The Dreaded Watery Boot

[Big Janner]

Forumites,
The ecstasy of ownership has dampened with the 1st heavy rain since I bought my car!
The boot was dry, now it isn't.
My problem is that I don't really understand how the water is getting in.
Let me try to be clear, following a night of heavy rain;
With the boot closed & the boot separator in position, it was the left hand side of the boot carpet and the left side of the boot separator which were wet.
Ah ha thought I, boot seal. Contact dealer, get it fixed, easy.
I removed the carpet and have dried it out.
I pat dried the carpet sith more towel.
I have put a rubber boot liner in.
I have made and installed a waterproof cover of the air pump assembly
I then closed the boot divider and covered it with a large old towel, now used for all things automotive.
The following morning I chamoised the boot lid, rear window and rear wings to remove all the water.
On opening the boot, only the left hand side of the towel was wet, not the carpet, not my waterproof cover
I carefully checked the complete boot seal, and the area below the rear window, for signs of water; nothing.
This confused me!
The only water in the boot was on the divider. How can this be?
It is no where near any potential leak point that is obvious to me

Any suggestions, as always, gratefully received.

John

 

[Wighty]

Sorry to hear buddy , can't offer anything definitive , but the rear seals below the rear window is the often talked about issue with the SL's .
I'm sure an SL owner will be along offering real wisdom shortly

 

[LostKiwi]

The water can run under the seal where it's neatly hidden from view.
There's a very good guide by Malcolm (RIP) which cures the issue.
https://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/index.php?threads/boot-leaks-230-update.150296/

 

[LostKiwi]

Sorry to hear buddy , can't offer anything definitive , but the rear seals below the rear window is the often talked about issue with the SL's .
I'm sure an SL owner will be along offering real wisdom shortly

Also C pillar seals Wighty.
The seals on r230s do a great imitation of a rubber colander.

 

[umblecumbuz]

...and a dose of Krytox on the seals.
Or Gummi Pflege.

 

[noonboots]

I've been trying to fix mine since October. It's 90%better than it was but has leaked about a tablespoon full over last night's and this evenings heavy rain. It drips off the point where the c pillar seal and the centre seal come together on the right hand. I've never let any get into the spare wheel well, I put a plastic tray under it.
A footnote to this... I had the bright idea of putting waterproof tape all the way along the seal to see if it stopped the leak. I forgot it was on there and attempted to lower the roof. My freshly painted rear window side panels both snapped like matchsticks as the roof seperated. What a goon.

 

[ajlsl600]

i followed that guide of malc,s for mine , never had any water in but wanted to know there was not going to be an issue so did it anyway. its a well reccomended job

 

[rexemper]

I did the fix using Malcolm's guide a while back - just take your time and be prepared to re-do bits of it if needed.

 

[Big Janner]

Thanks to the mods for putting me in the right place

Since started this thread, things I have been busy during daylight hours here, building and decorating in the homes of my offspring.

However, today I managed a couple of hours in the drizzle, looking for the leak and I think I have it!!
It looks as though water is getting in via the vertical near side rear window seal.
Not sure yet if this is compounded by blocked drain tubes but, progress

I have perused Malcolms guide (I've printed it out) and will use this as my guide.

As we are out in the car all day tomorrow and tied up (decorating again!) Sunday morning, I hope to be able to get the roof up and have a proper rummage on Sunday afternoon or Tuesday (busy again Monday)

As soon as I have had a shot at checking the shape of, cleaning & lubricating the seals, or if I hit problems, I'll be back to update you.

John

 

[rexemper]

Definitely worth clearing out the drains either way - I'm always amazed at how quickly they get clogged up, especially the ones under the C pillar, below the boot lid 'horns'. I've used various things to clear them out as they're quite hard to get to, but two things work really well:
- Small small guage speaker wire
- A drain snake - got this from Robert Dyas years ago for clearing a shower trap and it works well as it has a velcro pad on the end that is good to dislodge the gunk.
Then some hot water to flush it all out.

The seal you mention sounds like the same one that I found had a split in it on my car - it was only noticeable when the roof was down. I think in the main thread on this fix, there is a picture of what I did so you can see if its the same.

 

[Big Janner]

I have managed to spend a morning with the watering can, a black plastic sack and some towels.
I now know that the leak is in the seal along the lower edge of the rear window.

I have removed the seal, cleaned the metal seat below the window and the inside of the seal, removing as much of the old black sealant as I can.
I refitted the seal, utilising a black Evostick sealant.
Tomorrow, following 4 days of letting the seal settle, the watering can will come back into use.
Fingers crossed.

If it still leaks, now that I know what is what, I will strip it all apart again, clean and reseal with some 'Wonder Seal' made by a company called Cloverleaf.
This stuff is designed to cure leaks in fish tanks and can be used under water. At about £20 for a standard tube, I just wish I knew about this 2 weeks ago . . . . Hey ho.

John

 

[flowrider]

You need to use Loctite SI5940 and follow the instructions in the leaking bot seal thread.

 

[Big Janner]

I'll say this quietly, as I don't want to push my luck, but, I washed the car yesterday, using the old watering can to clear the suds and, once chamoised, I check to boot for water, lo . . . It was dry.
It looks as though I have stopped the ingress.

I still gave to check and if needed, clear the drain tubes, including those under the C pillar, but, right now, I'm pretty pleased.

John