I just dropped by the local MB dealer bodyshop to get a quote on fixing rust in the same spot on my W126.

The bodyshop manager has been there for years and knows his stuff. He has painted my car before and knew exactly where to look for rust spots on W126's, etc.

He insists the gasket can be reused. I thought that was kind of weird, but he said they always reuse them unless there are visible cracks or if they are rotted.

I was quoted 3hrs to remove & reinstall the back glass, so that should give you an idea. He said the rear interior panels (as hatterasguy pointed out) need to be removed. Both apparently need to be removed since the heated element has two connectors, not just one.

He said to be VERY careful while the glass is out.. its quite fragile unless installed and very easy to crack.

You might want to have a glass shop quote you on the remove/reinstall and do the rest of the work yourself.

I was quoted C$180 to remove/reinstall (using existing gasket) and C$200-250 to sand all of the rust, treat it properly, then repaint both rusty areas. Mine is bubbling out from under the gasket and now reaches about 1/2" away from the gasket edge. The rust spot is about 3" wide (the visible part anyway.. I'm sure there is more!)

I figured for the C$500 it wasn't worth it trying to screw with the glass, risk breaking it, sand & repaint rust, etc. My point is you may want to check with an MB dealer or VERY good shop.. it may not be worth your time to mess with it.

Hope this helps!

Neal

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'83 300SD 335,000km (207k) mi SOLD
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'86 300SDL 356,000km (220k mi) SOLD
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I would replace any gasket that is over 5 years old. I don't want any leaks or to have to re do the job.

My local body shop wanted $800 to pull the glass and replace the chrome trim and rear seal. But they said to fix the rust they would have to cut it out and weld in new metal. Their a resto shop, and their right that is the proper way to fix it but I don't have $3k now to spend on that. So I will just grind it down and paint it for now.

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2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

I looked at an 89 560SEL that had a 2" long spot at the base of the window. The car being sold by an MB Indy and they called the shop they use. They would charge about $650 to do the job. I think they said they'd actually have a glass guy come in to pull and replace the glass and that definitely included a new gasket.

~Bill

Locally, a body shop quote me $200 for the job, reusing the seal. But he said he will grind down the metal and use fiberglass sheet to fill in. He did my front windshield, replacing it with a new one (was badly cracked), sand down all the rust, paint new primer and reseal it due to water leakage for $299. I guess I can't complain.

John

I had the rear window replaced on my '85 380SE by a local auto glass specialty shop (Standard Auto Glass, Canadian, don't know if they are in the U.S. too). I dropped the car off after the glass arrived and they had it installed in under 2 hours.
They did call to let me know about a rust spot hidden by the seal on the lower lip, which I went over and treated myself with some steel wool and metal prep. They applied a coat of glass primer, re-used the rubber seal after cleaning it up, and the whole job, including glass, was about $500.00 CDN.
I brought the shop manual over to provide details of interior panel removal, glass removal and install procedure, etc. The guy told me after that he didn't even have to take out the package shelf, just pulled back the side panel to reveal the heater wire connection and that was that, no leaks at all over the summer (done in April).
There's a HUGE difference in the price of OEM glass and aftermarket. The only visible difference is the heater wires. The MB version had a large number of fine wires running vertically. The glass from India had thicker wires running horizontally. I know some have posted here that the fit is not always as good with the non-OEM either, but mine seems OK. The price differential was about $900.00+, so I'm living quite contently with the latter design, which is fine for a car that never sees winter here anyway.

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1986 560SL
2002 Toyota Camry
1993 Lexus

But you want to use an oe seal. The aftermarket ones are junk and not much cheaper.

__________________
2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

I had my (leaking) gasket replaced on my 560SEC last week. I had an indy auto glass shop do the work.

The dealer here in Portland quoted 4.6 hours (nearly $500) for the job in addition to the part $99. The indy shop did it for $125 and they went above and beyond the pale by sealing it with extra stuff.

The 126 rear window is brittle becauase it is laminated glass, and thus very easy to break. In general, seals should not be re-used. To be done right to minimize chances of rear window breakage, the old seal should be carefully cut away so as not to damage or nick (introduce a weak spot) into the laminated rear window. Rust should be checked and treated if necessary. Then a new gasket/sealer should be used and the window replaced. This is a several hour job by a competent shop.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,
Gerry

Why would that be? Does the rust penetrate into the metal to the point that you can't grind it all off without grinding a hole into the body? Besides that, aren't welds pretty susceptible to rust themselves?

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OBK #55

1998 Lincoln Continental - Sold
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Well usualy their is no metal left. The right way to fix bad rust is to cut it away. If you grind it, it does come back...or you run out of metal to grind.

I just sent Brian the part number for the metal piece below the rear windsheild on the W126. They are cheap like $75, and when I bought mine Mercedes only had like half a dozen left in stock, period. So if you plan on having W126's for awhile it wouldn't be a bad idea to get one or two just in case.

I figure if I never use it, I'll sell it for $200 when Mercedes doesn't have them anymore.

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2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200