Rear window sealing - At my wits end.. any ideas????
 

Okay, this is not the first one I have done, so, I am pretty familiar with the process of replacing the rear window seal on the W123 body. This last car REFUSES to seal correctly along the window bottom. I have had this in and out 4 times now, and it is STILL leaking around the bottom of the window. The water is going in on the front of the seal, under the window, and then up on the interior side of the window. I have tried everything. It is very well cleaned, fitted properly. I assembled the WHOLE unit including trim before putting it back in. I should not have to apply any sealant to the seal before installation should I? I never have had to before. The seal is an OEM and has no noticable flaws.... any ideas?

Cheers

Jeffrey

Greetings Jeffrey,

I have noticed when looking at my rear window seal, which by the way needs replacement as well that a slight amount of sealant was used in the original installation in the grooved area which fits the glass. I can see where that makes sense seeing as the rear seal on these MB's aren't the best design if you have four seasons. If you look at several American designs that are similar they use rubber fingers that positive lock against the window during installation inside the glass groove to keep water from penetrating. Any flat surface that is against another flat surface is bound to fail unless you fill the void that will contour to the exact surface between the two. I'd use sealant in the groove as a bottom line answer.

Charles