One of the major weak points on the W126, is that with time the rubber seal around the rear windscreen deteriorates and lets in water. This pools up around edge of the windscreen and parcel shelf and starts to rust. With time, the rust gets worse destroying the entire parcel shelf and soaking the boot when it rains – leading to more rust. This is a problem on the sedans, but tends to be even worse on the coupes due to the angle of the glass.
On my 380SEC there’s only 2 tiny visible rust bubbles on the lower edge of the windscreen panel but from underneath there’s a significant amount of flakiness and rust.
Fortunately, that panel is available new from Mercedes-Benz and is not crazy expensive – it’s around $250.
Getting it installed on the other hand is a bit of a hassle. To do so, the rear windscreen needs to be removed along with the rear seats and parcel shelf. Then the panel needs to be taken to bare metal to expose the factory spot welds. The spot welds need to be drilled/ground out, then remove the panel and weld in the replacement.
I went to get quotes from around half a dozen panel shops in the area. While most places quoted around $1800, one quoted around $6000. Of course, when it came time to book it in, most repair shops turned their back on me and said – “Actually, I don’t want to do this job. Insurance work is easier money and less hassles”.
Enter Queen Street Customs in Revesby. I went there on a whim because I was in the area and was expecting them to tell me they’re not interested or charge me a fortune. Surprisingly, their price was one of the lowest quotes. After having a chat with Ahmed and Sam I felt comfortable that they could do the job to a high quality and didn’t hesitate to book it in.
So I’m excited to say, I’ve dropped off the car and I should be getting it back towards the end of next week. So far Sam says everything is looking good, but he did call to tell me there’s one minor problem – The rubber boot seal needs to be replaced. He called up Mercedes-Benz to order one and was told that there’s only 2 left in the entire world and it would be $400 and take 2 weeks to arrive. Luckily I’ve had to source difficult to find parts before and managed to find one via Pelican parts for about half the price with 3 day shipping (of course it will take them 6 days to get it to their warehouse first). So I’ve ordered the replacement seal and will take it to Queen St when it arrives to me.
