I only have one car so I have to drive my BEnz in the winter, but if I were to buy another it would have to be a Benz. Now if I had a really nice 560SL or an older collector/show car there is no way it would ever see rain or snow. My 420SEL will have been exposed to its 15th winter this year, 13 of those in Halifax where you can mix the salt air in with the salt on the roads (lived 2 minutes from the water) and the other 2 in Toronto. Krown rust treatment is keeping the car in good shape combined with regular washing to get the salt off. I'm not in a heated garage, but it is generally warmer than the driveway.

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Jason Priest
1999 E430
1995 E420 - retired
1986 420SEL - retired

420SEL,

What is the Krown rust treatment? I am also looking for a good rust proof shop here in Ottawa, what all I've found were those cheap oil spray things. I also called Mercedes dealer, they seemed didn't suggest aftermarket annual rust proofing, their bodyshop don't do it either themselves.

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99 BMW 540i 6-speed 110K Km
03 SAAB 9-5 wagon 80K Km
92 400E (Sold) 245K km
Still missing the days with the Benz, it kept me busy.

This is my first posting to the list. I just got my 190E 2.3L(87) a few weeks ago. My dad had a 69 280S which he started to drive in winter and always regretted.I drove it for a few years before it died of rot. All that is left is a shiny chrome grill which hangs on my wall. He now drives his 78 240D spring -fall. Although I live in Montreal where the winters can be nasty, it really hasn't snowed much yet. I had it oiled right away, but I park it in our heated garage over night.Will rinsing with a hose each night help, or do I actually have to soap it down?
I put some good snow tires on the back , but the front ones aren't great. How important is it to have descent fronts on a 2.3L 190E?

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1987 190E 2.3L (Daily Driver)
1985 VW Scirocco (Mint-Summer)

I've always thought braking and steering more important than accelerating. If I was to put only two snow tires on, which I'd NEVER do, I'd put them on the front, not the back. You're asking for a collision with poor front tires.

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John Shellenberg
1998 C230 "Black Betty" 240K

http://img31.exs.cx/img31/4050/tophat6.gif

This will be the first winter my car hasn't been driven in the winter. I oiled sprayed the car even though it has been in the garage since November 3rd, exactly 1 year and 1 day from when I bought the car (November 2000). I didn't oil spray my car last winter after what I had heard about Mercedes rust proofing techniques and after talking with my dealer. Light corrosion on the suspension pieces was the result. I definitely recommend you have it done. It will save surface oxidation, your brake lines, your fuel lines etc... I washed my car every 2/3 days last winter partly because I was concerned about the salt spray, and partly because I'm very anal about my car. I also wiped the door sills after every car wash (touchless 2 per week, U-SPRAY-IT in between) just because I must have them spotless (including the hinges and I spray the rubber wire covers with silicone spray) also wiping down the door sills will prevent your doors from being frozen shut if you put the car away wet. My father found this out the hard way when I was little. If you don't like to clean the car religiously, spray the bottom door sills lightly with PAM cooking oil, it will stay on and prevent corrosion. It is also good for the weather stripping too!
Keep them shinnin' boys!
Later,
Mike McKinney

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1989 300CE - 269,000 km
1994 SL600 - 59,000 km

Since you asked.

http://www.krown.com/ A Canadian Company.

Supposed to be good. They will drill holes in your car however.
Gary

I read one report where a car rusts twice as fast for every 10 degrees F temperatire rise. To understand the how fast this is, rust would increase at a rate of 2 to the 5th power or 32 times as fast for a difference of 20 to 70 degrees F. Therefore I would never recommend keeping a car in a heated garage in the winter if it is driven on salt covered roads.

Washing is a joke. That only washes salt off the surfaces not where it does the most damage, inside body panels, electrical parts, brake lines, exhaust parts, ETC.

I would rather never change the oil than drive my good MB on salt covered roads.

P E H

Well, I beg to differ. I have driven all my MB's on heavily salted roads, and have no problems whatsoever with rust. Even after more than 10 years of winters. I can't imagine not changing my oil for that long!!

Taking your car to a "standard" car wash does little good. Just hosing off the exterior is not a preventative measure. Go to a wand wash, and prepare to get dirty. You've got to get the bottom of the car as clean as possible. It's not a 100% gaurantee, but we do the best we can.

It also comes down to preference for driving. MB cars, for the most part, are not collector's cars. The depreciate in value over time, and age whether driven or not. My late-model MB's are terrific winter cars, with powerful heaters, heated seats, enormous batteries, heated washer jets and fluid, and so on. If after 15 years, my car begins to rust, well, so be it. It'll probably have 500,000 kilometers on it anyway.

As you might have guessed, I have little regard for garage-queens.

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John Shellenberg
1998 C230 "Black Betty" 240K

http://img31.exs.cx/img31/4050/tophat6.gif

RE: Snow Tires

Optimum year-round traction is best achieved with 4 tires that are identical in tread design and as close as possible in treadwear (another reason to rotate tires on a regular basis). 190E's are not the king of the road on ice. Don't play around with worn tires on this car. For those who insist on only using 2 snow tires in winter, well, pick your poison. Put them on the rear and end up grille-first in the snowbank. Put them on the front (especially on pre-ABS vehicles) and watch how the increased front wheel traction coupled with the relative absence of good lateral traction from the back tires causes the car to fishtail or spinout entirely when you try to brake firmly on a slippery surface. I would rather tackle an icy road on 4 all-seasons than with a mix of snow and summer tires. Having driven through 26 fun-filled mountain winters, I've been there, done that, and have learned my lessons.

My family owned a 190E 2.3 for several years. Even with four Vredesteins on the rims, it was never anyone's first pick to drive after a snowstorm!

As for heated garages....heat it to 60+ and you will not get rust. The worst temp is 20-50. At this temp the rust goes crazy. As for driving any car on these roads around here is enough to drive any MB lover to drink. It is like parking your pride and joy in a desert sand storm. The paint disappears and the windshield goes opac. If this doesn't bother you then enjoy.

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Mark
82 300SD 110k
91 Caprice SS
92 Jetta TD
97 Cadillac Concours(300hp)
84 Celebrity 4.3L diesel

since this has become a canuck thread, shall
we move on to the more lively subject of motor oil.

i live in vancouver and bought Castrol 10W30 at canadian tire
today. will change oil tomorrow, any violent reaction to my
choice of motor oil?

Yes, you should have gone to Castrol Syntec 5W50. I am using it with wonderful results. Decreased leaks and less oil consumption.
P E H

good for you PEH! i've tried that route two years ago.
after a week, oil leaked everywhere. switched back to
dino 20W50, leak gone.

bigger mistake is instead of throwing expensive syn oil,
poured it over my old chevy. it destroyed all gaskets.
car will now be donated to charity, if anyone will ever take it.

it is amassing how extremely different cars react to synthetic
oil.

Do you know of a good mechanic in Ottawa? How about a source for used parts. There is a very good Krown distributor on Woodroff, just north of Meadowlands.Hope this helps, Dave

My dad had a 1969 230 and after four years the shock absorbers had rusted right through the inner fenders. He bought himself a welder and started repairing the rust but couldn't keep up with it. The car was rusting faster than he could weld! Ended up being towed to the dump. He swears that Mercedes must have used recycled steel that year! He used to be in the steel business in Montreal by the way. Small world?... Dave