weird starting problem

[damien13]

hi i only drive my sl420 once a week its allways in the garage but i have noticed that if the weather is cold below 4c she wont start then iput on the fan heater on under the engine for 40 minutes and she starts first time
also i take her for a 15mile run all motorway so the battery is charged any advice please
regards damien

 

[grasmere]

is it turning over well but just not firing up ?

 

[sebastianforbes]

hi there

i do not wish to be alarmist but i wouldn't advise an electric heater under the engine. it will dry out all your rubber seals. i use to do that in my old garage and i never solved the oil leak - i was advised to replace them all because there was no way of knowing exactly which one was leaking. my 300te which is only used once or twice a month has the same problem as yours because it sits still getting colder and colder. what i do is:

1) leave the car battery on trickle charge
2) open all doors a few hours before so that it will slowly warm up to ambient temp. believe me, it's colder in the garage than it is outside !

cheers

sebastian.

 

[damien13]

hi its turning over but not fireing also good point the heater under the engine didnt think how much damage it could cause
regards damien

 

[Brian WH]

hi i only drive my sl420 once a week its allways in the garage but i have noticed that if the weather is cold below 4c she wont start then iput on the fan heater on under the engine for 40 minutes and she starts first time
also i take her for a 15mile run all motorway so the battery is charged any advice please
regards damien

Could just be condensation, try spraying with WD40 or other water repellant preparation from your Garage.