Leaves can hold moisture but the dust of the desert can cake in and also corrode the metal, I've found. My '78 300D came from New Mexico and had maybe 100+ lbs of compacted silt in various places in the car. In the engine bay, it turned to baked clay and I joke that it increased the structural integrity of the car.

Aside from garaging the car, weekly cleaning with a shop vac looks to be our only option.

Phil Forrest

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1972 220D "Trudy," named by a friend.

"The 220D sounds good... I suspect it is the only car that you need a calendar for, rather than a stopwatch, when doing acceleration tests."
Tom Abrahamsson