Water leaks while driving when raining (but not when car is sitting still); enters below front passenger floor mat.

Took to indie for diagnosis. He ruled out plugged drains and any breach by battery compartment. Said he's having trouble coming up with anything definitive, but that it's probably a leaking windshield seal....but he apparently doesn't mess with those.

He suggested that I might want to apply to sealant around the seal....as a way to confirm. I should say, however, that I'm not a "detail guy" when it comes to applying thin applications of things. For example, my wife allows me to paint walls but not detailed trim (though she suspects feigned incompetence on my part).

So what would you do with this kind of probable diagnosis? Replace the whole seal? Try some sort of sealant? And, in general, who does the best job with this sort of thing: a regular mechanic or an auto glass shop?

It's a 92 300D.....original glass and seal.

Thanks.

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14 E250 Bluetec "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 153k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 171k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver, 142k mi, wastegate conversion

19 Honda CR-V EX 61k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife

Don't have an answer for this, but I'm anxious to hear input from those who know. Just noticed a leak in my windshield gasket a few days ago. With no AC, defrost mode is sketchy at best. With a soggy dash, it will be even worse. So ---- I'm hitching a ride on your post.

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John Schroader
bio burnin' 83 300D, '83 300 SD, '79 240D
"I've never met a man who was good at making excuses who was good at anything else" Ben Franklin
"You cannot permanently help a man by doing for him what he could and should do for himself" Abraham Lincoln

Excellent....misery loves company!

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14 E250 Bluetec "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 153k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 171k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver, 142k mi, wastegate conversion

19 Honda CR-V EX 61k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife

You 2 have different wind screen seals. The 92 probably has a heat softening mastic & the 83 a rubber seal. I have had to deal with both.
83 ~ you need to clean as much dirt out from between the glass & the rubber. I have used a tooth brush & water. Then it needs to be dried out real dry. Then a calking gun with bathroom clear/translucent silicone with a small orifice can be used to run a bead under the rubber next to the glass. This will ooze out a little but can be trimmed with a sharp blade once it hardens. You need to go all the way around the screen for best results. Then You can do the same thing around between the rubber & the metal. It is hard to do down the sides where the gutters are, i use a hook to lift the rubber.

92 is more difficult as the trim covers everything. I was successful on my 124 by just cleaning & then sealing between the trim & the metal & the trim & the glass. Just a 1/8" bead did the job.

On my 123 I also had a leak on the right hand wiper shaft. It was a PITA. Pulled it all to bits & sealed everything & it stopped leaking.

Good luck both of you!!

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Grumpy Old Diesel Owners Club group

I no longer question authority, I annoy authority. More effect, less effort....

1967 230-6 auto parts car. rust bucket.
1980 300D now parts car 800k miles
1984 300D 500k miles
1987 250td 160k miles English import
2001 jeep turbo diesel 130k miles
1998 jeep tdi ~ followed me home. Needs a turbo.
1968 Ford F750 truck. 6-354 diesel conversion.
Other toys ~J.D.,Cat & GM ~ mainly earth moving

For the 83, its not too hard to do. The trim comes of very easily. The side "gutters" have a plastic push tab at the base (open the hood). And then you can pull back the rubber along the outer edge to remove three screws. If you look at the rubber you will see very slight raised lines indicating the screw locations. DO NOT pull the part up yet. Once free you slowly slide it a little towards the rear of the car then up. Unless it broke (mine where) there is a "T" fitting (like a nail head) welded to the body that this gutter slides into. The setup is like a cheap picture frame back with that goofy hole were its round then a slot going up.

Once off you can get to the rest of the trim. I forget how the vertical chrome comes off, they might just pull up. The uppers have the same picture frame-like "T" pins. I think they slide outward.

I think once you get the gutter off its pretty straight forward. This is all based on my 560, but should be the same for yours.

92 = no clue!

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1991 560 SEL / 185k miles
1992 750il / 17k miles - project car