PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum - View Single Post - No one will replace my windshield gaskets :(

dieseldiehard · #8 03-16-2005, 07:56 PM

I hope they don't sell you an aftermarket seal. There IS a difference. I have one on my W115 and it doesn't fit at one upper corner. The rear was changed using a pro and I supplied him an OE seal (from the dealer). He refused to use an aftermarket seal because of such poor fit.
Note! There is no sealing compound necessary with these gaskets. Using any sealant is only recommended because some safety official somewhere (in the State of Calif perhaps?) decided that the front seal should be glued on with an acrylic cement to prevent the whole window from coming out in the event a passenger (or the driver) wasn't wearing seat belts and hit the window with their head in a crash. That was what a window glass place told me, it was their policy from which they could not deviate due to "legal requirements".
I asked an indy installer about that and he said sealant of any kind (RTV on the outside included) makes any future R&R much more difficult should another glass need to be installed someday. So I let him do his thing w/o any adhesive, he didn't have to follow some corporate orders anyhow. YMMV

What I know for certain is that if the installer is experienced he won't generally break a glass, maybe rarely if there is fatigue in an old window glass it can fail so they will remind you that they only warrant a new window glass installation, replacing seals is at the owners risk.

An installer that has to hit on the window to get the last corner inserted is the kind of person you don't want (I witnessed such an event once, not on my car thankfully!)
Modern windows where you squirt RTV around (new glass comes with it already in place) and press it down and the job is done is the norm. Almost anyone can do that. Roping an MB window seal is something that has to be learned thru experience.
Good luck, let us know what the NM glass place does.