Windshield seal available

[s class]

I fitted a URO seal to the rear of my 280SE about a year ago, and it was a superb fit.  I've now bought one of the front seals from FCP Groton, and we will see how that goes. 

[hans moleman]

I could not find the OEM seal, I was under the distinct impression production had ended many, many years ago. I need to give the word this morning on wether or not to pull out the old glass and seal.  My last experience with the windshield replacement suggests the job is an absolute nightmare.

[hans moleman]

Quick update, had the URO windshield seal installed.....like sooooo many products out there it really isn't that great. It seems to have installed ok but doesn't accomodate the trim pieces that well, the thing seems to have shriveled ever so slightly since out heat wave last week and even with additional sealing it LEAKS. The guy who insatalled it really did seem to know his shiznit so I think its just a really cheap excuse for the real McCoy. Better than nothing but don't drive her in the rain if it can be avoided.

[jbrasile]

Hi Hans,

As I said before, the original MB seal is available, p/n 116 671 00 20 - US$153.00 (170.00 list) + shipping from California.

The installation is really hard even with the original seal so don't feel too bad.

Let me know if you want to go through the "experience" again, hehehe....

Tks,

Joe

[hans moleman]

Joe $153 suddenly seems like a really good deal!!! I'm not sure we will be going through it again soon but if another rock comes bounding through my windshield I will be going with the genuine article.

[s class]

That cheers me up.  My URO front seal is on its way to me now, somewhere over the Atlantic.  I expect to see it in about a week. 

[hans moleman]

Sorry s class, I'm not saying the seal is a useless piece a crap it just doesn't fit as well as the original. It leaks a little in the lower corners where water tends to pool up but not nearly as much as the first seal we had installed. I just find it unbelieveable that a component like a windshield seal (which has NO moving parts) is this difficult to reproduce. I see the same problem at work, we have some jokers in China manufacturing these little nylon washers for us, has to be the simplest thing in existence to make, I mean the prints for the thing must look like the Hoola-hoop drawing on the napkin in Hudsucker Proxy. Well, after 6(?!) revisions, 3 years and thousands of defective parts later we still don't have a viable part to use!!!

[TJ 450]

I might suggest the less-than-satisfactory seating of the seal in the corners is probably due to not having moulded corners. The genuine seal I fitted on my car with MT's assistance never leaked at all, however I pumped it full of mastic, even around the glass channel.

Was sealant used around the groove the glass sits in?

Also, how well is the anodised trim seated? This is what provides the downward pressure to the seal so it conforms to the contours of the glass.

Tim

PS. I wouldn't ever use silicone sealant, just as an FYI.

[koan]

Well, after 6(?!) revisions, 3 years and thousands of defective parts later we still don't have a viable part to use!!!

I've got a few in the shed you can have...

[sshanky]

Ooh...this is a good tip. I was thinking you could push in the windshield, then push in the trim, which I assumed would expand the rubber to make it tight...I haven't done my front or back yet but need to.

I bought URO front (116 671 0120) and back (116 670 0039) seals from RockAuto in USA last month.
I was pleased that the corrosion under the seals was minimal: just two small rust spots easily treated with POR15.
The seals seem to be fine, fitted OK. Tested with carwash and garden hose and I have a nice dry inside again.

I'm not so pleased we put the front screen back without the shiny trim strips. I now know they have to be
fitted before and not after. Can't really blame the windscreen tech: he was not born when the car was made!

[s class]

PS. I wouldn't ever use silicone sealant, just as an FYI.

Agreed.  I'm using 3M #8509 "Bedding and Glazing compound".  Its a black coloured non-drying mastik.  I couldn't find anything of the type from 3M, permatex, Wuerth, Standox etc etc locally, so I imported a case of these #8509 courtesy of ebay. 

[jjb-w116-hu]

hi al - perhaps Joe could give us an official line on this. what is the process on fitting these front and rear seals and should there be mastik and sealer on the new gasket as well ?

thanks James

[jbrasile]

James,

The chrome moldings should be fitted to the new windshield gasket prior to installation.

Then you insert the windshield into the channel on the seal and start installation from the bottom up by inserting a rope into the seal channel that goes over the windshield opening and with the help of an assistant one person  pushes on the glass from the outside while the other pulls the rope inside the car working the seal lip over the edge of car's body. Extra care should be taken on the upper right side  so the chrome molding does not jump out. Soapy water should be applied to the chrome molding as well as the glass and seal to lube things up and facilitate installation.

I have checked a few sources and it looks like no sealant should be applied to th body of the car or the glass. My installer however did use non drying putty, I am not sure what the proper procedure should be. I am almost inclined to believe that the factory used no sealant at all and that is why the windshield sits so nicely on the body and any time we replace the glass or seal it never looks the same again because installers insist in using putty.

It is easier said than done but those are the basics.

The rear seal is pretty much the same except you don't have to insert the molding into the seal, it is held in place by metal clips on the body.

Tks,

Joe

[s class]

The sealant/no sealant question is a tricky one.  I've removed glass from a number of W116's, and I have generally found remnants of non-drying black mastik on the steel lip of the bodywork. 

[jbrasile]

sclass, don't know which is right, with or without.

I have installed the little fixed windows on the rear doors with no sealant whatsoever and they never leaked, but they are small and because of their position, don't tend to take as much water as a windshield or rear window.

I am wondering if using black mastik on the body doesn't do more harm than good by not allowing  perfectly uniform contact of seal/body all  around the opening. All youtube  videos I saw that show how to replace a windshield show no sealant being applied...

Tks,

Joe