Hi all,

I had to go overseas for what was expected to be 4 months and turned into almost 2 years. I had gotten into a fender bender with my X308 shortly before leaving and left the car parked. The battery is no good and I found a transmission leak. I did not remove the fluids because I expected to be home much sooner. I need help figuring out what steps I should take before trying to start the vehicle. I plan to drain the fuel, change the oil, and service the transmission. What advice can anyone give on other steps that may be necessary? Thanks for the help in advance yall!

 

Brakes may need attention (e.g. sticking piston) as well as needing fresh fluid.

I'd change the coolant.

Inspect carefully for signs of rodent or other infestation.

Also check for damp/water e.g. carpets, trunk (boot).

If it has a/c it may have leaked and seals may need replacing - check later.

I suspect you should crank the engine with the fuel pump disabled, having first put a little oil into each bore.

Tyres may be flat-spotted beyond hope but may be OK once driven.

 

Jag V8,

Thanks for the advice. I replaced the coolant and oil the day before I left, should I still change? Tires have decent pressure, i surely hope they are good.

Should i remove the coils and plugs add oil before I start?

Will I need to bleed the breaks or just add fluid?

No water or rodents luckily.

My plan was to get it started and drive to the mechanic. I dedinatelt do not want to cause any engine damage during the process.

 

I think my major concern would be the stale 2-year-old gasoline in the gas tank. Depending on how empty/full the gas tank is, I would try to siphon what is in there, and fill with fresh high octane gas, plus plenty of Stabil etc.

 

If they haven't been done, I'd at least drain some of the coolant and replace the 2 coolant lines going under the SC. That's one of those things often forgotten until they leak in short time. Also check the main coolant hoses for pliability.

Definitely replace that fuel and fuel filter.

If you have a code scanner, check for any prior codes you may have forgotten you left behind.

Put WD40 on the door/trunk seals to freshen them up. Just spray it on a rag and wipe them with it.

Confirm your battery cables have no corrosion on them, if they do....replace them, you won't get the corrosion completely out and it will cause the car to work harder to maintain its electrical levels. Plus it will kill your battery again and give you weird codes you'll be chasing for the wrong reasons.

 

For sure flush the brake fluid. Its supposed to be done every two to three years anyway and that's purely a calendar based expiration date as it goes bad over time.

 

If the mechanic is fairly close you may get away with a subset of the changes but why not have it towed there.