I can't find the posting right now, but someone else posted something like this recently- they had purchased a car that had been sitting unused for some time... etc. There were some real good suggestions posted, I don't think it is older than a month.
As far as car mechanics? If I ever have questions about ANYTHING, (including automobile stuff)
www.howstuffworks.com is the BEST site. Chances are you'll find something about whatever you're looking for.