Trunk leak in w123 300D

Every time it rains I find that the passenger side trunk well liner fills with water. Everything else is dry. Is there a sunroof drain or rear window seal that could be causing the problem? It's driving me nuts! Gary C.

Reply to
gmcop1
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Gary, I've got the same problem on my 190e.... I've come to the conclusion that the body is rusting around the window. Prove came this spring when my front windshield cracked for no 'apparent' reason... of course it was the expanding rust. I'm going to try forcing some silicon rubber into the rubber seal.

cheers, guenter

Reply to
Guenter Scholz

Not familiar with that specific model, but on my 116 300SD water in that area was coming from the rubber seal around the tail light assembly and from the fuel door. In the case of the fuel door, they used a horizontal vacuum driven pin to lock it. There was a small grommet around the pin that had worked out. Just putting that back fixed that one. Really bad design though, had they located the pin sloping the right way, water could not run uphill.

For the tail light, the best solution would have been a new seal. But the stealership wanted $75 for a new one, so I went with some black weatherstrip adhesive, which solved it. BTW, there was no evidence of water inside the lens. It was getting in behind the assembly, where it fastens to the body.

To find the leaks, two suggestions:

1 - Get inside the trunk while someone sprays the car with a hose

2 - Place paper towels in strategic locations inside the trunk prior to a rain so you can narrow down the area it's coming from. You want the towels to not touch each other, otherwise the water will just wick along and they will all be wet.

Reply to
trader4

Everyone is right... rear windshield leak, taillight seal leak... and there is another source of leak... rust in wheel well... feel it with your hand or see it with strong flashlight... rear wheelwell toward your trunk well... usually rust there.

Reply to
Tiger

Yeah there are sunroof drains that get clogged and can be reamed out with a straightened coathanger. Also, look around the taillights, even removing them for a better inspection. That's a major source of leakage.

Reply to
Richard Sexton

Very true also. There's a thin runny silicone you can get for applying between the glas and seal if you aren't going to replace the seal (a big deal on the rear window, few people can take the rear window out without breaking it and the OE window has wires inside for the defroster, aftermoarket (read reasonably priced ones) wont.

Don't use regular silicone on this, it'll look like fried ass.

Reply to
Richard Sexton

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