kens

I have an order in on an '03 C240 wagon. I ordered the C2 package but according to the brochure, it looks like you may be able to get the sunroof separately. If that's so, I might want to change it to just the sunroof, depending on how much less it is. I don't really care that much about the auto-dimming mirrors, but I'm not sure about the rain-sensing wipers.

My question is whether it would be worth it to get the package for the rain-sensing wipers. How well do these work? Do they get the intermittent interval right? Are they worth the cost? The BMW's have a dial to adjust the sensitivity of the auto-wipers to your preference, is there a way to do this on the Mercedes?

And for the standard wipers, is there a way to adjust the intermittent interval (I didn't see a dial)?

Thanks for your feedback.

session

they're not worth it, period. i don't see much of an advantage over regular intermittent wipers at all; in fact i think the rain-sensing wipers don't work very well at all. there wll be times when it's barely raining yet the wipers are going crazy; other times it will be pouring down and the wipers are slow.

it's a cool toy but it's definitely not worth the $$.

phattbam

i agree with session. it's not worth it but it you dont mind paying extra for the complete package then just take it... when i ordered my car it wasnt that much more so i went ahead and got it.

ahost

I completely disagree with the previous comments. To me it's one of the most useful features of the car. It might depend on what kind of climate you have, though. Here in Hawaii the rain is always very intermittent. It rains for a few seconds, then it stops for a few seconds, then heavy rain for a few seconds, then light rain. In a car without rain sensing wipers I find myself constantly changing the speed, basically operating the wipers manually. So, I use the rain sensing very often, and it works great. It has just the right sensitivity. By, the way, I also find the auto-dimming mirrors very useful.

young

well, if it wasn't included w/ the sunroof package, i probably wouldn't have gotten it. it's sort of useful, but not required.

Rick

(shrug) Don't know why you people hate it so much. Mine works....that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Lynn

I like it, but I probably wouldn't have gotten it if it wasn't packaged with the panorama roof. I think it works a little too often. I find that red lights can confuse the sensor, and the wipers go like mad at some traffic lights. There is no way to adjust the sensitivity.

Ted

~

DtS

In Europe (or at least Sweden) the rain-sensing wipers is a stand alone option. I have them and I love them. I think it works just great (at least as long as the wind-shield and blades are fairly clean)!

Lockbuster

Works well for me, no problems and we have had some strange weather here.....

session

i don't hate it; i was just saying it's not worth the $$ for a standalone option.

taylor192

Its only $205 CND option, which even if it only works to initially get the wipers on when it rains, will be worth it to me... getting impatience again... but... 2 weeks is too long to wait to find out, so I have to ask:

Is there a manual control too when the rain sensing wipers are installed. It wasn't raining on my test drive so I never tested the wipers, do they have a variable speed control which can override the rain sensor?

young

CAN$205??? no brainer for me - yeah, i'd get it. my mats cost more...

GhiaDad

Florida has a lot of unexpected rain showers and my rain-sensing wipers are great for here. They work much better than any others I have owned or driven. I think they are well worth the price and really pay for themselves when it is a wet road and you are following someone. The wipers will clear the spray, the stop.

Bottom line, these are the best rain-sensing wipers I've seen and they work well for me.

columbus

wow - i'm surprised at the negative comments. i love the rain sensor wipers. i really wanted those because i am tired of chasing the right setting on the interval while speeding up and slowing down in traffic (which causes more or less water to hit your windshield); i got the pana-roof package just for that option (j/k). no, seriously, the only gripe i have is that the darn wipers must come on when you first turn the key if you forgot to turn them off, even when it's not raining...rips the rubber right off the blades after they got stuck to the glass overnight. or they'll rip nice scratchmarks across the windshield. what does it rain overnight in jersey city - diamond dust?!? aaand - i wish they would go all the way up to top speed (stage 2) when it pours real hard. they way they are, you still end up chasing the right speed between the auto interval, stage 1, and stage 2 settings. not very mercedes-like. how are they on the volkswagens? someone mentioned liking the feature on the passat much better.
ps - sorry, i'm way too tired to look for the shift key...

Deb

Kens,
I really like both options. We get lots of rain where I live and the rain sensing wipers work very well IMO. It is simply a matter of learning to turn off the wipers when one stops the engine so that the wipers don't engage at the next start up. I like the auto dimming mirrors even better. That is now a must have feature on all my future cars.
Deb

kens

Thanks for all the comments. Doesn't seem to be a consensus on these. I'm still wondering, though, if the non-sensor wipers have a way to adjust the intermittent interval (evidently, no adjustment on the auto wipers). By the way, my salesman replied and confirmed the stand-alone option on the sunroof. It's $300 less (excludes both the rain-sensors and auto-dimming mirrors).

MB-BOB

kens, I don't know where you are buying your car. Here in the states, the auto-dimming function is built into the car... ie., not an option (on the sedans).

I like my rain-sensing wipers just find. Set it and forget it. There is no sensitivity adjustment, but it works great as set from the factory for me, so it's not a concern.

Some say that traffic lights, tunnels, tree overhangs, and little green men from Mars make the wipers work oddly, but I've had no such observations with mine.

phattbam

i didnt mean that it is useless, it's just if you dont think you need it then pass up on it. i like it, i'm waiting for that option on my cooper S just for that... just like xenons i think they should be a feature in all cars instread of an option...

Lynn

Auto-dimming mirrors are no longer standard equipment on 2003 C-class cars.

kens

I'm here too (California). They dropped the autodim mirrors as standard in '03 and now it's part of the C2 package.

Thanks for the input. I'll probably keep the C2, it's only $300 more, not worth worrying about on a car this price. If there was a consensus that the manual wipers worked better than the auto ones, I might think otherwise, but it seems most like the auto wipers.

vadim

I love them. Have always wanted this kind of setup in my cars. It rains frequently enough in the DC area. I find them perfectly adequate to the task.

xc240x

i live in miami and it basically rains every which way down here.. in other cars i find myself playing with the wipers constantly, so i'm really happy about my auto wipers... thank god

FrankW

i got my car with the rain sensing wipers, but sometimes i really hate to use'em because during winter we get drissle in the morning where i lives, and the wiper will came on even if i don't need'em. also, the wiper is sometime slow sometime fast.

avlis

I like the rain-sensor. Lazy guy that I am.

It sort of aggravated me in the winter though. The snow (or maybe the road salt) was telling the wipers to go faster than I liked. This along with the chattering passenger side blade (now fixed) drove me crazy.

Works perfectly in the summer. I'm not sure I would have paid extra for it though (cheap guy that I am...)