Mercedes-Benz Ponton
Winter or Long Term Storage

by Ray Ilich

Essential

• Change the oil
• Change the brake fluid
• If two years or older, change the antifreeze
• Empty the gas tank, and run the engine dry of gas; Or put stabilizing compound in the gas and run the car until you are sure it has reached the carburetor(s).
• Remove the plugs and squirt less than a teaspoon of medium weight engine oil into each cylinder. Turn over the engine over a few times without starting it to spread the oil. Re-install the plugs.
• Put the car on jack stands to get the weight off the tires, so they won't get flat spots
• Remove the battery from the car, put a trickle charger on it
• Put mothballs in key points in the car (passenger compartment, under the hood, behind the heater intake, trunk) to help keep out mice and moths
• Plug the tail pipe and carburetor air intake sufficiently to keep out mice and moisture
• Empty windshield washer reservoir, or add windshield fluid antifreeze to prevent freezing
• Keep the car in a dry place, out of the sun. At the very least, cover it with a thick, breathable cover. It would be best to keep it in a dry garage. Either way, make sure the car can breath, to avoid condensation.

  Optional

• Change the transmission fluid
• Change differential fluid
• Clean interior and treat surfaces with leather, vinyl, or wood protectant as appropriate
• Open the windows about a half an inch, to facilitate breathing