The biggest storage risk is RODENT DAMAGE!

I've been storing my '88 190E 2.6 for 5-7 months per year for the last 15 years, and have never had any problems.

I have "mouse bars" in the corners of the single car garage and place a trap behind each wheel, which have nailed a couple of mice over that time period.

Since I'm down to about 500 miles per year while the car is in service I'm changing the oil every two years, but if your oil has more than 1000 miles change it before storage, and then it's good to go the full distance when you bring the car back into service.

Fill the fuel tank with fresh fuel. I have never used any kind of "stabilizer".

Fill the tires to the maximum cold inflation pressure placarded on the sidewall or at least 35 psi and expect about one psi per month loss.

I always wash and detail just before storage.

Since I use the same battery in the other car while the 190 is in storage, battery maintenance is not an issue. If you leave the battery in the car disconnect at least one cable. Before attempting to start fully charge the battery even if you have to remove it to gain access to a 115V outlet for the charger.

The windows are closed and I push the "O" button on the Tempmatic which closes the system to air. When I open the doors to retrieve it from storage I can detect "new car smell" from the Tex. lt has a double car cover, and I also place a large plastic sheet over the cover just to keep dust off. As long as the storage environment never has condensing humidity, it's okay to use plastic.

Short term storage - say no more than a year - is not a big deal and just requires a few simple preparation items, but most guys don't worry about rodents and sometimes pay a price. They love to chew on wiring harnesses which are very expensive to replace. The Web is full or horror stories.

Duke