Damp w124

[Hibbo]

Every silver sun is lined with a cloud as they say.

Whilst (successfully, I might add ) replacing the wiper stalk on my E-class, I noticed that the boot floor was damp around the o/s rearmost corner. It has been raining heavily lately, but I can't see any obvious nicks in the tailgate seal. The loadspace cover is always out and there is no water on top of that .

Worse still, the floor under the driver's carpet was also wet, not quite a pool of water but very very damp.

Any help would be very appreciated, as I want to sort this before it harms what is a very nice car....

 

[Scop]

I get dampness coming in where the taligate meets the boot floor, like you the seal seems fine. Is this a common problem ?

 

[Bolide]

I've had a real struggle keeping W124 estates dry over the last few months - it's been very wet and the constant humidity and heat up / cool down cycles mean that cars get wet inside whatever you do. Condensation on the inside of the windscreen after being parked for a few days is a giveaway, as are misted-up rear side windows when you drive off

The normal sources of water are via the firewall where cables pass through (particularly if new cables have been pushed through and not dressed to come up into the grommet), the sunroof drains, the rear windows above the load compartment, the a/c drain, the heater fan assembly and the tailgate seal

I've seen quite a few cars with tailgates full of water. I'm not sure how this happens but leaks from the wash/wipe system (where the washer pipe passes by the hinge and fractures) could be one cause

If you use the car every day it's normally not a problem. If the car is used every day and still mists up I'd say you have a leak somewhere

Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

 

[rpe2]

Get a friend (or the Missus) to point a garden hose around the light clusters and side windows whilst you are shut inside.

I'd expect the leak to be either:

a. Around the light clusters
b. Around the areial
c. Around the rearmost quaterlight windows.

Then ask the missus to let you out!

 

[Millo777]

I'm having exactly the same problem with my 124 estate. The seals around the load compartment windows are quite crsipy, so I guess they are the culprit, but the damp seems to be in the front and rear footwells, so will check the other possible sources as well.

Thanks for the tips on what to check Nick.

Does anybody out there know if the load compartment window seals are available form anywhere apart form MB dealerships? they are quoting £68 +vat for each side, which seems a bit steep to me for a rubber seal.

 

[Bolide]

There's a company in Brighton called Forestfine that makes rubber products for Mercedes. What they sell is a mystery to me, though, as I keep asking but they don't send me a catalogue

I suspect the seal itself doesn't leak - it's the join between the seal and body or the seal and the glass that leaks. If you remove the glass, clean the seal and reseat it and the glass with some mastic I expect the problem will go away. The giveaway for rear quarter window leaks is rust under the window

The rear lights seal with a gasket and shouldn't leak. The aerial has a pretty pathetic seal and I'd expect it to leak. Some of the original Hirchmann antennas have a drain tube that should be routed out of the bottom of the rear quarter - worth checking

Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

 

[Millo777]

Thanks for the tip on the company in brighton, I'll try and get in touch with them tomorrow and will let you know if i get any response.

on the subject of antenna leaks.....

Is it possible to get a replacement grommet that seals the antenna to the body? my car has paint bubbling around that area and that seal has split, so it's also on my list to things to fix. this is on the rear o/s wing.

From searches I've done, it seems like the only way to get one is buy a whole new electric antenna.

 

[Millo777]

the link to company Nick mentioned is below for anyone interested.

http://www.forestfine.com/mercedes-benz

 

[Bolide]

As with most of the small bits & bobs the grommet is available direct from a Mercedes dealer for about £3

Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

 

[Bolide]

While I'm at it:

If you've got seven seats, and particularly if you have a loadspace protector in all the time, check periodically for damp in the rearmost underfloor compartment. It causes mildew on the seats

I've seen a couple of cars where a CD changer has been mounted in there and it's been attached with self-tappimng screws through the floor. Instant water leak when the car is in use in wet roads even though it's over the rear silencer

If the car has a retrofit towbar check where the cables exit the car - another potential leak spot

Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

 

[TVRTASMIN]

There is a solution available from Frost Auto restorers which seals between rubber seals etc and works on some sort of capillary action .
I'll just nip downstairs and find the cataloque.....

Here it is, Captain Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure.
Try saying that fast ;-)

http://www.frost.co.uk/result_search.asp

 

[Hibbo]

Thanks for all the advice chaps, especially Nick - after me using the A-word the other day!

I'll have a good look over the car ASAP.

 

[TVRTASMIN]

The most likely place for water to enter the car at the back, is via the rear side windows.
My estate leaked badly at both sides plus the aerial hole.
I went to see a 1996 multivalve estate recently and that leaked from the window rubbers too.

 

[Hibbo]

How easy is it to remove the rear side windows?

The seals look ok, so (if it's easy enough to do) I'll pop them out and smear a load of sealant gunk on them (metal to rubber and rubber to glass) and stick them back in.

 

[Millo777]

I finally managed to get in touch with Forestfine in Brighton, and they are actually buying the seals from the same manufacturer in Germany as MB and selling them for less without the MB packaging.

The loadspace window seals for the 124 are the only part that isn't much cheaper from them. they quoted me £64.50 +VAT each, which is £153 inc Delivery and VAT for the pair.

Also for ref, they don't currently have a catalogue for the 124 as they don't have enough parts available to warrant putting one together.

I'd be interested to hear anyones expereince with using sealant on their cars existing seals.

 

[Time4T2ea]

Damp W124 estate (suspected rearlight window seals)

Just been looking through the very helpful posts. Am I right in thinking forestfine are no longer and a victim of the crunch(?)
Is there anyone else out there who can help with window seals? I did investigate some new Merc ones and had to sit down.

 

[television]

Never seen or heard of any up to yet