i will be storing my 1997 300D in my garage this winter (owned car 5 months.) are there any special things i need to do with the fuel, battery, etc.? has a bose 8 speaker system, are there any radio locks or something that disconnecting the battery would affect?

Five winter months in a garage is nothing. Fill tank and add stabilizer (for peace of mind). Change oil and coolant (for peace of mind). Get a battery tender and plug in. You can also put the car up on jack stands to take stress off the tires.

Now if it were mine, I'd just fill the tank and change the oil. Hook up the battery tender and call it a winter.

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82 300D....went to MB heaven
90 350 SDL....excercising con rods

You can avoid all the storage "to do's" by just sending it to Texas until the snow clears.

What's teh tire dry rot conditions up there? Besides what's been mentioned, I'd wipe down the tires w/ a good tire conditioner. THe jack stand idea is a good one. Tires will get a flat spot in just a few weeks sometimes.

I just give mine a good clean and back it into the garage, plug in the battery tender and give tender kisses every so often.

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'85 300SD (formerly california emissions)
'08 Chevy Tahoe
'93 Ducati 900 SS
'79 Kawasaki KZ 650
'86 Kawasaki KX 250
'88 Kawasaki KDX200
'71 Hodaka Ace 100
'72 Triumph T100R

I like that idea - I'll keep it in my garage for you, and I'll even drive it 700 miles a week or so to keep the fluids loose.

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- Brian


1989 500SEL Euro
1966 250SE Cabriolet
1958 BMW Isetta 600

I'd jack it up or put a junk set of tires on it. Come spring you may find your tires have flat spots on them. Also either taking the battery out or hooking it up to a tender is a very good idea.

You should change the oil. Old oil will absorb mosture and form acids.

Thats about it I'd clean it up real nice and wax it before storage, that way next spring you just have to dust it off and go.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

What's a battery tender?

A small battery charger that senses when the battery's voltage drops and slowly brings it back up.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

A trickle charger for the battery. It can be left connected indefinitely without overcharging the battery.

If I store my car and then go away for an extended time, I don't like leaving a battery tender connected - I worry about it overheating and somehow causing a fire.

So, I just disconnect the battery cables after first fully charging the battery. Problem is, that the radio and maybe the on-board computer "forget" their settings.

But, in the Spring, I just reconnect, reset the radio and away we go. The computer seems to work Ok, but sometimes the windows don't work properly - have to reset them with the remote, but I forget exactly how this is done.

If you leave the car (ours is an E320, gasser) for 4 weeks, the battery dies. There is a lot of stuff still connected even although everything is turned off. In the Spring when I reconnect, I am always surprised by the arc when I reconnect the clamps. If there was any gas around, it would be VERY dangerous. Have even thought about using one of those clamps with built in switch, but they won't fit in battery compartment.

That doesn't sound right. Are you sure you don't have a short someplace? I'm surprised there would be enough load to cause and arc with the ignition off. Have you tried measuring the current between the battery post and the clamp?

Well figure for the E320 the clock, radio, and alarm need juice all of the time. Not to mention various computers.

Even my SDL draws on the battery. The radio, clock, and alarm need power.

It is getting to the point where you don't want to disconect the battery.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Fill the tank with fresh fuel and change the oil. Wash and wax it. Put a battery tender (not a trickle charger) on it. Open all the windows a couple of inches or so or. Cover it with a couple of old soft sheets. Place a couple of mouse traps around the area. Do not occasionally start it unless you intend to drive it until it's warm.

When the time comes, remove the sheets, disconnect the bat maintainer and drive away.

Believe me, No shorts - It's just the way the new cars are - lots of stuff runing of battery even when engine is not being run.

Battery will go flat in about 1 month if it is not charged.

And if you disconnect battery, you have to reset a few things. One of those solar chargers might be enough to keep up with drain. Must look into that!