Replacing all body seals : what mix of brands/suppliers for a good result?

[GGR]

Hi all,

So here I am. I have started detriming my Pagoda and it will be at the body shop by the end of this week for some needed work on the body and a new paint.

I've been looking at my seals and while they are in excellent shape for their age, I'm quite sure they will look bad if I put them back on a newly painted car. so i'm going to replace all of them.

I know original MB seals will fit perfectly, but they are also much more expensive than the aftermarket ones. I did a search on the forum and some people had good fortune with aftermarket seals, some less so. Garry recommended in another post that I go with a combination of OEM and reproduction, from different suppliers. I think it's a good advice and this thread is to help me determine which seal, which brand, and which supplier I should be using.

The end result I'm looking for is a nice driver quality car, not a trailer queen. I'm after good quality while avoiding paying factory original premium price where I can avoid it - though I'm ready to pay for it where quality of alternative brands is not satisfactory, so I wand to end up with a good compromise mix of brands and suppliers.   

In my experience, URO parts have a very bad reputation when it comes to mechanical seals. My own experience with them is a rear axle boot which went bad in less than a year, and forums are full of complaints about them (busted flex discs with catastrophic consequences etc.). When it comes to body seals, it seems to be more of a mixed experience. For example, some people are happy with URO windshield seals for the W111 chassis, some are not. In this forum, I noted that some are happy with the URO Pagoda trunk seal, some are not.

This is where I need some help. Which aftermarket seals will do a good job, and where to get them, and which ones should be factory.

Thanks in advance to all for the help !

[IXLR8]

See my earlier post.

the other Joe

[GGR]

See my earlier post.

the other Joe

Thanks Joe. I've sent an email to the guy.

[GGR]

Someone is selling seals purchased 5 years ago from a Mercedes distributor (is that a dealer or someone specialized in MB parts, including aftermarket?) and sent me pictures of the items with tags on it. Do these look like origianl MB tags or can they be aftermarket?

Thanks !

[DaveB]

I don't think those are genuine.

[GGR]

Attached is a picture of the only seal with the MB logo sticker. None of the others have the MB sticker. However, the second tag on the one with the MB sticker looks like the stickers on the other seals. I wonder if an aftermarket supplier would go all the way as imitating the part number tag, font, position of the code bar etc.

I don't know what to think.

 

[DaveB]

I see what you mean there. I could easily be wrong about that 113 750 01 77 and 113 720 08 78. But the font on the sticker that reads "113 795 1222 W113 TOP SEAL" looks just like that on some aftermarket seals. Also I don't think MB would run the last four digits together like that. Perhaps that  bit of blue text on the remaining scrap of the torn sticker was a brand name? On the other hand the sticker over the "113 795 1222 W113 top seal" looks sort of 'real'. Confused. I guess the seals are not available to you for closer inspection?
Maybe the Classic Center can do a deal for you on a purchase of multiple seals. Garry and others were saying that the price of genuine windshield seal was just lowered significantly, and that may apply to other seals. I hope so as some of them seem outrageous, I think the cloth-covered lower rear hardtop seal (which no-one seems to reproduce) is >$300.

[49er]

 A little off topic but here are a few pictures of a door seal (I have two) that I bought back from MB back in '78 but never have had the courage to put on the car They are still in excellent condition and very supple. Maybe someday.. Pretty reasonable too back then at only $17.94 each (wish I bought a dozen). I did get some "URO" seals a few years back for the trunk and "A" pillar. The trunk seal was close but did not fit nearly as well as the genuine MB seal. The "A" piller seal wasn't even close so I bought another from Classic and it fit fine and had the same cloth backing as original.

John

[GGR]

So I just talked to the seller and what is meant by "Mercedes distributir" is not a dealer but a person selling MB parts whos said they were genuine Mercedes. This was in San Diego 5 years ago and it was sold as a kit. So these could indeed be genuine MB parts as some guys do buy older stocks and retail them. But it could also be aftermarket. The notion of "kit " troubles me as I'm not sure MB slls such "kits".

Experts, it's up to you to determine if they're original MB or not.

Subsidiary question: Would aftermarket suppliers use the MB part number on the package of a part they reproduce?

[Garry]

I think that a lot here would agree that the critical seals that most people have difficulty with if they are non OEM are the front windscreen seal, the A pillar seal and the hard top window seals.

As John has pointed out the trunk seal is sometimes suspect but I have not heard any complaints on the door seals (other than the A pillar) and the top seals. As Dave said the windscreen seal dropped in price for the genuine OEM by around half.  At one point it was nearly as much as the glass its self.

The seal with the MB sticker appears to be genuine but I would be suspect on the rest as being OEM with out a MB logo. That is not to say that they may be just fine if they are not the critical items previously mentioned.

Garry

[Alex D]

I just painted my car and had the seals replaced.  Classic Center gave some very good prices, windshield and trunk.  Buds Benz for the others.

[tel76]

If you are wanting to do this job correctly there is only one way, take a deep breath, pick up the telephone, ring the Classic Centre and order what you want, when you get all your seals fit them knowing that they will fit and will still be there when you leave the car to your family.

[Benz Dr.]

Most of the seals you get will be OE but many are repro. Most of the repro stuff is OK and you should have no probem with them. The windshield and window glass seals are best bought as original but the rest of them are fine in repro.

 Anyone who thinks that they have to buy original pieces will pay more but not always get more.

[zoegrlh]

I agree with Benz Dr., windsheld seals are a must from MB.
Bob

[Flyair]

A little off topic but here are a few pictures of a door seal (I have two) that I bought back from MB back in '78 but never have had the courage to put on the car They are still in excellent condition and very supple. Maybe someday.. Pretty reasonable too back then at only $17.94 each (wish I bought a dozen). I did get some "URO" seals a few years back for the trunk and "A" pillar. The trunk seal was close but did not fit nearly as well as the genuine MB seal. The "A" piller seal wasn't even close so I bought another from Classic and it fit fine and had the same cloth backing as original.

John

John.

I just went throughout the as me experience and am forced to pay the MB price... Could you advise me whether the A pillar seals were with the soft stripe on the side that touches the window?  If so, would you kindly send me the MB reference code for those... I went to MB dealership here but thy have to sets on the system and nobody was able to say what's as original and what was the difference.. Many thanks

[49er]

Hello Stan,
 The part number from the MB Classic Center in Irvine, CA was 113-725-17-66 and the description was "seal" which fits either side (you have to trim to fit). List price was $32.50 each but with the MBCA 10% discount it came to $26each. This price was as of two years ago. Attached is a photo that shows the "fabric" covered surface that the window slides against. Hope this helps

John