haven't flat spotted.

If it doesn't start you might need fresh gas too.

Gremlin9

If I don't change the oil, is it still safe to drive ten miles to the dealership?

olszowa12

Yes, just warm up the engine properly.
Just FYI, you should change the oil at least once a year even if you haven't driven the service-required miles.

AMG6.3

Yes you will be fine to drive car to dealership for oil change.

SteveE400

. . . Or you could give the key to one of us and we'll come drive it for you every so often. ;-)


As the others have said, you can drive it to the dealer, but do have that service done at the recommended intervals of XXX miles or 1 year, whichever comes first.

JimGnitecki

If the engine does successfully start, the 8 month old gas, assuming it was not pre-treated with a fuel stabilizer, will be pretty bad. The engine may rough rather poorly. The entire fuel system will also potentially be gummed up with deposits, with the fuel injectors themselves obviously being a prime target where any deposits will have a very detrimental effect. Some smart things to do:

- Add a fuel stabilizer to the fuel now. Even if it is "too late", it will help a bit, and will help to start to try to dissolve the deposits already formed.

- Try to get some FRESH, high octane fuel into the tank asap to help dilute the stale fuel

- Get fresh oil into the engine asap. Drive very gently until then

- Do not subject the engine to full throttle on the old, stale, now-lower-octane fuel

In an IDEAL world, you would:

- Have the car towed to the dealership
- Have the old fuel drained out
- Have fresh fuel put in
- Add an aggressive fuel stablizer that can begin to attack the deposits formed in the 8 months sitting, OR even better but obviously costly, have the entire fuel system purged and cleaned

But I realize it is not an ideal world with unlimited car maintenance costs . . .

You will also likely encounter bizarre electrical problems due to your battery being discharged and left that way. Get a NEW batteyr into the car asap, as the old battery will never recover from an 8 month discharge, and its flaky operation will screwup lots of your electrical sensor systems.

Jim G

BLKROKT

Jeez... it's a car that sat for less than a year. He's not starting up a '38 Packard found in some barn.

OP just start it up (jump the battery if you have to), and drive gently to the dealer. Have them do all required maintenance. It'll all be just fine.

Adi-Benz

...

Gremlin9

Did I permanently screw up the car?

I am driving 1000 miles next week after the car gets fully serviced -- will this help to "repair" any damage I may have done?

BLKROKT

No, you didn't screw up anything. Seriously, it's going to be totally fine.

JimGnitecki

No, no, I doubt you have done "permanent damage". You are pretty likely to need a new battery if there was no charger on it for 8 months, and the fuel system may need some cleaning or simply miles to get good again, but no, it's pretty unlikely you mortally wounded your C63.

And if you do get weird electrical gremlins, or odd dash messages, the weakened battery COULD be the cause for at least some of them.

Jim G

Nando_514

I'm surprised that gas wasn't mentioned earlier!! Honestly, the oil would be the least of your worries. Swap it out. Then prime the engine to be sure oil gets where it needs to be, before you completely start the engine and you'll be fine... Gas that has been sitting will obviously go bad. On top of that, if it hasn't been treated, it'll create moisture in the tank. If that water makes its way to the combustion chamber......... If I were you, I'd consult with the dealer before you head out. That gas could be a huge problem dude. If you've ever had any experience buying old cars/cars that have been sitting for ages, one of the first things you do is swap that gas tank.

Ask what Mercedes suggests you do and be sure to clearly convey your concerns. A little communication goes a long way. I just don't suggest you take this lightly. Just my 2cents...

BLKROKT

It's been sitting for 8 months. It's a modern car, not something that's been in a barn for decades. If the car was fine when he parked it, it'll be fine when he fires it up. The gas won't be perfect, but it will get him to the dealer. The most likely scenario is that the battery needs a jump and he'll be on his way.

You guys are scaring the OP for no reason. People do this all the time.

Nando_514

OP please don't take this advice. This guy clearly hasn't taken weather into effect. You clearly stated it sat in an unheated garage, leaving the susceptible to changing temperatures and varying levels of humidity. Depending on where you live, this should be taken into account. For example, here in New York, just last week it was in the 40's... It was 90 today. Moisture in your fuel system from a car that's been sitting is a real thing and shouldn't be down played lol. Who knows, I could be overly-cautious right now, but I genuinely wouldn't take that chance knowing the costs that could potentially come from down playing this.

Nando_514

I don't know about that BLKROKT... It's not good practice to brush something like that off lol. This car's expensive and repairs are expensive. Like I said, I could be overly cautious right now. Had this been something like a 240, or a Cressida, or a civic, I'd say **** it and let it rock... I just wouldn't chance it with a C63. I'd consult with the dealer bud... Let them make a suggestion. If they say it's fine, then it's fine. Just be sure to communicate your concerns. They're not unjustified

BLKROKT

I've had a car sit in an actual barn in PA for 6mos at a time, through seasonal changes, back when I was in college. Came home, started right up, and off I went. Many many times. And that car was highly tuned and served me well for many years.

His gas tank isn't going to be full of water. He's going to be fine. Hell, I've had my C63 sit for 4 months without starting it and it hasn't blown up yet. Get in, press the button, go.

You guys are going way overboard with this. It's a modern car with a well-sealed fuel tank and system. It's not a spaceship.

Nando_514

Okay

Jasonoff

This thread is awesome.

Jimbo Gman must have read 8 years, not months...

Adi-Benz

It will be fine. Just throw some of that stabilizer cleaner stuff in there for good measure. Its only 8 months.

m a x i m u s

OP, Fwiw, if you want to be completely safe, just have it towed. 10 miles of tow isn't that expensive. Ultimately you have to live with any damage that *may occur, so do what makes you most comfortable.

julours

I'd just check the levels, start it and drive to the dealer. 8 months is not a big deal if the car was not stored outside.

Just be soft and careful on your brakes as rust may have grown on rotors, it will need some km to shove off.

BadCompany

I agree that chances are you'll be fine. I used to store several cars in a unheated pole barn in Ohio for 8-9 months at a time between starts. These were cars that were built and tuned. Not headers, an exhaust, and a box tune. Built engine and trans, forced induction, alcohol injection, etc. Never had a problem. I'd fill up the tank with as high octane as I could get to minimize the chance of any condensation and octane degradation and it was good enough. I'd just take it easy until I could ditch the gas that was in there and get fresh stuff. Changing the oil was the least of my concerns with the car sitting for that long.

With that said, during my Lotus build, my car sat for a while in Hawaii. Started the car to tune it and it ran terrible. After some trouble shooting (we had also switched stand alones and weren't sure if that was part of the issue initially), we determined that the fuel had gone bad and gummed things up. It ruined the fuel pump (which was brand new) and clogged some of the injectors. So, it can happen.

Proceed with caution. If you are super worried, tow it, and drain the gas/oil and do whatever other stuff you want. 10 miles is cheap. Otherwise, press the button.

604 C63

Wow.

Start it up, drive to dealership. You'll be fine. Buncha nervous nellies.

Gremlin9

So it sounds like the general consensus is to top off the old gas in the tank with 93 and drive slowly to the dealership...