NEEDED: Front Windshield Seal for Coupe - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Daman858 · #1 10-18-2010, 09:07 AM

I have a '79 300CD and need a front windshield seal. I hear from many vendors that they are not available in the US. I have also heard that you can rig two sedan seals to work but I do not want to do this for fear of leaks (which is does now) I have replaced all seals on the car including the sunroof but this one has me stumped.

Any ideas?

sokoloff · #2 10-18-2010, 09:30 AM

I thought we had a similar thread here a month or two ago and found they are available from the Classic Center.

gte249y · #3 10-18-2010, 01:43 PM

I have searched for topic and found the below info that I copied and saved because I am due for a seal on my 280ce windshield:

"For a Mercedes 300CD windshield seal you want US part number:
1236700439

But 1236700439 is no longer in production and is out of stock at 99 out of 100 places you may look. They may start making them again but would need to rebuild the die and it will be way more expensive when/if it ever is made..

So, someone figured out that Euro part number - 1236700339 will work just as well.

Mercedes currently has over 50 of these in stock..

In case you are wondering about 1236700339 - the only difference is most likely due to whatever DOT safety requirements were in place at the time the car was released in the US - so they had to make a US specific seal. US windshields stay in place during a crash and crackle up where in Europe the Windhshield is more apt to pop out.

This info was told to me by John at Mercedes Classic (a lead I picked up by finding this thread in a search). John gets credit, afaik, for coming up with this work-around.

I've just ordered 1236700339 - and it's about $30 less than 1236700439. I'm going to give it to my glass guy to fix a leak and swap out the windshield on my coupe next week. If it does not work out I will let you know here."

Daman858 · #4 10-18-2010, 03:57 PM

Thanks, guys. I talked to Tom at Classic MBUSA and he has four of these in stock so if you need one, there are three left.

gte249y · #5 10-19-2010, 11:20 AM

How much are these seals? My seal is leaking when there is very heavy rain. Do you have any idea the approximate labor cost also?

alabbasi · #6 10-19-2010, 12:00 PM

Buy the seal from the dealer and have a windshield guy come out and install it along with new glass. Seal should be around $100-150, you can get glass quotes from safelite.

Daman858 · #7 10-19-2010, 03:30 PM

Seal was $107 plus shipping. It is the European seal. The seal for the US cars is no longer available. The US seal allows the windshield to pop out on impact. I was sent by my indie MB shop to a glass shop that is familiar with MB windshields. If not done correctly it will leak. There is no adhesive or sealant, just the rubber seal. As soon as I get it an installed I'll update. No dealer I called had this part or could get it because their parts catalog lists the US part number and shows NA when they order it. Remember, to coupe windshield seal is different from the sedan and wagon.

Stretch · #8 01-30-2012, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daman858

Seal was $107 plus shipping. It is the European seal. The seal for the US cars is no longer available. The US seal allows the windshield to pop out on impact. I was sent by my indie MB shop to a glass shop that is familiar with MB windshields. If not done correctly it will leak. There is no adhesive or sealant, just the rubber seal. As soon as I get it an installed I'll update. No dealer I called had this part or could get it because their parts catalog lists the US part number and shows NA when they order it. Remember, to coupe windshield seal is different from the sedan and wagon.

How did you get on with this fix?

Did the euro seal work?

It looks like it is a good substitute - I was worried about the shiny bits of trim but the Russian EPC seems to think they are the same on European and US models.

gear-head · #9 01-31-2012, 05:25 PM

I was told that the euro glass is thinner than the U.S. domestic market glass due to U.S. D.o T. rules calling for safety glass spec which is thicker due to it having a thin piece of some kind of plastic laminated between two other pieces of glass which are supposedly spec'd out to require the glass to shatter into a million little pieces if it gets a hit, at least it's supposed to in theory. The european seal is supposed to allow the whole windsheild to pop out entirely if it gets "punched" from the inside, at least in theory. And that's the difference, the groove for the glass to fit in is supposed to be thinner in the euro spec seal. That said, I'm really suprised that this issue of "windsheild leaks" during heavy rain hasn't been addressed a bit more thoroughly. It probably IS NOT due to the seal leaking, rather the sunroof drains are completely clogged up! Look into this, probably 99.9% of the time that's the real problem. I've been informed that if the windsheild is really leaking, then likely as not, the windsheild frame is probably well rusted. So that's what my research has revealed, your results may vary!