Tracking down water entry in a wagon
03-10-2023, 09:17 AM
#1
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Tracking down water entry in a wagon
My wagon has been nothing but reliable for a few years now, so I have been out of the loop with researching, ordering, and replacing parts.
In colder temperatures, I sometimes find the windows fogged up. It happened yesterday about an hour after I drove it, which seemed odd. I opened the tailgate and found water in where the spare tire would be. Lots of water.
I have not sorted out how it's getting in yet (tailight gasket, gasket around trunk, trim around trunk, etc), but I know I have trim that needs replacing in that general area. The problem is, I can't find the part numbers for anything aside from the gasket that goes behind the tailgate. I really want to find all the plastic trim pieces. I spent hours on the Mercedes site last night and never found it. FCP and all the usual Euro parts distributors, dont have any exploded diagrams. My STAR/DAS doesnt seem to have parts lookup. I thought it did (EPC?), I guess not.
Any help locating these part numbers for all the surrounding trim would be incredible.
In colder temperatures, I sometimes find the windows fogged up. It happened yesterday about an hour after I drove it, which seemed odd. I opened the tailgate and found water in where the spare tire would be. Lots of water.
I have not sorted out how it's getting in yet (tailight gasket, gasket around trunk, trim around trunk, etc), but I know I have trim that needs replacing in that general area. The problem is, I can't find the part numbers for anything aside from the gasket that goes behind the tailgate. I really want to find all the plastic trim pieces. I spent hours on the Mercedes site last night and never found it. FCP and all the usual Euro parts distributors, dont have any exploded diagrams. My STAR/DAS doesnt seem to have parts lookup. I thought it did (EPC?), I guess not.
Any help locating these part numbers for all the surrounding trim would be incredible.
Last edited by ekalb; 03-10-2023 at 09:20 AM.
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chassis (03-11-2023)
03-10-2023, 02:09 PM
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2006 CLS55 AMG, 2005 SLK 350 AMG
My wagon has been nothing but reliable for a few years now, so I have been out of the loop with researching, ordering, and replacing parts.
In colder temperatures, I sometimes find the windows fogged up. It happened yesterday about an hour after I drove it, which seemed odd. I opened the tailgate and found water in where the spare tire would be. Lots of water.
I have not sorted out how it's getting in yet (tailight gasket, gasket around trunk, trim around trunk, etc), but I know I have trim that needs replacing in that general area. The problem is, I can't find the part numbers for anything aside from the gasket that goes behind the tailgate. I really want to find all the plastic trim pieces. I spent hours on the Mercedes site last night and never found it. FCP and all the usual Euro parts distributors, dont have any exploded diagrams. My STAR/DAS doesnt seem to have parts lookup. I thought it did (EPC?), I guess not.
Any help locating these part numbers for all the surrounding trim would be incredible.
In colder temperatures, I sometimes find the windows fogged up. It happened yesterday about an hour after I drove it, which seemed odd. I opened the tailgate and found water in where the spare tire would be. Lots of water.
I have not sorted out how it's getting in yet (tailight gasket, gasket around trunk, trim around trunk, etc), but I know I have trim that needs replacing in that general area. The problem is, I can't find the part numbers for anything aside from the gasket that goes behind the tailgate. I really want to find all the plastic trim pieces. I spent hours on the Mercedes site last night and never found it. FCP and all the usual Euro parts distributors, dont have any exploded diagrams. My STAR/DAS doesnt seem to have parts lookup. I thought it did (EPC?), I guess not.
Any help locating these part numbers for all the surrounding trim would be incredible.
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ekalb (03-10-2023)
03-11-2023, 07:23 AM
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2005 CLS55 AMG W219 C219
I replaced those trim pieces on my CLS55 and I would highly recommend to do so for all of us. At least rip it of and clean underneath it. Dirt & grime will have accumulated under it potentially causing little rust spots.
Good luck tracking it down brother!
Good luck tracking it down brother!
03-11-2023, 07:51 AM
#5
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As noted, one common spot can be the trim on the sides under the hatch. There’s also lots of info about the rear taillight seals needing replacement. Pull the taillights and check. That fixes it for most. I don’t have my e55 anymore and it’s been a few years but I think I ordered that seal separately. Very easy fix.
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ekalb (03-12-2023)
03-11-2023, 08:22 AM
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2017 GLE350 4MATIC
My wagon has been nothing but reliable for a few years now, so I have been out of the loop with researching, ordering, and replacing parts.
In colder temperatures, I sometimes find the windows fogged up. It happened yesterday about an hour after I drove it, which seemed odd. I opened the tailgate and found water in where the spare tire would be. Lots of water.
I have not sorted out how it's getting in yet (tailight gasket, gasket around trunk, trim around trunk, etc), but I know I have trim that needs replacing in that general area. The problem is, I can't find the part numbers for anything aside from the gasket that goes behind the tailgate. I really want to find all the plastic trim pieces. I spent hours on the Mercedes site last night and never found it. FCP and all the usual Euro parts distributors, dont have any exploded diagrams. My STAR/DAS doesnt seem to have parts lookup. I thought it did (EPC?), I guess not.
Any help locating these part numbers for all the surrounding trim would be incredible.
In colder temperatures, I sometimes find the windows fogged up. It happened yesterday about an hour after I drove it, which seemed odd. I opened the tailgate and found water in where the spare tire would be. Lots of water.
I have not sorted out how it's getting in yet (tailight gasket, gasket around trunk, trim around trunk, etc), but I know I have trim that needs replacing in that general area. The problem is, I can't find the part numbers for anything aside from the gasket that goes behind the tailgate. I really want to find all the plastic trim pieces. I spent hours on the Mercedes site last night and never found it. FCP and all the usual Euro parts distributors, dont have any exploded diagrams. My STAR/DAS doesnt seem to have parts lookup. I thought it did (EPC?), I guess not.
Any help locating these part numbers for all the surrounding trim would be incredible.
- On a regular basis clean all aperture (door) seals, including both sides of the seal and drain trough. Clean the mating surface on the non-moveable part of the body (door surrounds or portals). Treat seals with Gummi Pflege, it's on Amazon and discussed frequently on this site.
- If you have a sliding roof, confirm the drains are clear by pouring water into the trough surrounding the open roof. There are normally 4 drains, one in each corner of the roof, and they typically drain over or near each of the wheels . If they are plugged, heavy fishing line or string trimmer (weed whacker) line can be used to unclog the drains.
- spare tire water leaks on MBs often come from failed taillamp gaskets. Given the old age of this vehicle I would replace them preemptively.
- Other areas to check:
liftgate rubber gasket
rear wiper shaft
rear glass perimeter
C/D pillar glass perimeter
liftgate button and license plate light gasket
top spoiler/CHMSL penetration
Gaskets are DIY, as are the license plate lights and top spoiler because apparently you have WIS. The fixed glass or wiper shaft in my view are body shop repair items.
For more ideas, search the X/W164 section of this site because those models, and their age, have had owners experience leaks and they can make suggestions.
Last edited by chassis; 03-11-2023 at 08:27 AM.
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