Those boot seals look like they have never been lubricated. Think slip jell like you use on swimming pool pump seals. Understand you should apply this gel every few years to all roof & boot seals. Sadly poorly maintained SL's give people the impression these cars are beyond their pockets. Grateful for your education so future buyer can affordably maintain their cars and avoid ones with lots of problems caused by owners not looking after their classic R230's They are a fabulous reliable treasure to own and use regularly.
They weren’t when I bought the car but I have treated them myself since with the Merc lube. Here’s the vid: Mercedes SL R230 Prevent roof water leaks by treating the seals. Winter convertible maintenance. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE--cbgy7NKdiI.html
@@autogaragelife I think it is fabulous you are creating a library of problem solving tutorials That is bound to see many R230 better maintained, used and increase survival rates - Great achievement I run an R230 2006 (think - engineering refresh model pre SLK look alike front end) While it doesnt have the character of my previous R129 500SL, it is a great reliable car. Appreciate all the effort you are putting in for all us SL devotees
Thanks! I used butyl for the c pillar seals. To be honest I didn’t have any to hand whilst doing this job but reckon the rtv will hold up. If I get the car road worthy again! Update coming in my next vid! Thanks for the sub!
I bought tons of butyl tape to do a roof seal and it should come in handy here! Great video, with all of the rain in SoCal this year and my new truck project, my SL500 was left outside and this explains why I have a wet trunk!
If you take out the sponge on the pump although it feels dry it can hold loads of water , it took mine days to squeeze out and leaving it to dry, I also took out the floor bing which tends to block up easily
Mate thank you so very much for this , I’m beginning to have the same problem on my 2003 sl500, I initially thought the boot was not aligning when closed, creating a gap, I’ll research that of course, but I will indeed follow your advice and attempt the same job on those seals
No worries! Hope you find it useful. Other places to look are to clear out the water drains on the seals either side and the c pillar seals can also leak.
@@autogaragelife i found it extremely useful thanks, as I do all of your videos. As an SL owner, I'm so glad your channel exists.. I wonder if you could help with this very unique situation... My friends' SL350 (2009) had the pse pump taken out today (to be sent off for refurbishment). Unfortunately he lost the inner key out of the fob this afternoon when collecting the car and now can't open the boot. The car was unlocked so he can get in it, but we don't know how to open the boot, is there anything we can do? Many thanks 👍
Not having been in that situation I have no direct experience but have heard of some drilling through the third brake light to access the latch. Search mbworld to see some posts.
You can use a lube called Gun Oil. I use this on the seals of my A209 CLK . All rubbers get lubed , all seals around the doors and windows. Stops the roof creaking and makes sure no water leaks in . Obviously very different to an SL but it’s the same principle. I do my seals every 3 months. 2007 CLK 350 Sport …. No creaks or leaks at all .
Last I checked over £200 from Mercedes. Probably some ebay ones a bit cheaper but even buying a new seal you still have to do what I did with the metal plate before replacing. My seal was in good shape and it was simply the adhesive that had given up. 1 year on and it’s perfect with no leaks whatsoever.
I have a SL350 and it has dried rusted marks in the boot areas where it typically leaks. From the receipts the owner wasn’t a DIYer but had deep pockets, I think the seal has been replaced but the rust is unsightly and a small leak on the right appears under heavy rain. How long did it take for you to do this fix?
@@autogaragelifethanks I will give it a go , just cleared loads of muck from the seal and drain holes which has helped a lot and now it’s just leaking through the screw which holds on the seal so looks like the seal adhesive has perished. Did you go through a couple of tubes of kurust and J-B weld silicone?
