Water leaks in Mercedes SLK200 boot.

Water leaks in Mercedes SLK200 boot.

Author
Discussion

DonDonny

Original Poster:

5 posts

45 months

Thursday 11th June 2020
quotequote all
My wife's SLK200 has developed a bad water leak into the Boot.
The seals around the rear window and the seal around the boot lid are old and do need replacing.
Mercedes Main Dealership will replace every seal in the roof and boot, with brand new Mercedes Seals (over £800) and want over £2000 for the job + VAT.
Yes we know the job is fiddly, we have watched the seals being replaced on YouTube, but surely there is a Mechanic/Fitter somewhere in Surrey or West Sussex, near Crawley, who could tackle this job and get paid cash for doing it.
They could fit good reconditioned seals from EBAY, or seals from a wrecked SLK car, she just wants the amount of water entering the boot to be reduced or if possible totally eliminated.
We have tried many local to Crawley, West Sussex garages and we cannot get anyone other than the expensive Mercedes Garage to take on the job.
Is there nobody out there who can do the job at a more reasonable price?, please let us know if there is, thanks Don

maz8062

2,172 posts

214 months

Thursday 11th June 2020
quotequote all
Your best bet is Cayman Autos:

https://www.caymanautos.co.uk/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwrIf3B...

Before doing that, check the drain hoses (there are 2 either side of the boot) they sometimes come loose and let water in.

Good luck

DonDonny

Original Poster:

5 posts

45 months

Thursday 11th June 2020
quotequote all
Yes the first thing I did was to clean them out, but the leak is much worse then that.

Unbusy

934 posts

96 months

Thursday 11th June 2020
quotequote all
I would be surprised if there are any seals that are reconditioned. Buying secondhand could be the answer but then again the replacement seal could also be faulty.
Half a day with a hose pipe set to a low flow and lots of patience should pinpoint the fault.
Start low and work upwards. Put kitchen paper inside the boot to show up the leak. It should only be a matter of time before you find the leak and then you will know exactly what part to replace.

uk66fastback

16,451 posts

270 months

Thursday 11th June 2020
quotequote all
Surely if it's shown on youtube you could do it yourself!? What's the worst that could happen?

The man who never made an error never attempted anything or whatever the saying is ...

DonDonny

Original Poster:

5 posts

45 months

Thursday 11th June 2020
quotequote all
Sorry folks but we are getting old but still fairly active, but we are not strong enough to repair cars, we are both retired and today (Don) is my 86th Birthday, as you can see my wife is younger than me.
We just need technical help at a price we can afford.

uk66fastback

16,451 posts

270 months

Thursday 11th June 2020
quotequote all
Apologies then Don, you're on the right website though - someone will help sort it - or know someone who can!

DonDonny

Original Poster:

5 posts

45 months

Thursday 11th June 2020
quotequote all
Thanks we are now trying Cayman Autos as one of your guys suggested, but they would have to collect and return the car, so they probably would not be interested.
Will keep on trying, thanks again Don

Miserablegit

4,013 posts

108 months

Thursday 11th June 2020
quotequote all
I can’t see anyone being happy to fit used seals.
If they don’t work then it’s likely the owner wouldn’t be happy.

fozzymandeus

1,038 posts

145 months

Thursday 11th June 2020
quotequote all
Sorry to hear you’re having trouble with the vario roof. It’s a bit of a shambles - Mercedes have never perfected the design: when the roof is up, the metal panels put pressure on the seals in such a way that some of them are in tension and will pull away from the panel they are bonded to.

There is a lot of information out there on some fairly straightforward fixes you can try: Mercedes always resort to replacement of all the seals at vast expense because they don’t repair any more, only replace.

The Mercedes Benz Owners forum does have information on there on possible techniques. It is worth a read as some have had good success.

Cayman autos do seem to be the national experts on this and if I were you I would get the car to them as they will provide a good balance between cost and effectiveness, judging by their reputation.

I had an SL for 8 years. Loved the car but never did manage to get it to be totally watertight - but I never did take it to Cayman!

Dizeee

18,166 posts

205 months

Saturday 13th June 2020
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DonDonny said:
Thanks we are now trying Cayman Autos as one of your guys suggested, but they would have to collect and return the car, so they probably would not be interested.
Will keep on trying, thanks again Don
Why would they have to collect and return the car?

If this is an issue, I work self employed for a chauffeur company who drive clients cars / move them / whatever needs doing. A small job like that would be easily sorted if you don't have the time or ability to drop it off.

DonDonny

Original Poster:

5 posts

45 months

Saturday 13th June 2020
quotequote all
Thanks we haven't been out since 7th March. Its not an issue to you young folk, but if we catch this dreaded virus it is a death sentence.
So we decided to keep in doors. apart from a short drive around to keep both our Mercedes cars batteries up and running.
Hope that explains our situation, by the way Cayman Autos are not taking in water leak problems at the moment, due to their staff situation, so we are on their short list for when they re-start.