Rob, could you clarify this statement? It implies to me that you install the chrome trim after the window in in place. But that is contrary to my understanding. I haven't done this yet, so perhaps my understanding is wrong.

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1968 220D, w115, /8, OM615, Automatic transmission.
My 1987 300TD wagon was sold and my 2003 W210 E320 wagon was totaled (sheds tear).

I've got a 76' 240D and I'm looking to replace both my front and rear window seals. I've already got the OEM seals, and researched the hell out of how to remove/replace the seals. This forum has been a wealth of information in that regard!

But how do I remove the interior a-pillar trim (pic 1) and the headliner trim (pic 2)?

Also, do I need to remove the exterior a-pillar chrome trim (pic 3) as well is the rear pillar exterior trim? Thankfully, I found the pages in the service manual for that stuff.

Does the dash have to come out (pic 4)? Seems to run pretty close to the seal.

And lastly, does the interior plastic piece that sits just behind the bottom rear window seal need to come out (pic 5)? If so, how does that come off?

Ack!....so many questions...thanks for reading, hopefully the pics were helpful. Can't wait to be able to take the car out on the road when it's over 0% chance of rain!

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76' 240D

The A-pillar trim is held on by a couple of clips. Tug it off, pulling towards the rear, starting at the top. Takes a little english as you pull, but you'll get the feel. Not sure about the top trim. If there are no visible fasteners, then it probably snaps off by moving it forward.

Front: Don't try to take that piece off. It does make getting the windshield out and back in much more difficult, but it's a can of worms that you don't want opened.

Rear: Not sure. If it isn't locked in to the window seal, then it's probably best left in place.

No.

Yes, and be careful with that one. It's steel, not plastic, but it is covered by the a thin bit of vinyl film that is probably dried out and ready to fall off. It's very fragile. My memory is a little fuzzy on this one, but I believe that there are a couple of screws holding it down. You have to pull the rear seat back, then the hat shelf. The hat shelf carpet is glued to a thin fiberboard that has a couple of tabs that lock into that vinyl covered steel piece. You'll see where the screws are once the hat shelf is out.

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'79 240D

Phew, happy to hear that I don't have to muck with the exterior chrome, that stuff looked light a nightmare judging from the manual...prying and bending metal, never fun.

I'll be sure to post some pics of the vinyl-covered-metal-thing removal for future DIYers.

Thanks for all the help!

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76' 240D

So, I know I asked about the A-pillar chrome, and Left Coast said it didn't need to come out. But what about the chrome that runs underneath the bottom of the front and rear windshields (pic 1 & pic 2), does that need to come off?

I see the screws on the front-portion of the rear windshield chrome (pic 3). The the front windshield chrome has a screw in each side (pic 4), but it's inaccessible unless the exterior a-pillar chrome is removed.

Thoughts?

Chrome chrome chrome...so pretty...so delicate

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76' 240D

My frame of reference is an older style W114 coupe, so the trims are a bit different. Therefore you should take this with a little bit of caution.

Notice how the gasket lip overhangs the chrome trim piece at the bottom, both front and rear? That indicates that those pieces don't lock into the rubber. They don't need to be removed in order to get the glass out or in. Installing them after the glass is in is probably not going to go very well. Since the front trim on my vehicle is similar but not identical, and the rear piece is non-existent, I'm not 100% certain about that, but I'm very confident that I'm not giving you bad advice. It will become more obvious that I'm correct, or incorrect, when you get things loosened up, but before you get into deeper trouble.

I should also caution you that the front windshield is especially difficult to work with on this car, and it is especially difficult to get the new gasket water tight. You might want to consider hiring a pro to do this job. I did mine once, about 10 years ago and both front and back are holding up well, but I'll gladly pay a shop to do them if I still have the car when they need replacement.

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'79 240D

I've got loose trim pieces from a W115, the lower ones that fit front and rear glass. They are kinda "C" shaped, with a lip underneath that goes into barbed clips that attach to the body. Looks like these pieces come off by making sure the ends are loose and pushing them to the front (front trim) or rear (rear trim) of the car. Pics of the underside of a RH rear trim piece attached for reference, just in case.

As for the A-Pillar trim on the inside of the car, it's held in place by those barbed clips too, and it looks like you need to pull them back to remove. I attached a pic of the steel backing of a LH side trim piece and the spot where the lower clip attaches.

Sometimes seeing what's underneath is helpful, FWIW.

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- Greg -
1973 220D, The Prodigal Benz
1974 240D

Thanks for the pics gmog. I actually just got that stuff off yesterday. Pulling the chrome pieces off at the base of the window was a little scary. You really got to yank on those things!

LeftCoast: I hear you about not wanting to remove that chrome at the base. I had to pull mine off to get the window out, as the previous owner had coated the old seal in some hard epoxy. So this combined with how hard the seal was meant we had to cut out the window from the bottom (pic 1), it just wasn't going to budge. There was too much epoxy between the seal and the lower chrome. I didn't want to torque the window forward and risk snapping it at the base. I'll try putting the chrome trim at the base back in before the install of the new seal. Hopefully that'll prevent the issue of not being able to get it back on post-install

But we've got both windows out and are presently cleaning and prepping the edges of the body frame. There was a ton of old seal/epoxy that had stuck itself onto the frame. Tried using WD40, and then had to step it up a notch with some GooGone automotive. I cannot imagine what a shop would have charged me, because cleaning the old crap off took about 4 hours.

There are some spots where the old seal had pulled off paint (pic 2). I'm going to hit that with some Por 15. Also there are areas of the frame where the metal is a bit warped or not totally smooth(pics 3 & 4). I'm wondering if I should try and fill those with some heavy viscosity rust paint. I've got some miraclepaint (basically Por 15, but way heavier), I'm thinking that might do the trick. Although the other side of me thinks that these little imperfections came that way from the factory, so perhaps it was good enough for them and the rubber will just shape over it.

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76' 240D

That's great that you got the glass out intact despite the complications. Removing the glass and cleaning up what's left behind is the biggest part of the job, and IMHO it is far less likely to break going in than coming out. Hope the rest of the job goes well.

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'79 240D

So we got the front glass in last night. Put the seal on the window, put the chrome in the seal, and rope pulled it on real nice!

The back however is giving me issues. We got the seal onto the window and I noticed that it was a little loose around the top. Then I tried putting the chrome in. The sides would go in fine, but I couldn't ever get the corners of the chrome into the seal. I tried everything....When the seal bends at the upper corners, the channel is just too tight to get the chrome in.

So i tried putting the chrome into the seal first, then seal on the window. With the seal off the window, I couldn't even get the chrome into those top corners. The bend in the chrome is so tight compared to the shape of the seal, and I can assure you this chrome is the perfect shape, it was not bent at all when removed.

The chrome went right into the front seal no problem. The front seal had bends in the top and bottom that both matched the curvature of the window. However the top bends in this rear seal are so rounded (see pics). So I'm getting the feeling like I got the wrong seal shipped to me. Does anyone have any memory of what the rear seal for a w115 sedan should look like?

The part # on the bag says A 115 678 08 20, which is the correct rear seal part # for a 76 240D Sedan. But looking at the EPC, that seal looks like it should have some hard bends in the top...and when I look at the seal used in the Coupe, it doesn't....I'm beginning to suspect that the classics center bagged the wrong seal. I've contacted them, and lets hope that's the case...

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76' 240D

Cool on the front glass! I assume your pull started from overlapping rope ends in the middle at the bottom, then around the bottom corners, then the top corners and finally over the top? Or another starting point? The only time I busted a windshield was by starting around one end, and not going around from bottom to top.

Looks like you'll be installing that lower trim afterwards. I bet it's not a problem fishing that rubber lip out over the top of the trim as you press it home. I think this is how it's "supposed" to be done anyway. There doesn't seem to be enough room for the seal/window assembly to get down into the gap between the trim and body for the pull with that lower trim in place, not that I've tried.

I am curious about what you had to do to remove the wind deflectors on either side of the windshield.

And yeah, I bet you got the wrong seal for the rear. A coupe's upper corners aren't near as tight:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/xbxg/11390167106

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- Greg -
1973 220D, The Prodigal Benz
1974 240D

Did you use any type of sealant during installation?

I did not use any type of sealant during the installation. There seems to be conflicting opinions on whether to use sealant or not. My front seal is totally leak free, however my rear has a little leak in it. So I am going to be shooting some sealant in there in the next day or so.

MB has there own sealant you can get, but people on the forum are pretty sure it's the same as "3M 08509 Auto Bedding and Glazing Compound". So ordered a tube of that from Amazon and will be giving that a shot. I'll update the thread with my results (along with a giant how-to I made of how to remove/install all the chrome moldings for the w115 windows)

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76' 240D

Thanks for the info. I'll be waiting for that how-to before I install mine. I've read a lot about the problematic chrome mouldings!