Fram

I'm in need of some help here people. I've removed the entire carpet of my new to me W221 4 times and found water underneath each time. Each time I think I've fixed the issue with water getting in but I've still got two issues:

1. Water gathering at base of windshield. I kid you not, the little window for the VIN plate looks like an aquarium. When I go around a corner, the water all runs to whichever side and splashes out over the door speaker / someone's feet. I've been told that I need a new windshield as seals are leaking but I'm unwilling to go down this expensive route till I'm sure that I've cleaned the panoramic roof drains properly. I think I have but I am an idiot, so I would like to hear from the experts here, how exactly to go about it? A "Cleaning W221 Sunroof Drains for Dummies" guide would be perfect!

2. Water gathering in the rear footwell under the carpet. There's a big metal ride that seems to work like a dam so if water is rear of this dam, I assume it's coming from the rear somewhere. On the right hand side, the wiring loom insulation material that disappears underneath rear seats is wet, if that helps. Where should I be checking? Where can water get in at the back of vehicle? I assume the seals for the pano roof. I've seen a thread on those for the standard sunroof but not for panoramic roof.

We're having heavy unseasonal rain in the UK (no really, it normally doesn't rain in August, despite what you may think) and I'm well aware that with this much water entering the cabin, no favours are being done...

Thanks,

Fram

CaliBenzDriver

Put a tarp or car cover to prevent rain from entering at all cost (F-SAM can't swim)

Before dealing with the roof drain, spend some time to figure where your problem is.

Use a container with water you pour over one area at the time.
Youtube super helpful for common matters.

nath_h

The drains were just covered in a different thread. Have you cleaned out all the drains? I was surprised to find all my drains were full of gunk, and also surprised my car was not full of water.

BOTUS

I'd ignore the sun roof and or panoramic roof and check some other basics first

I'd start checking if any water coming off the screen and going in the trough where the starter battery is, and on the drivers side where the brake master cylinder sits, is clean and spotless of gunk - you'll get many liters of water from the screen going here vs almost nothing off the roof going down baby hoses to the floor - you should be able to pour a bucket of water on the battery side and it should all run out to the floor - there a 1/2" diameter hole on mine battery side PLUS others further in with hoses to the floor if that's working.

Then I'd pull l the pollen filters out and check whats happening, the AC will produce (in hot humid weather) a good bucket of water in 30 mins, this is supposed to drain from inside the heater housings to the floor - they can block and this tends to be where water you here sloshing about comes from

if you have this level of water ingress you must have major electrical issues and or are due LOTS...

Fram

Yep, it's going in a friend's garage in a couple of days.

Cleaned all the drains I could find (cowl drains mainly). Not sure aboit sunroof drains...

Mine a 2011 so I think no starter battery?

I hear you but how would water be entering at or above at the vin plate if it was from AC?

Electrical issues might have just started - red battery light (no text, just icon) and battery seems to stop charging randomly - hopefully just a coincidence and battery is on way out. If I start with batter booster, it runs and drives fine till I go to restart. Anyway. How do I clear those sunroof drains? How could water be entering the rear?

Thanks all

nath_h

Can you elaborate on where the heater housing is at? Behind the pollen filters or something? Thanks.

BOTUS

they all have a battery in the same place (and its the one that starts your car), and they all have the same opportunity for gunk to collect unseen - water here can get into the interior blower fan

might be flung around by the HVAC system - seems a bit wild - but same with the sunroof drains leaking into the insides of the car

facelift car's with red battery icon on (and no one ever seems to tell us what fixed it) - Sadly its a standard feature of the later cars - I suspect its a nice little extra in software that needs an update so it remembers its not supposed to be on

Fram

Just saw your post on my other thread about cleaning under the battery - totally missed this somehow. Thanks - if that's what yours looks like, mine is probably as bad!

Realised it can't be being blown by HVAC as the water gathers there while the car is parked in rain - no HVAC.

So had to be entering from base of the windscreen up.

Any thoughts on how water may be getting into the back?

BOTUS

where is the car parked where so much water is getting at the car ? and is it clean or under a tree?

on the roof is two lengths of trim that hide the join of the roof panel and cover some sort of gutter rails - these strips that run either side from the base of the front windscreen to the top of the rear screen can be totally blocked by detritus, which would mean a lot of the water on the rood that should run off and on to the front and rear screens, will, especially on a panoramic roof version, make water that can't go where its supposed to, try and find another route... if you stand one side with a pressure washer you can reach across and push out the rubbish quite well aka, moss, mould, seeds, pine needles, leaves etc..

Writing that I now wonder if some lunatic that saw a small leak, might have tried to seal these with sealant or some bodywork has got paint where it shouldn't be - and or - I don't think the roof (even one made of bits of noisy ill-fitting glass than can be maladjusted, should be filling the car with water - unless its had a bad repair job - are you the guy (just last week) that was asking about part of his interior roof trim being missing ? if so it would sound like a vandal has messed up the roof - the of course anything is possible

leaving out flood water saved up in the inner rear wings, doors and or embedded in the seat trims and carpets - a lot of car water ingress issues stems from incorrect manufacture (panel gaps, forgot to seam seal, or fit something) or poor repairs from accident damage - assuming the car and especially the roof seems relatively serviceable and it all fits and is clean - doors, windows and seals are so substantial its not likely its from here - leaving the possibility of the two windscreens letting water in ? or something amiss on the arch liners (more dodgy body repairs).

We can't see the car - but all glass should have Mercedes written on them - and all screens should sit with the trim all tidy and square - and especially the front, the base wiper trim panel should be 100% clipped on and fit perfectly - aftermarket screens or badly fitted screens could cause water ingress.. only Merc have the patent to bond the metal strip so the base screen trim clips home perfectly - others use a joke sticky backed strip that falls off before as they try to reassemble and there is nothing that can fix aside from try yet another $4000 fake screen and be more careful - either way its nasty as pilkington don't even cuts the base corners of the screen the correct shape... https://www.pilkington.com/en/global# that trim hanging off, shouldn't mean it causes leaks, but can indicate your car is no longer original....

I still think check the trough by the front battery and go from there - assuming the car is clean and standard. If we are talking post accident damage or replacement glass the world might be properly ugly - and if the panno is not sitting right its likely you need to find an old school specialist who likes the impossible...

Fram

Out in the open in Sunny London - not under a tree. Mind you I've only had it a couple of months and from the state of the cowl drains I'd imagine any drains I haven't personally cleaned out will be filthy.

1.I can see the bits you mean but don't understand how you're saying to clean them? Remove them? [QUOTE]​​​​​​​

Nope not me

2. I guess if no joy I'll have to remove interior including headliner and start pouring water and see where it comes in?

All glass says Sungate and has a Merc emblem.

​​​​​​Thanks BOTUS I will definitely look at that as preventative but have a feeling my issue is higher up than that. I'd like to think vehicle has had a relatively easy life - 3 wealthy owners before me who did Merc servicing and 86,000 miles... However when I remove the A pillar trim, the windscreen seals look a little... Odd. I don't have another w221 to compare them with but will snap a pic later.



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BOTUS

So if in the UK yes, its been wet enough to be soggy - I suspect yours was made correctly, and I hope its not been messed with (but sadly some out there will have been) - I was just adding thoughts and offering ideas as we can never see individual vehicles or know any history via forums, and we need to get owners to say what we are working with...

the strips over the roof gutters do come off - but its a specialist task - don't fiddle - just jet wash the gunk out, pushing over the closest side away from the panno roof gaps... as for the roof there is special grease to get it to slide nicely and not break bits off - if these break it will sit off square, make noises and leak more than they should - then a bit of silicon lube always helps seals feel better and sit where they should - if these are mouldly and covered in gunk, a tooth brush to loosen would be a good idea, before the silicon.

the cars whilst made to standard, behind the scenes doesn't have to mean it looks pretty - behind the trim down the sides of the windscreen (you can see it at the base, where the bonnet opens), the seam sealer is very rough and ready, and looks like it was applied by animals r us. People forget the world moved - cars are no longer your pride and joy, and things you should expect to last of 20 years. They are all just budget lease hire mashups nowadays, made to last 3 years then get scrapped - after all in today's world others will treat it like a bit of junk you take to be vandalised every week by supermarket mums, and leave out as target practice for van drivers to see how much paint they can scrape off the bumpers... whilst you use time productively exploiting the poor just so you can swap it out for a more impressive model in two years time

In the photo you found of mine on the other post, of the two inner screen drains, on the battery side it takes all the water from the bonnet vent and its a little odd... it comes off the bonnet down through the heater air intake black bucket area, and then comes out of a pipe that drains into the top of an open plastic funnel an inch up from the bottom of the metal trough (mine was OK, but it looks designed to fill with rubbish unseen and cause flooding issues). If this is blocked it could over-spill into the area under the battery and likewise if it can't even get out of the air intake plastic bucket due to debris build up in the air intake- that will allow all that water to slosh around close to where it sucks in interior air and thus may make the insides soggy

My drivway is a 20degree angle, and I park bonnet lowest - once upon a time after a rain storm one of my omega's had a 6" puddle in the left front footwell - turns out much the same as Merc, the one drain in the same location as a RHD 221 would have, was blocked by the useless fabric loom tape deteriorating (I have no idea why they do it - they shouldn't use it). So a similar bit under the bonnet - where the 221 has the battery - on the omega was a foot deep with water and thus over-spill came inside via the path air is meant to come in - I fished out the tape, the water drained, I guess 15 litres and I dried another 6 litres from the carpet - and all was good for another 5 years

that same issue on a 221 will be an expensive nightmare... the difficulty on the single battery cars is its huge and there's not much space to play getting it out

as for the bit you are calling screen seals, modern cars - have a metal frame (the bodyshell) and usually a wad of black glue / sealant that bonds in the panel of glass (which needs 24 hrs to cure before driving)... after that weather-tight joint - we can have a load of other trim and rubbish, but its mostly cosmetic, or I guess in the case of the 221, to help the roof gutter water drain towards the open guppy mouths that don't work, at the base of the screen


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Fram

Yes ideas and thoughts always appreciated - many thanks. Vehicle currently in a friend's garage with seats and carpet out. Not much water there but have a few thoughts which I've added at the bottom of this post.

I think it's sitting right but still don't quite understand what you mean when you say to push over the closest side away from the gaps. Think it's all assembled fine.

The drain on mine under battery tray was fully blocked - have now unblocked it. Possible that water was building up there and entering from the ports in firewall just above. I assume there's a similarly located drain on the UK driver's side... but seems like it would be under the fusebox. Thought I might try and get to it from the underside of vehicle?

Hopefully I can contribute something here. If you raise the bonnet to service position using the little tab on the left hand hinge, it is less difficult to remove. Hopefully this may help anyone viewing this thread in the future...

So it seems I may have a leak here on the left A-pillar. I'm going to try and make an external pouch using blue-tac and duct tape and then fill it up with water so the entire A-pillar seal will be 'submerged' and then look for water entering the vehicle. Other than that, not sure how I have so much water gathering at the base of the dash...
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​​​​​​​ Rear sunroof drains for pano sunroof. The vehicle doesn't seem to have them - I've lowered headliner at the back near the rear headrests / c-pillars , can't find drains. Maybe it's not meant to have them and it's all a sealed unit, with only drains being around the opening bit at the front?

Current theory is that the water was getting into the rear footwell via the front of the car, due to reasons detailed above and the moisture on the wiring loom to rear seats was a red herring - being sucked up from the floor via osmosis as opposed to coming down from the roof due to a leak. Does anyone have any better ideas?


Thanks!
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BOTUS

I meant push the gunk over the side with a pressure washer - the parts are left where they are meant to be - you can faff with a toothbrush and a garden hose - but 65% will still be sitting there hidden - climate change seems to be playing a part, the amount of build up from moss, pollen, diesel soot and gov sponsored death hidden in con trails has gone from none worth noticing in 5 years to filth and green fur spouting everywhere every 3 months

Tina230

I have a 07 C230 and had the red battery icon come on in the past. The car was fine at first with it on, then the car would start dying as I was driving. I discovered it was my alternator failing. It was getting covered in oil from the oil leaks. Once I cleaned the alternator and reinstalled it, I never saw the light come on again. To my understanding the red battery light indicates a problem in your charging system.