when driving in the rain i will get water in the rear floor pans, could it be drains from the sun roof (are there drains there).

If you only get it while driving, I would think you could have a floor rust problem. Pull up the carpet in the back and have a look.

The usual place for water to get in is through an aging rear window seal, then the water drips/trickles behind the rear seats and ends up in the floor. But you would see this after parking it in the rain, not just driving in the rain.

The source of moisture in my recently departed 1979 240D was rust/stoppage of drainage under the battery platform which caused water to flow to the low point (..!!!???) in the passenger compartment. The local Daimler-Benz dealer was unable to recognize the cause of the problem. I took the car then to an independent here locally, who had much more experience of this kind of thing and recognized the remedy. The replacement of the battery platform as well as some black, tar-like substance to fill the offending openings fixed the problem quite well. I also had a leak in the trunk which I guess was from the window seal, but I had replaced it as well.

Another common source of water leaking into the rear seat footwells comes from cloogged up drains that are located on the inside of the fenders in front of the A-pillars, near the hood hinges. If these are blocked, they can overflow and cause backed up water to leak into the cabin's rear footwells... sounds strange, but it happens alot. Happened to me on the first W123 I owned and before I knew what was causing it I had begun to think I had a hole in the floor or somthing!!!! LOL

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Nate

1995 E420
1992 BMW 525i
1984 300D Turbo sold
1993 Volvo 244 sold
1995 Volvo 944T R.I.P!


"The details are not details. They make the product."
-Charles Eames

www.cbs.nu

Don't expect much from replacing windscreen seals. Both have been done on my '84 300D and, I've added sealer (the special $20/tube 3M stuff made for windshields) to the front windscreen with no detectible change in leakage). On closer inspection, I found a couple of suspicious places in the cowl/hood hinge area (see this link) that I addressed but she still leaks on the drivcer's side.

I know that the pinch weld underneath the center of the rear windscreen is pretty badly rotted out yet starngely, she shows no outward signs of rust. I'm sure that this is the leak into the trunk (sitting still an in a heavy sustained rain, into the rear footwells).

I've been through all the body drains and roof drains with no success. This car sits in a garage both at home and when she gets to work. My solution for now is to park it when there's a chance of rain and have SWMBO drive the beater SDL instead.

One of these days, I guess I'll have a body shop rebuild that pinch weld.

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Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.

That is the first place I would look.

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Tom Engel
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83 240 230K Manual (8/2003)
83 300D 265K (3/2004)
Just a Driver!