Going to leave my 300E behind...

[Rahulio1989300E]

I am going off to college this August and I will be leaving my 300E behind at home...

I asked my dad to use it on the weekends or at least drive it for 1 hour every 2-3 weeks... I have a feeling he will forget... but hopefully not... he assured me that he would, but still... he is getting old and a bit lazy....

I am trying to convince my brother to take it with him to Austin and drive it... but he invested money in a nice bike rack for his car which he uses just about every day... so he would want to install a bike rack of some sort to hold his mountain bike.... any suggestions? (I really do not want to have to mount a trailer hitch in the back....)

Should I invest in a battery quick disconnect to slow the drainage of the battery while it is not being used? My dad could easily operate one of these ...

Any other suggestions?

I do not want to sell it... I love it too much! Plus I have put quite a bit of money and my own work to revive the ride and make the car seem young again.

Thank you!
-Rahul

[wbain5280]

Good for you. You don't need the distraction of a car during your first year at college. There are far too many other distractions, the freedom from parents prying eyes, lots of like minded kids your age, drugs, girls, boose...

Remember, your parents are sending you to college for an education, not to get messed up every night and flunk out. No one is there to look out for you and make you do your homework, it's all up to you. Stay focused but have fun when appropriate.

[BENZ-LGB]

Originally Posted by wbain5280

Good for you. You don't need the distraction of a car during your first year at college. There are far too many other distractions, the freedom from parents prying eyes, lots of like minded kids your age, drugs, girls, boose...

Remember, your parents are sending you to college for an education, not to get messed up every night and flunk out. No one is there to look out for you and make you do your homework, it's all up to you. Stay focused but have fun when appropriate.

My oldest took her 300TE to school with her. It all depends on how far away from home you go to school.

Good luck and best wishes.

A little fun is OK.

But don;t overdo it.

First year is the toughest I think, then Junior year. Senior year is the best

[Saint]

Battery is easy...get a battery tender for about $14. These things are fantastic. They very mildly keep your battery fully charged, preventing boiling from overcharging...and discharge from sitting.

Get the one that has a plug for quick disconnect so if your dad does drive it, he can easily unplug it without having to pop the hood.

Another thing....fill the tank, and make sure to add gas preserve to it. After adding the preserve...make sure to drive it enough to work that "new" gas into the system.

Anything else is rather difficult, since you are not sure if your storing the car(he forgets all year to drive it ) or he drives it all the time(surprising you )

[Rahulio1989300E]

Excellent tips! Thank you!

[Kestas]

My experience with storing cars is that you can't depend on people to take care of it for you - not even family. Unless their heart is in it and they can do minimal wrenching, they'll just leave it be the first time it won't start from a weak battery.

You question is more of a people-issue than a technical issue. I recommend to simply disconnect the battery and take care of any problems when you come back home to visit (probably every 4 months?). Any problems you find won't be that bad, and you may actually find no significant problems at all. This should leave you with the least amount of grief when leaving the car behind.