I bought a new 1987 190 E 2.6 Mercedes Benz
in 1987. Drove it for many years, a great car. At 113000 miles still looks like brand new . A few years ago the car started a problem, it would not keep an steady idle. Couple of shops tried to fix it but they couldn’t.
So I left the car alone, sitting in the garage for 4 years.
Is it dead now ? or can it be revived?
It can be revived, but it’s a matter of how much you want to spend. The fuel system will be gummed up with varnish. The brakes will need work. Many rubber components will need to be replaced. If you get it running the engine will start leaking oil, because the gaskets and seals have dried out.
It’s not dead, but you didn’t do it any favors by walking away from it. That’s too bad, because 113K miles is not much on this car.
It will need a little attention, but a good shop won’t have any problem getting it running well. The fuel will be the biggest issue, but you will also want to replace all the fluids and possibly the tires. Find a good benz shop in your area and have it towed there, plan on spending $1000, or so. If you don’t want the deal with it, sell it “as is” to someone willing to put a little work into it.
Take it to a Mercedes specialist and Benz over. You have little choice other then to simply have it towed away for scrap.
For openers, it will need a new battery and the fuel system drained and flushed. Do NOT attempt to start it with the four year old gasoline (now degraded) or even more serious problems could result.
Adding to the three previous posts, the Mercedes dealer will nearly bankrupt you doing all the work that needs to be done. Find an independent mechanic who has worked on Mercedes cars; he will give you an estmate first. I agree that all the gas has to be drained, oil and filter changed, engine passibly flushed out, new battery, brakes checked. The independent mechanic can also access recycling (wrecking) yards where good used parts can be found at low prices. Things like gaskets will have to be bought new, but again the independent mechanic can shop for the best price. Because of the low mileage, the car is worth saving, but brear in mind, this model was not one of Mercedes’s best efforts, and this car was not the most reliable, but no worse thatn BMWs of that era.
Good luck!