Absolutely!

--EVERY W123 I have owned or seen has had the rear windshield seal leaking. It runs down inside the trunk, fills the cheeks each side and also flows forwards along the gap between wheel-arch inner and outer to the rear chassis where it meets the sills. From there it travels into the rear floor-pans....

Ive not seen a W123 that had wet FRONT carpets yet,--even when the drain-holes under the hinges blocked....

(Most UK cars corrode the rear chassis at this point, up near the spring-mounts, a Real PITA to fix, as it takes the inner wheel-arch/chassis with it--'Orrible job, often making the car a scrapper)

Best way is by new rear screen-seal rubber--although this can be expensive, and a bit fiddly. Next best way is to dry the rubber-seal out WELL and use a Good Silicone bathroom sealer both on the glass side And the body side of the seal.

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http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z...0TDnoplate.jpg

Alastair AKA H.C.II South Wales, U.K. based member

W123, 1985 300TD Wagon, 256K,
-Most recent M.B. purchase, Cost-a-plenty, Gulps BioDiesel extravagantly, and I love it like an old dog.

W114, 1975 280E Custard Yellow,
-Great above decks needs chassis welding--Really will do it this year....

I've been battling a leak in my car. I don't have time and money to repair the leaky seal. So I used a hook and pulled all of the old sealant out. Absolutely disgusting, it had the feeling of wet clay and it hadn't rained a in few days.

I did my terrible seal job and no now more leaks! I noticed that MB didn't apply any sealant to the very top of the rear window frame. I sealed it all up and waited a couple of days for it to cure.

Definitely a problem that I no longer need to worry about. It was pooling in the rear footwells. The seal on the rear window however looks like crap because I don't have a steady caulking hand

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-Typos courtesy of my mobile phone.

My thought exactly. I would be very hesitant to introduce bare metal (that has been sealed up nicely) to the elements.

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1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)

NO, NO, NO! Do not use silicone caulking for sealing against automotive paint/metal. It will cause corrosion. Your local MB dealer or online has the correct product to use. Its MB part# A 001 989 31 20 Replace the seal, use a real MB seal, and then finish it off with the MB sealant. It will not leak again. Installing a seal is not difficult just tedious and having a friend or two to help makes it much better. That and a little Dawn detergent and water in a spray bottle for lubrication. Pops right in. RT

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When all else fails, vote from the rooftops!
84' Mercedes Benz 300D Anthracite/black, 171K
03' Volkswagen Jetta TDI blue/black, 93K
93' Chevrolet C2500HD ExCab 6.5TD, Two-tone blue, 252K

But the silicone will not hurt the glass.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

You are correct. However the MB sealant is extremely aggressive, much more so than silicone. Works great on the glass/seal side as well. Black in color and matte finish when dry so it looks correct. RT

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When all else fails, vote from the rooftops!
84' Mercedes Benz 300D Anthracite/black, 171K
03' Volkswagen Jetta TDI blue/black, 93K
93' Chevrolet C2500HD ExCab 6.5TD, Two-tone blue, 252K

Have identified corroded area on the firewall from the battery leaking, flooding front passenger floor on my '84 300D. Had same issue w/ an '83 that a body mechanic fixed for me...possible to fix w/out welding?

Thnx.

It depends on how bad your holes are, but here's how I repaired mine on both sides without welding:

Hood Hinge Drain Rust Repair

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Chad
2006 Nissan Pathfinder LE
1998 Acura 3.0 CL
OBK#44
"Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work." - Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)

SOLD
1985 300TD - Red Dragon
1986 300SDL - Coda
1991 - 300TE
1995 - E320
1985 300CD - Gladys