Nitroman

Hello everyone. I'm new to this forum but I'm hoping someone can help me here. About two years ago I purchased a low mileage SL500 (58000 miles) that has literally given me more frustration than anything I have ever owned in my life. To put it mildly, this car has been a challenge to keep in good running order. Something new fails almost every time I drive it and I'm at the point that I think I would just be happier selling it than keep maintaining it. In pursuit of making sure everything is correct on the car before selling it I have one last item to repair, the rubber under the exterior rear side window molding. I'm trying to remove the small trim piece that is on the outside of the rear side window attached to the body but have not been able to find any information on the procedure for this including in the WIS. Any help here would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Here is a picture of the piece I am referring to. It's hard to see because it and the car are black.

Rudeney

It's just clipped in - no hidden screws or anything. As you have already done, you do have to remove the inner panel that houses the infamous "flap". I believe all the rubber trim arond the glass comes out with it so be careful with that.

Nitroman

Thanks for your reply Rodney. I see that you also have WIS and DAS an was wondering where this item might be located. I can't find it anywhere in WIS, but possibly I'm not looking in the right place. I still get lost in WIS on occasion. I would be more comfortable removing this trim if I had the procedure or a picture to go by. I don't want to damage the molding.

Rudeney

I check WIS and it has no special steps for this - just "remove it". I checked EPC, and it only shows some spring clips, so that's why I think it just pulls off. I looked at mine and I see that the rubber seal appears to be all one piece, so I am guessing it is going to come off with the trim.

Nitroman

Thanks again Rodney. Yes it is held on with 4 clips that slip over the body line. The rubber is part of the molding so care needed to be taken so not to damage it. I used the proper body tool and it popped right up. Put the new trunk seal in and put it back together. All is good again, though if I use common sense I will sell this car as soon as possible. These things are a mechanical nightmare.

Rudeney

What other issues are you experiencing? Keep in mind that with any 13-14 year old car, you are going to need some additional maintenance as rubber and plastics begin to deteriorate. The complexity of ABC, SBC, the vario roof, and of course MBZ's cutting-edge electronics can introduce some additional challenges, but there is a bright side. Most of the repairs will have you going for another 60K miles, plus SBC is now warranted for 25 years, so there's one less thing to worry about. The forums are a great resource for information, and it sounds like you have WIS, so you are moving in the right direction to be an expert DIYer.