My w115 is under going rust repairs, I will have to remove the the front and rear windshield in 3 days so the repair guy can access some rusted areas, I also need to remove the dash.

Is there a way to remove the lower trim first or does it go out as a whole unit (chrome trim surround and windshield)?

I think I also need to take out some interior trims on the front.

I don't mind cutting the old gasket since I will most probably replace all the rubber bits of the car when I put it back together.

Oh, please don't tell me to bring it to a pro, the nearest shop with a possibility of having a pro is about 50 miles away. I live in a third world country so pros are scarce in the areas outside the cities.

Thanks!

if it's like the W123 it comes in and out as a unit. see if you can get the factory service manual chapter that describes this before you attempt the job. what country?

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'77 240D, 504H, OM617.952, etc.

What year of car? The interior trim around the front window attaches differently depending on what year of car you have.

I believe you need to remove the A-pillar trim and the trim at the top of the window. After removing the interior trim, cut the rubber seal carefully to avoid damaging the headliner. And then push gently out. It actually is pretty easy to remove. Just don't push too hard from the inside that it pops out and gets damaged.

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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'm from the Philippines, there are a few who can do it but the car is in the province, so no luck finding a pro there. Any idea which section of the manual is it?

I've browsed just about every page of the w115 manual and couldn't find it.

1969, it's an early w115 without the chrome trim on A-pillar exterior. But there are trims on the interior too. So I'll just cut the rubber with a knife?
I'm not too worried about the headliner since I'll be replacing it anyway because of stains due to water seepage. Also, do I need to remove the the internal rear view mirror?


BTW, thanks for your inputs

Sorry, I was referring to the interior trim, which needs to be removed. Yours is early enough that I think the interior trim around the front windshield will attach with screws. They are obvious if you have them. And they make removing the trim easy and obvious. (if no screws are on the interior trim around the front windshield, let me know).

I don't actually remember if you have to remove the rearview mirror, but it is easy. It is held in with a strong spring, so you just have to pull back and down with some force, and it will pop out. I actually use a rotating motion about the base of the mirror, rotating towards the rear of the car and it pops out. Those mirrors can be delicate, so only apply force to the mirror stalk, not the plastic/glass part.

With those four pieces removed (2 A pillar and the top of the windshield is 2 pieces as well), cut some of the window seal with a utility knife from the inside of the car. You don't have to cut it all away. Just remove what you can easily and quickly. Any remaining rubber on the inside of the windshield will just bend out of the way when you push out on the window. Again, it could pop out at some point as you push on it, so be ready to catch it (a friend?) as you push.

The rear window removes in the same way. If the rubber is not hard and crusty, you can apparently remove the rear window without cutting any of the seal. It supposedly just pushes out. But the car I did this on had old, hard window seals. So I also cut it out from the inside of the car. Again, you just remove whatever rubber window seal that you can easily with a utility knife. It doesn't have to be perfect.

A lot of the exterior chrome trim will come with the windows when you remove them. I haven't installed any windows yet, but apparently it is very easy to bend the chrome pieces (aluminum actually). And once they are bent, it makes the new installation more difficult. So be careful with them so they don't get bent.

None of this shows up in the electronic version of the Factory Service Manual unfortunately.

The back of the headliner is only anchored by some glue and the rear window seal. So you will have to install your new headliner while the rear window is out of the car. Sorry if you know all that already, but I didn't want you to finish the windows and then start working on the headliner. They kind of have to occur at the same time.

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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).

Thanks for the detailed explanation, it really helps a lot trying to figure out how they're all put together. I remember seeing some screws on the interior trims, so that should be pretty straightforward. Unfortunately, my seals are already hard so I will have to cut them as you mentioned.

The w115's rear exterior chrome trims have two screws on each side by the seam of the rear door that attaches them to the body, same with the front windshield. There is also what seems to be a clip lock of some sort in the middle of the trim.

Do you also happen to know if the lower exterior chrome trims go out with the windshield as a unit?

Nothing on the exterior needs to be removed prior to window removal. Some exterior trim comes out with the window. Some stays with the car. The window, seal, and trim sorts of lifts out and up from the car, leaving some chrome still on the car. It is hard to describe, but nothing that needs attention because the exterior takes care of itself.

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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).

Ok, thanks. So this trim is left on the car? (not my car, got it from the web)

Yes, that trim is left on the car.

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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).

Thanks for your help. I was able to take the front and rear windshields today, with all the info you've shared, it was actually quite easy.

(edit) If anyone's wondering, the exterior trims are held on by metal clips. There is a 'joining' piece in the middle which can be hammered sideways with a piece of wood or plastic to avoid damaging the part. But Shortsguy1 is right, it stays on the car when removing the windshield.

Next thing to figure out is how to remove the dashboard.

/

any pics maybe?

.

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w126 500SEC gen II euro, powered by OM617 turbo stolen from 84 300SD 2.88 diff,EGR blinded
next wish/project: w114 coupe OM603 powered

The chrome trim on the outside is installed last when you put the window and seal in. The chrome trim is T shaped and it is what locks the seal (and window) in place in the end.

To reinstall you have to use a thin rope inside the seal to pull it over the edge while seating the window. Find a guide with some photos. It's a tight fit and there's good chances of cracking the windows.

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1987 300E

Thanks, I think I will have to ask a pro to do the installation then. Since I also took out the dashboard, does it go in before the windshield or is it the other way around?

Dash would go in first, then the front windshield.

An an aside, I recently stripped a w114 and decided to store the glass under my house. I have a 2-3 ft tall crawl space and pushed and shoved the front and rear glass under the house. The floor is uneven dirt/rock and I had to drag the front window because it was too heavy for me. Anyway, despite all this, none of the glass cracked. So I am hesitant to say that there is a good chance of cracking the glass during install. Clearly what I did is different from an install, but I cannot believe the installation process would be more traumatic on a piece of 45 y.o. glass than what I did. Only a single data point though (or two... since I did this both both the front and rear windshield).

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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).

As always, thanks for a very informative reply. It's good to know that these windows are quite durable. Makes me want to try and install it myself (or maybe with a helper to check the alignment while I work the rope).