My Tail Lights Have Been Glued On!!! - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

deniss · #1 07-29-2006, 08:37 PM

Ok, now I am really p!ssed. I have a good reason to believe that the tail light seals are to blame for the moisture and occasional water in my trunk. So I bought the seals, went to take my left tail light out only to find out that whoever last replaced the seal glued it on!!!

I managed to pry the tail light out and remove it without breaking it or damaging the surrounding paintwork, but now I am scratching my head... The glue/sealant that was used is pretty old but it's still elastic, sort of like silicone, and there is a LOT of it on there. The previous installer glued the seal to the tail light AND to the body of the car, so I have double trouble to deal with in removing it. I managed to get "most" of it off the metal edge of the body, just with gentle prying using a flat screwdriver and my nails, but there are a lot of small pieces still on the body. The tail light itself is even worse in that respect. It has a fairly deep channel where the seal goes, and it's hard to remove the residual glue out of that channel.

I need some advice on how to deal with this problem, folks. For now, I reinstalled the tail light with the new seal, but I am not sure how well it will seal with all those glue debris left on there.

- is there any solvent I could use to help remove the glue without dissolving the paint? (alcohol? some primer?)

- is there some tool or fabric that someone could recommend for getting the residual glue out?

Any help appreciated.

Brian Carlton · #2 07-29-2006, 08:48 PM

Sounds like a job for a Dremel with a small sanding disc attachment.

deniss · #3 07-29-2006, 08:59 PM

I thought about that but wondered if that will completely ruin the paintwork on the body. perhaps some kind of a buffing cloth or a soft brush?

Brian Carlton · #4 07-29-2006, 09:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deniss

I thought about that but wondered if that will completely ruin the paintwork on the body. perhaps some kind of a buffing cloth or a soft brush?

On the body, you might try a chemical such as acetone or paint thinner and see if it will dissolve the adhesive. Let the chemical soak into the adhesive for awhile. The paint is probably safe from these chemicals. Note, however, that you can't use them on the taillights because they'll create havoc with the plastic.

TheDon · #5 07-29-2006, 10:03 PM

ill have to check my seal out too since water leaks in on my right side tail light assembly..

JamesDean · #6 07-29-2006, 10:06 PM

maybe that Goo Gone stuff and a small razor? Thats what i did on my windows to remove a sticker...i have no idea how it would affect the paint thou.

PanzerSD · #7 07-29-2006, 10:43 PM

That Goo b Gone stuff DESTROYS paint!!!!!

JamesDean · #8 07-29-2006, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Got_The_Benz

That Goo b Gone stuff DESTROYS paint!!!!!

thanks for enlighening me. like i said i didnt know what it does to paint...i know it works well on most other things. i.e = sticker on glass...

thanks

deniss · #9 07-29-2006, 11:40 PM

I thought about using acetone but since it's famous as a nailpolish remover, I was afraid it might dissolve paint, but I am not sure. I do know that it will harm plastic, as Brian mentioned... I might try acetone on an inconspicuous area that is definitely hidden from view and see what result I get.

Jeremy5848 · #10 07-30-2006, 12:07 AM

Most solvents will harm paint eventually. Your idea to try solvents somewhere inconspicuous is good. Alcohol is probably least damaging. Acetone and the various ketones, etc., are worse. If you pick the right one, they will also harm rubber and plastic.

If the glue or sealer used by the PO is silicone-based, you may have no choice other than to scrape it off, a little at a time. I have never found anything that will dissolve silicone glues and sealers.

While you have the taillight lenses out of the car, you might want to check them for leaks. I say this because my 123 car came to me with a couple of leaks where the amber plastic met the red plastic, etc., in the lens. In one place, it looked like the lens had been 'tapped' in a parking lot just enough to produce a crack. It wasn't even wide enough to get a knife blade into but water could get in. I smeared -- wait for it! -- silicone seal into the crack and stopped the leak. With the lenses off the car, you can simply fill them with water and watch to see if any drips out. Since I could not get my lenses out (glued in like yours?), I gently sprayed water onto the outside of my lenses and watched inside the trunk.

Jeremy

Cephallus · #11 07-30-2006, 12:16 AM

It's not fun, but I've had good luck removing silicone from painted surfaces (like when I removed the old body kit from one of the w201's and it had been glued on with silicone!) just using the friction from my fingers. See if rubbing your fingers on the edge with some pressure doesn't take most of it off.

You can also try a blunt plastic scraper...I would try to knock off any sharp edges on the scraper with some 200 grit sandpaper first, though. Sometimes they have casting ridges that are sharp/strong enough to scratch paint.

Good luck...I never realized how much prior owners/mechanics had ruined my cars until I started doing all of my own repair work...

deniss · #12 07-30-2006, 02:08 PM

Thank you for the advices - they are all good ones.

I was trying to figure out what this glue/sealant reminds me of, and I believe there's a good chance that it is "contact cement." It's elastic and kind of yellowish. The only silicone that I've seen was either clear or black... I remember using some contact cement when I was reassembling the driver door and needed to re-attach the plastic "moisture barrier" - that thin sheet of polyethylene that gets glued to the body of the door.

I read online that acetone should be able to dissolve contact cement, depending how old it is. But again, I don't want to strip the paint and have rust issues later.

I using just what I had on me - a screwdriver blade and my fingers - I was able to get *most* of the bulk of it yesterday. I clean up the small debris, I was thinking about using maybe a rubbery cloth or a rubbery brush - something that would have more friction against the affected area than my fingers.

The Mercedes parts guy at the dealership earlier was telling me that in order to get off silicone sealant off the body, he'd probably recommend using a tool they use when they buff the car's paint with wax - like a rotary tool, like a drill of dremel with a buffing attachment on it. He said it would probably ruin the attachment, but it should be fairly effective.

The parts guy also told me that generally it's a bad idea to use silicone or other sealants on Mercedes seals or any rubber seals, unless there's a mention of it in the FSM. He said that silicone eventually damages the paintwork AND damages the seal itself, so if you silicone it, it will be guaranteed to need replacement sooner than it's due. I wasn't aware that silicone sealant damages rubber, but it's an interesting piece of info...

going_postal · #13 07-30-2006, 03:09 PM

If it is silicon then brake clean will take it off. Brake clean on a rag and rub, kind of like using your finger, only a lot quicker. I do not know if it will harm the paint, try a small hidden spot.