Window screen leak
Hi there, new to GWOA and have owned my 280ge for nearly a year now :-) and love it :-)
I have a problem in each corner and the bottom of the window screen seal that when it rains it leaks into the interior. I had the heater replaced as the previous owner obviously left it outside in the elements and the water ingress had got into the whole system. dash out :-) I have it in dry storage and only drive it when there is not a cloud in the sky but I would like to get ontop of the problem so I can drive it in all conditions as the G was built for :-)
I know this question has probably been asked many times but what would the cause be and where can I get replacement seals or any recommendations as to where to get it fixed?
Many thanks from a new member :-)
Hello
And welcome! I had a problem with water getting in to the floor pan which turned out to be through one of the wiper spindles. However, I was given a lot of good advice which suggested that once the screen was out, it was worth checking the state of the edges . I had to have my screen replaced and there is a little bit of rust in the corners which I am going to get sorted but the Autoglass guy put extra amounts of sealant in as a temporary fix, just in case. There are a couple of very relevant posts worth looking at but one member had his screen taken out and the edges normally well hidden were in a terrible state which involved lots of welding
Good luck as it is an annoying problem, especially as water doesn't always follow a neat path so it is not always obvious where it is coming in from
Hello Dominic,
Thank you firstly for choosing the GWOA and becoming a member. Welcome to the forum.
Now getting back to your leak, in a best case scenario, the leaks may be solved by sealing the leak with screen seals which come in liquid form and when applied seek its way to sources of leaks and self seals. But knowing G-Wagens and looking at your attached photo at the highest magnification; I notice what seems to be a body blister at the bottom of the off-side (drivers' side).
This would suggest to me that you could have some corrosion allowing water ingress from the corners as you have mentioned.
Removing the screen is the only way to confirm this and it is possible to get screen replacement companies or body shops to remove the screen but not necessarily replace it the same day for if you were to find corrosion it would obviously need addressing by body shop to repair before re-fitting the screen. That is the proper manner in which to go about this.
The screen replacement people may just want to a bodge repair which could be a temporary repair and not proving to be cost effective.
The seals are usually a dealer item but screen replacement companies can supply them too; you need just compare prices between the two sources. Note the screens supplied by dealers are a tighter fit and one supplied by screen companies may be marginally smaller and an easier fit but may have tendencies for leakage. having mentioned this, I have used screen companies fit their screens and only have had a small number of problems which they latter corrected.
Hello Audiominx,
I am impressed! You are getting technical - good for you.
Good move. Sacrifice rubber seal using a Stanley knife or similar to cut around the glass. Remove screen. Repair undoubted rust on window frame. Order a new seal from Gav. Have pro's refit the screen. Some extra sealant during refitting can't do any harm.
Eddie.
Ask around , find decent body shop that can remove windscreen without cutting it out, shouldn't charge too much for that, I think new seals have actually come down in price, hopefully your frame is ok, but probably good idea to put extra sealant in as well with new seal, though think this mean unfortunately would have to be cut out if you need to remove/replace glass/seal in future.
Hi
Mine did the same but on passenger side. My g is good on the body but if i peeled screen rubber up i noticed a hole
I just sealed mine with silcone for now as i will take screen out and weld it up properly
Silicone is not good for bare steel as it contains acetic acid to cure it, hence the vinegar smell. If your screen surround is good i would use some sealing mastic putty when fitting. Not the cheap stuff that goes rock hard after a few months
Getting the screen out is easy just use a plastic spatula and fold rubber inder from inside. Do it carefully and screen will come out easy
A good post was to buy a new rubber and cut old one so screen is safe
To refit just sit bottom edge of rubber over body lip and pull cord
To do this wrap cord round screen rubber and as you pull cord it will pull rubber inside. I use the thinnest starter cord off a strimmer and wax it and ive never had a problem in 25 years of auto body repairs
Just mail me if you get stuck
G
JOIN THE GWOA
This website and forum are provided for the benefit of enthusiasts and owners of all Mercedes Benz off road vehicles, in particular the G Wagen. The costs of development, upkeep and provision of the site are met entirely by the annual subscriptions of club members. If you are using the site and are not a member of the G Wagen Owners Association please consider joining. You will have access to areas on the site that are not open to non members, to club trips and meetings and to technical assistance. In addition your contribution (only £25 annually) will help us maintain and develop our website for future users.
Who's new
- Jaffa_JIM_23
- Wrabstar
- GG
- KTMSCANIA22
- 280ge
Thanks guys,
I think I will get the screen taken out and have a look at what needs to be done, I brought the car as I love G's and I intend to have it for many years to come so do not really want to cut any corners in getting it fixed :-)
Advice much appreciated :-)