W124 Trunk Gasket / Seal / Weatherstrip - 124-750-03-98

[Jlaa]

I stupidly tore my trunk gasket (about a 1" tear) by trying to drive off with my battery charger still connected to the car and the extension cord still connected to the wall outlet.



I have since repaired the trunk gasket with some superglue. I looked at the pricing for this and OMG!!!! I should have heeded @a777fan 's warning!

New trunk gasket:
Which is super btw.

Anyways I looked up pricing on this thing and its like almost $300 shipped to me!!!!! YOWZA!!!

Has anyone used an aftermarket seal with success? Those are much more reasonable in price....

 

[gsxr]

The tunk seal is a press fit, so you could try aftermarket for grins and see what the fitment is like, and how long it lasts. Otherwise, keep an eye out in junkyards for a good used one. I used to snag these and re-sell them back when aftermarket was $40 and OE was $100. Unfortunately about ~75% of used ones are bad, either torn/damaged, or excessively compressed/squished in certain sections. Examine closely before removing. Last good one I picked up was several years ago, there have not been enough 124's in the yards to pick from, and/or the seals were bad.

And, I share your pain. I tore the seal in our E420 about a week ago. The lid was "stuck" to the seal and when I forced it open, a few chunks remained stuck to the boot lid. Aaaaargh. The tear is at the lower edge and should not affect water entry, but still! I plan to lube it up with Formula 303 or GummiPflege (sp?) and hope that prevents further stickifying. Wish I had picked up a couple of OE seals back when they were "only" $100.

 

[kegmankipp]

I bought a Uro one about 4 years ago off eBay for $40 delivered and the fit and quality are surprisingly very good.

This was before I saw on the board here how bad their reputation is.

It’s still doing well 4 years later. It’s way better than Uro and Febi door seals which are pure junk.

 

[Jlaa]

I bought a Uro one about 4 years ago off eBay for $40 delivered and the fit and quality are surprisingly very good.

This was before I saw on the board here how bad their reputation is.

It’s still doing well 4 years later. It’s way better than Uro and Febi door seals which are pure junk.

Ohhhh! I will try the URO one. THANK YOU!

FWIW, I put URO frunk hydraulic hood shocks on my sport beetle like 4 years ago. They are still holding up. On non-mission-critical applications, I'll try aftermarket stuff once in a while.

 

[kegmankipp]

Ohhhh! I will try the URO one. THANK YOU!

FWIW, I put URO frunk hydraulic hood shocks on my sport beetle like 4 years ago. They are still holding up. On non-mission-critical applications, I'll try aftermarket stuff once in a while.

There is a seller in Nor Cal that has had them, UroParts? Is the name

It looks just like the original but has no markings

 

[a777fan]

I'll try aftermarket stuff once in a while.

Can someone append this to the zoom-tubes discussion??? Re:world ending

 

[The Emperor]

Ohhhh! I will try the URO one. THANK YOU!

You will be excommunicated and Force-lightninged as punishment for moving to the Dark Side.

 

[Jlaa]

I have had mixed results with non-mission critical aftermarket parts.

• TYC/VDO HVAC Blower motor - regretted it.
• BEHR/HELLA Service HVAC Blower motor - works well.
• DEPO front turn signal lights - regretted it. OE only afterwards.
• Flosser Copper fuses - work okay but I haven’t had to test their load rating yet.
• Bosch distrib cap and rotor and shield - they work so far after 6 years.
• ACM fan clutch - admittedly this is mission critical but it works so far after 6 years.

The price differential on trunk gaskets URO vs OE is literally 10x. I’ll see what the URO trunk gasket is like when I receive it.

OBTW

• I have a Denso AC compressor in my spares supply. I think I would be pretty comfortable using the Denso.
• I also have a GRAF water pump in my spares supply. I am not sure about this one. I need to get a feeler gauge to measure the clearance between the impeller and the housing.

 

[darek_u]

I have used SWAG gasket for last 4-5 years with a very good result. SWAG is sub-branch of Febi I think? Anyway, it was cheap, fitment surprisingly good and it stays in perfect shape after all these years.

 

[LWB250]

Be sure to get a can of 3M 08984 General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner and some wood shims or narrow plastic scraper. Pull/scrape as much of the old gasket out of the groove, then flood it with the adhesive remover after blocking the (vertical) ends of the groove with a shop towel or rag. Let it soak the remains of the seal and then go at it with the wood shims or plastic scraper. I like the wood shims as they're cheap, disposable, and can be split to the right width.

Dan

 

[JC220]

I have used SWAG gasket for last 4-5 years with a very good result. SWAG is sub-branch of Febi I think? Anyway, it was cheap, fitment surprisingly good and it stays in perfect shape after all these years.

Note that SWAG is also an OEM supplier for some MB parts. Such as the m119 timing chain tensioner and propshaft Centre bearing carrier.

Like SGF, Febi sometimes may rebox Swag. But not the other way around. You wouldn't find Febi inside a Swag box!!

I have a supplier in Europe where I can purchase some OEM Swag boxed parts for very reasonable cost VS dealer.

 

[maw1124]

SUBSCRIBED, for when I eventually tear mine the same way. And if I don't do it, someone will (my mom, the kids), I'm sure of it.

maw

 

[JC220]

I think I have 3 or 4 original w124 boot lid seals in storage. (NFS sorry)

I have a w140 with mysterious water leak in boot so may need a new seal for it. Will get aftermarket probably

 

[asultan]

The tunk seal is a press fit, so you could try aftermarket for grins and see what the fitment is like, and how long it lasts. Otherwise, keep an eye out in junkyards for a good used one. I used to snag these and re-sell them back when aftermarket was $40 and OE was $100. Unfortunately about ~75% of used ones are bad, either torn/damaged, or excessively compressed/squished in certain sections. Examine closely before removing. Last good one I picked up was several years ago, there have not been enough 124's in the yards to pick from, and/or the seals were bad.

And, I share your pain. I tore the seal in our E420 about a week ago. The lid was "stuck" to the seal and when I forced it open, a few chunks remained stuck to the boot lid. Aaaaargh. The tear is at the lower edge and should not affect water entry, but still! I plan to lube it up with Formula 303 or GummiPflege (sp?) and hope that prevents further stickifying. Wish I had picked up a couple of OE seals back when they were $100.

Do you have a trick to removing them? Per FSM/my experience with my car, they used a pretty nasty adhesive to seal the trunk seal in that channel. My old one came apart in about 50 torn pieces with a flat head.

 

[luckymike]

I think mine was just pressed in place.

 

[gsxr]

Do you have a trick to removing them? Per FSM/my experience with my car, they used a pretty nasty adhesive to seal the trunk seal in that channel. My old one came apart in about 50 torn pieces with a flat head.

124 sedans circa 1986-87, maybe 1988, have glued-in seals that are miserable to replace.

From around 1988-up it's a press-fit and simple to R&R. I'm still not certain if a late-style press-fit seal can be installed in an early-build car, but it sure looks like it should work. UPDATE: The early cars have a different plastic trunk ledge trim which interferes with the press-on gasket. It may be possible to retrofit the "late" plastic ledge with some modifications. Details in this thread.

 

[asultan]

124 sedans circa 1986-87, maybe 1988, have glued-in seals that are miserable to replace.

From around 1988-up it's a press-fit and simple to R&R. I'm still not certain if a late-style press-fit seal can be installed in an early-build car, but it sure looks like it should work.

great to hear that I wont install the new seal wrong with adhesive now thank you for saving me the pain

 

[mikeym]

I bought a Uro one about 4 years ago off eBay for $40 delivered and the fit and quality are surprisingly very good.

This was before I saw on the board here how bad their reputation is.

It’s still doing well 4 years later. It’s way better than Uro and Febi door seals which are pure junk.

How is it holding up? I’m chasing a water leak in my car and debating between China stuff or OEM.

 

[kegmankipp]

How is it holding up? I’m chasing a water leak in my car and debating between China stuff or OEM.

It’s actually been fine now for over 5 years. May be the one good part Uro makes, as the other stuff I’ve seen from them was total junk.

 

[mikeym]

It’s actually been fine now for over 5 years. Maybe the one good part Uro makes as the other stuff I’ve seen from them was total junk.

Thx.
I will order it as well and roll the dice.

 

[500AMM]

OBTW

• I have a Denso AC compressor in my spares supply. I think I would be pretty comfortable using the Denso.
• I also have a GRAF water pump in my spares supply. I am not sure about this one. I need to get a feeler gauge to measure the clearance between the impeller and the housing.

Shouldn't be any problem with that Denso AC compressor. Nippondenso was the OE vendor to Mercedes, and after they split from Toyota and renamed Denso they probably continued their parts supply to MB. Due to an AC system leak on my exLimited causing the lube to stop circulating, the AC compressor seized. I ordered a new replacement from a reputed company in Sweden and they gave me a Denso. The top cover for the hose terminations wasn't included for some reason, so I had to move it over from the old one. Another difference was the 8-rib pulley, while the later 036s run with a 6-rib belt. But it hooked up and ran correct on the 6 inner slots on the pulley (towards the compressor). FWIW, I've also ran for years with Denso spark plugs on the Limited.

The new Denso compressor.


The old Nippondenso compressor. Pretty dramatic that seizing!

 

[Seangbadee]

Thx.
I will order it as well and roll the dice.

I came across this seller who has Lemfoerder trunk seals for the W124.
The part # - 1247500398.
I got one, and only time will tell how good it really is. The seller says it’s made in Germany.

Mercedes W124 260E,300E,e320,e400,e500 90-95 trunk lid seal 1247500398 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Mercedes W124 260E,300E,e320,e400,e500 90-95 trunk lid seal 1247500398 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

ebay.us

I hope this helps someone.

 

[500AMM]

The part on the image is dated 29.06.93, so if that reflects what you receive it should be the real deal. Based on the sellers inventory it appears to be legit. Keep us updated please.

 

[Seangbadee]

The part on the image is dated 29.06.93, so if that reflects what you receive it should be the real deal. Based on the sellers inventory it appears to be legit. Keep us updated please.

Just wanted to follow up on my earlier post—I finally got around to installing the new trunk seal (part #12 475 003 98, Lemfoerder brand) on my W124 sedan. The install itself went smoothly, with no issues. The trunk lip was clean and free of debris, so the new seal seated nicely.

But here’s where things took an unexpected turn: the trunk lid wouldn’t latch shut.

It looked like the new seal was sitting too high, preventing the lid from closing properly. I double-checked everything—the seal appeared to be fully seated all the way around. Still, no luck. The trunk just wouldn’t close.

Out of curiosity (and a bit of frustration), I removed the new seal and reinstalled the original one. To my surprise, the old seal went back on with a slightly tighter fit—but the trunk lid closed completely. The alignment was perfect: the lid sat flush with the top of the rear quarter panels.

So now I’m wondering—what am I missing? Has anyone else experienced this with a replacement trunk seal that’s a bit too tall or firm out of the box? I'd really appreciate any advice or tips before I attempt this again.

 

[Bogeyman]

I have had this happen with my W113. The new seal needs to compress. Maybe put some weight on the lid to force it down.

 

[Surf Blau]

Speaking of trunk seals; I got this for my car before reading about the poor quality of aftermarket parts here. Needless to say my expectations were lowered after hearing other owners experience, but so far I must say I am pleasantly surprised; Its surface felt as they usually do, its nice and pliable, but still firm and soft where it should be. The only major difference I could find compared to the (what I assume to be the original) one that was on the car, was the fact that it only had one drain hole at the bottom instead of multiple.

I also got these trunk lid cushions as the original ones in my car were corroded badly. These are the selling company's own products, and also felt reassuringly good.

Only time will tell if the quality is as expected though.

 

[Seangbadee]

Speaking of trunk seals; I got this for my car before reading about the poor quality of aftermarket parts here. Needless to say my expectations were lowered after hearing other owners experience, but so far I must say I am pleasantly surprised; Its surface felt as they usually do, its nice and pliable, but still firm and soft where it should be. The only major difference I could find compared to the (what I assume to be the original) one that was on the car, was the fact that it only had one drain hole at the bottom instead of multiple.

I also got these trunk lid cushions as the original ones in my car were corroded badly. These are the selling company's own products, and also felt reassuringly good.

Only time will tell if the quality is as expected though.

I just got the same [OE/dealer] parts from here, https://www.mercedesbenzpartsshop.com/oem-parts/mercedes-benz-end-stop-1247580144, as mine needed replacement too.

 

[Seangbadee]

I have had this happen with my W113. The new seal needs to compress. Maybe put some weight on the lid to force it down.

I thought about that, but the car just came back from the paint booth, and I think it needs to 'rest' a bit more. Right now, its pretty snug with the old trunk seal.