lubricant for sliding room w123 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

#1 05-14-2003, 06:09 PM

Any suggestions on the best lubricant for the tracks? Silicon spray, vasaline, WD-40/light oil spray?

Steve

Richard Eldridge · #2 05-14-2003, 07:48 PM

what isa sliding room?
could you mean the sliding sunroof?

There is a special grease that Mercedes sells for the w124 sunroof. It is sold in 5-lb. jars. Some parts shops will sell you a 35 mm photo canister of it, basically a lifetime supply, for around $4.00 here.

I sprayed white lithium grease on everywhere metal touches metal of my w123 wagon, and then slid it back and forth for about 10 minutes. Now it is really limber and I can slide it back and forth with one hand.

Good luck.

psfred · #3 05-14-2003, 07:57 PM

Use the sliding sunroof paste, nothing else will work properly. If white lithium was good, MB would have used it (they specify it for hinges and latches).

A whole tin is expensive, but you should be able to get some for a dealer or service shop, or just have them lube it for you.

Peter

Richard Eldridge · #4 05-14-2003, 10:22 PM

I was of the opinion that the special paste was needed for the electric sunroof. The w123 (or at least most of them) have a manually operated sunroof, which is a different animal.

The Lithium spray grease was probably not available in 1985.

It seems to work well, and does not seem to attract dirt and grit.

gsxr · #5 05-14-2003, 10:56 PM

The special MB lube is called "Gleitpaste" and is sold in a one pound can. Cost is about $40 wholesale and who knows what the dealer will charge retail. The 35mm canister of Gleitpaste sold by Rusty (800-741-5252) or George Murphy (Performance Analysis Co.) is plenty for a few cars. Don't use anything else, it will attract dirt and make the problem worse shortly after it gets better. Clean the tracks out first with light solvent (WD-40), wipe clean & dry, then apply the Gleitpaste. Works great!

Regards,

psfred · #6 05-15-2003, 09:33 PM

Spray lithium certainly was available in 1985! I bought some then.

Use the MB paste, they don't specifiy lubricants on a random basis. It's about the consistance of past wax, and I suspect also dries some, leaving a relatively dry surface. It also contains some serious detergent agents, along with some stearates.

The wrong lube here will cause trouble eventually with the cable or slides.

Peter

The Warden · #7 05-15-2003, 09:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Richard Eldridge
Some parts shops will sell you a 35 mm photo canister of it, basically a lifetime supply, for around $4.00 here.

What shops sell the cannister? I've been needing to grease my sunroof for quite a while now, but haven't been able to find a small container of the stuff, and my local dealer wants like $65 for the big can...

Richard Eldridge · #8 05-15-2003, 09:53 PM

See Rusty Cullon's phone two posts above. He will sell you a 35 mm canister of this stuff for five or six bucks.

He has lower prices than most dealers on parts as well, and actually knows what parts are needed for what jobs, if you ask.

jassz · #9 05-16-2003, 09:24 PM

I made my first long, long journey to a Mercedes dealership today.

I decided to quit worrying about the key tumblers and just order another one, which you can only do at the dealer. I also got some MB coolant, and I asked about lubricating the sunroof. Now, to be honest they did tell me the 'usual guy' was off on training, and the new kid workign there didn't seem to know much. I asked about a lubricant for the sunroof, he didn't know, so when this other German fellow came along he asked him. He said just clean the dirt out and use WD40??!! I told the kid it was for a manual sunroof, but this guy may not have heard that part. I was wondering afterwards if he thought it was the track for an electric sunroof?

Any opinions on using wd40?

Natalie

Kyle Blackmore · #10 05-16-2003, 11:06 PM

Was that at Silver Star MB in Surrey , Natalie? I've asked the same question and was told to use (a) paste wax , (b) vasoline , (c) white lithium grease . All sources said less is better, clean all sliding surfaces thoroughly first and then apply a small amount of a,b, or c , then wipe down any excess. One guy said to pull and lube the drive cable while it's all apart as well. No-one here had heard of 'special sunroof paste' . Only in Canada, eh?

jassz · #11 05-17-2003, 12:12 AM

Quote:

Was that at Silver Star MB in Surrey , Natalie?

YES!! That's who you dealt with too? You were probably the one they were referring to when they said, "People are always reading about things on the internet and then coming in and asking for them." :p

Have you ever tried Vancouver Mercedes? I've talked to the guy in the parts department over the phone and he has always been very helpful. I kind of got the impression though that dealerships (here?) aren't really used to dealing with the older cars. When I was looking for a part for Mary (1973) he said, "Try this place, they carry a lot of obsolete parts."

Obsoleteness is in the eye of the beholder.

So, what DID you use on your sunroof, and did it help?

gsxr · #12 05-17-2003, 12:53 AM

You can use WD-40 to *clean* the sunroof tracks, but NOT lubricate them! Sheesh. PLEASE just get the real MB stuff... see my post earlier with the information AND the source. Almost everything else will attract dirt and gum things up. If anyone wants the part number for the 1 pound barrel of Gleitpaste, let me know and I'll dig it up (that's what I bought, btw).

Wes Bender · #13 05-17-2003, 10:33 AM

GSXR is dead right. Use WD40 for cleaning only. It isn't a lubricant. Use the right stuff to lube and you'll save yourself a bunch of trouble down the road.

Cheers,
Wes

Kyle Blackmore · #14 05-22-2003, 06:15 PM

Hi Natalie , I've dealt with Brian at Silver Star for a couple of years now and have stumped him a couple of times

, but generally his prices are cheaper than anywhere else. If you live out in the Fraser Valley, you can try Ron at Valley Eurotec in Abbotsford , he sells dealer parts and has a lot of stock on hand , he also has some used parts as well . As far as my sunroof goes , I have been procrastinating doing it for a while now, but I was going to try Fluid Film on it , just a light coat then wiped down .

samiam4 · #15 05-22-2003, 07:46 PM

If your friendly with your dealer...

Ask them for a little slide lube=) All the techs probably have a 1 kilogram jar on there work bench. Give them a water or coffee cup and get a finger full for free!!

Michael