I fitted a new outer, rear passenger side window seal this afternoon.

I found that the easiest, and quickest method is to remove the inner window seal first because the outer seal is lodged inside the inner seal.

Taking out the inner seal you then just pull off the outer seal, refit the new outer seal, and then refit the inner seal. The one thing that I have noticed to be a bit of a snag are the top corners, front and rear. I have found that when the rear corner is in tight the front corner is just slightly raised, and not sitting exactly into the front corner. I don't think that this is a big issue, I think that with some warm weather the seal will shrink slightly and bed in. I am talking about 1 mm of an overlap, riding up very, very slightly as compared to a flush finish on the drivers side window seal. But then that one has been there for 19 years !

Next job is the headlining.

Pierre3.

Thanks for the answers, guys.

I just thought that there might have been a match with the L322 base, but it was only a long shot.

Exmoor Trim don't have a pattern for the P38 seat base, but Rimmer's got back to me to say that LR do have stock , but as mentioned before, or elsewhere, the price is a bit steep, I think £198 plus VAT.

I would have to think about it carefully though. The leather is very good, and a new cushion would greatly improve the seat for the remainder of the life of the vehicle, but is it worth £220 or thereabouts to do it, rather than try to find a decent [but not new] base for maybe £50 that wouls last five years or so. it matter of personal value, I guess.

I will try the findapart.ie website first, I think, because it seems to be an Irish website.

Pierre3.

Just out of interest, would anyone know whether the front seats are the same in the P38, and the L322 ? Looking at pictures of breaking RR L322's the base of the seat looks the same, but is this just a pie-in-the-sky suggestion ?

Pierre3.

H i romanrob, I think that you are correct about this part, I think that it is the correct part, but as was mentioned earlier in the topic, it is bleedin' expensive !!!

The earlier suggestion about finding a decent passenger side seat is looking distinctly more attractive ! Looking on ebay, and some other sites with used parts, a complete seat is often only about £60-80, although, interestingly, there are a lot more upper [back] sections for sale, so it must be that the bases have already been sold so the ones that are available look a bit worse than my own.

I will keep a look out and make a few phone calls. The biggest problem is that I am in Ireland so the shipping can be expensive.

Pierre3.

Hi, thanks for all the suggestions and ideas.

A replacement passenger seat base is a good suggestion that I didn't think about. I will look into that, and see what is about.

When romanrob says that new ones are expensive are they actually still available anyway ? There is no listing by Rimmers or any of the other main official or unofficial dealers.

I will email Exmoor trim and see if they make them.

If there is any information on new items perhaps someone could let me know, even as a guideline.

Pierre3.

I wonder whether anyone would know where to get a replacement drivers side [RHD] seat base ?

The leather is good to excellent but the bolster on the outer edge is starting to go flat. I have two new seat heating pads, drivers and passengers seats, but I would like to fit a new foam rubber seat base to the drivers side seat, to lift it back to near factory spec.

I have checked the usual P38 suppliers, and guys like Exmoor Trim, but I can't find anyone who does new seat bases.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Pierre3.

Same as classic [70's and 80's] Mercedes W126 parts. I have an original AMG set of 8inch alloys on my 500se, and the rough price for all 5 would be around £1000 - £1500. There are quite a lot of later copies but the originals are very hard to come by. They are nearly worth the same are the car itself !

Rear window - at least £700 - IF you can find an original glass. Brake calipers - for two front calipers - about £ 150 - IF you can find the correct caliper, as there were three different manufacturers of the darn things. Which make is fitted is a lottery, no mention anywhere as to what is fitted, you have to remove the calipers and physically read off the manufacturer. PITA !!!

Anyway, could anyway say how the rear door window seal comes out ? Does it just pull off the door frame, like the door seal, and the new one just push back on ?

Pierre3.

I do agree with you there - famous last words indeed ! But, to be honest, when I read about how to demolish, errrr sorry, dismantle the panels around the front scuttle [plenum] filter I was surprised that it was easier than I expected, with the exception of dealing with a couple of corroded screws. But nothing very disastrous.

I just hope that the glass doesn't have to be taken out to fit the new rear door seal.

Maybe someone could explain the procedure for this ?

Pierre3.

Hi guys, just out of interest, how easy, or difficult, is it to replace this window seal ? Do you have to do any deconstruction of the door or door panel ?

Pierre3.

Thanks, Gilbert, I will have a root about and try to clean it off.

Pierre3.

Hi guys, I wonder whether someone could upload a picture showing where the VIN number on the front of the chassis is ?

I am getting grief from the tossers at my local NCT [MOT equivalent but worse] test station. They are not satisfied with the ones that you can see normally, the numpties "want to see" the chassis one. Unfortunately, my motor has been painted with heavy "underseal" so I can't find anything !!

Pierre3.

Hi, very many thanks for your excellent information.

I disconnected the washer pipe, under the bonnet, and followed it back, as you say, under the header tank. I didn't realise that the non-return valve is so small. It was only looking down beside the wiring loom that I saw the valve down under the header tank. Fortunately, there was enough length on the washer pipe to be able to pull it back and just up onto the wing, where I could test the pressure from the pump.

It is the NR Valve that is dodgy, I opened it up and found stuff inside the body, so I decided to take out the spring and diaphragm and let the water flow the the valve. I will replace it when the new valve arrives, but at least, currently, I have good working windscreen washers.

It is useful to have the details about the pump wiring. I will make a note of it.

Pierre3.

Thanks for all the replies.

Gilbertd, in the RAVE manual it doesn't distinguish between LHD and RHD, but the image shows a LHD vehicle. That was why I was wondering did it matter which side the driver is on, or is the water reservoir and washer pumps always on the RHS. It seems that it is always on the right.

Thanks, dave3d, that means it's always on the RHS.

The information about the plug colour is useful as, again, RAVE doesn't mention that [I don't think]. I know it shows the location of each pump in the diagram but doesn't mention that they are different colours. I suppose you would soon find out when you get under the vehicle.

I had a look under the bonnet while checking the lack of pressure but I didn't see the non-return valve. Where is this situated, could someone tell me ? I see that the water rubber tube seems to go down the back of the components connected to the fuse board and battery area, but does that mean it drops down to the chassis member and then run forward to the reservoir ? I am thinking of ordering a new non-return valve as I can hear the pump working, although I suppose that doesn't necessarily mean that it is working properly. Maybe I would be as well ordering a new pump as well, just in case.

Lastly, if I can ask - I saw a mention somewhere of removing the foglight cover, to access the pumps, if the bumper bolts are seized. Are the fixings for the foglight on the outside of the vehicle ? Is it any easier than removing the bumper ?

Many thanks for the help. Pierre3.

Hi, thanks for the reply. In that case I will go for drivers' side, as that is where the filler tube is, on the left of the radiator.

Pierre3.

A last post to finish this thread.

I fitted the new door handle today, and everything is working fine. But a couple of things might help anyone else doing the job.

[1] As mentioned by someone elsewhere here, the aluminium lock trigger arm did snap off when I tried to lever the locking arm from out of the spring retainer on the locking arm. In my case, it didn't matter because I was fitting a complete new handle.

[2] I didn't notice a solid metal block that acts as a spacer between the inner and outer door panel, where the screw for the door handle goes through. While I was lifting the handle out I heard a 'bang' from inside the door and only then did I find the metal block in the bottom of the door. The easiest way to relocate this block is to put it back in the door through the handle opening and then keep it in position with a screwdriver, and then push the handle screw through the hole, pushing the screwdriver back out.

In my case the threading in the handle wasn't correct, and I had to tap the hole with a 6mm tap.

[3] When refitting the handle make sure that the handle is relocated by slotting the end at the front of the handle into the locating slot in the door - before connecting any of the unlocking rods. I connected the lock trigger rod first, and then realised that you can't lift the handle out to an angle of 90 degrees because the lock rod won't allow the movement in the handle. So it took some careful opening of the spring retainer on the locking rod to disconnect the handle again. Then fit the front end into the door and bring the handle back parallel with the door, connect the arm that goes to the green clip in the door, reconnect the lock activating arm back into the retaining clip, and screw the door handle back on the door.

If I hadn't had to struggle with the metal spacer block, and re-tapping the thread in the handle, the job would would probably have been done in an hour, a fairly easy job, and a great result as I now have a perfectly working drivers's side door handle, which also matches all the other, new, handles. No more white ones, now !!

Pierre3.

Hi guys, I was reading the RAVE manual to see which washer pump is the windscreen one, but I have just noticed that RAVE seems only to refer to a LHD vehicle.

Are the washer pumps [and reservoir] located on the passenger side of the vehicle, whether the vehicle is LHD or RHD ? Or are they on the drivers's side, if we go by the RAVE manual ?

Pierre3.

At last, my mission is complete.

In the post, this morning, a brand new driver's side door handle arrived from Rimmer Bros, complete with a new key barrel.

And I am very pleased to say that the key works perfectly in the lock.

After all the fuss and messing about Rimmers came through with a new unit, so now I will have all new door handles on my P38.

I must have a look at the difference between the locking mechanism on the back of the handle, and that on the back of the passenger side, to see whether my original idea of using a LHD handle would have worked.

So, if anyone does want a new driver's side door handle with a new barrel, give Rimmers a call.

Pierre3.

Hi Gilbert, thanks for your information, and thanks for providing the part number, even if they are NLA !!

I have had another look at the seal, and, fortunately, it is still all in one piece. What I thought was a break in the rubber seal just where the A-pillar and the top of the door meet is actually where the self adhesive tape has become unstuck and the top 4 inches or so of the seal drops when the door is opened.

As it happens I have industrial double sided tape so I will re-attach the seal to the top of the door opening. The top of the A-pillar looks to be in good condition .

Pierre3.

I wonder if I could get some clarification [there's a good word now, I looked that up !!!] on the make up of the A-pillar and the rubber door seal.

Is this one complete item, in other words, is the rubber door seal all part of the A-pillar trim piece, or are they two separate pieces glued together ?

The reason I ask is that the rubber seal seems to have come detached from the top of the A-pillar, on the driver's side of my car. I would like to replace it, although it looks like it could have been separated to take of the A-pillar trim long before I got the vehicle.

When I looked at the RAVE manual I couldn't quite figure out which seal is required because the manual seems to show only the seals that go around the windows and the door aperture. I don't quite see which is the seal that goes down the A-pillar.

Perhaps someone could tell me the part number for the drivers' side seal, and how it is fixed to the A-pillar. Is it just a self adhesive seal stuck down the groove on the outer side of the A-pillar ?

Pierre3.

That's interesting to know. I didn't realise that it doesn't allow a bit of flexibility.

Usually, I do read the spec. sheets for glues, depending on what I want them for. I used to buy a lot of different Loctite adhesives, and it is fascinating to read what type is best suited to a particular job. I used to do a lot of work that involved bonding stainless steel to glass, and I had to be very specific about the type of adhesive, as it would depend on setting times, move-able times, and how well the adhesive would stand up to heat and cold. A world of it's own, adhesives !

I think that I need to go back to my main guys in Farnell, again.

Pierre3.