Kompressive

I've searched the forum, and the only thing I can find on Aero wipers are how great they are and how to retrofit them onto your car.

I have had them on my C230 Kompressor sedan since new, and have yet to see them wipe every part of the windshield they touch. The pair I have on the car currently are new, so wear is not the problem. They will bend/adjust slightly under hand pressure to get spots that are being missed, but then the adjustment creates an even larger area that is staying dry and dirty somewhere else. Honestly, I'm giving up on these wipers.

Is there any way to adjust them so they wipe the entire windshield, or shall I switch tactics altogether and look to see what it will take to get rid of them by switching the wiper arms to non-aero originals and just purchase cheap wipers every 3 months like my kids do? Theirs clean a thousand times better at about a tenth of the cost.

Boom vang

I've had the same problem with mine and found the culprit is in the arm itself at the end that connects to the blade. It is a round cylinder with a flat end

Take the blade off, get a pair of vice grips and clamp the round cylinder that bridges the arm that is cross riveted. Spray with some Liquid Wrench or penetrating oil and work that cylinder until it turns freely. It will be very stiff at first but with time and careful rotating back and forth will eventually free it.

If this cylinder is not free to rotate you will get missed spots when wiping usually most noticed in the drivers field of view. This tends to happen to cars in snow areas and the salt seizes it.

After it is free, use some spray silicon or teflon and liberally coat the area. I use a dry teflon spray that I use on my sailboat called Sail-Kote

sammydragon3

are aero wipers made from bosch?

Glyn M Ruck

My Aero wipers are perfect. Different models had different length blades. My car is RHD & both blades are the same length & wipe 100% of their area properly. Do not try & fit oversize blades especially on the cam activated blade.

Don't remember the length but will go and measure if you like.

LILBENZ230

Glyn it is 22" and like you, both of mine are the same size and wipe the area completely. They never give me issues and are great.

Glyn M Ruck

Yep! In early production some cars had one blade longer than the other. In SA production at least, they soon settled to same size - and yes it's 22" - Just measured mine.

Boom vang

Some blades are made by Bosch it depends on the year.

For 2004 it is made by that infamous company Valeo, better known for their "high" quality rads and alternators and other suspect parts. Valeo is identified as having metal strips exposed on either side of the blade

The wipers will never give problems for those that live in a warm climate, for us that live in the rust belt read my post above for maintenance

Glyn M Ruck

I have taken note of your post. I'm in a warm climate but it's also a coastal rust belt & you have to watch things for corrosion. My car is garaged but the hood star collected a stone a while back & is now corroding where it broke through the chrome. Probably saved my screen but I have a new one ready to fit.

tommy

Sounds like a good thing that we early W203 owners didn't get them. I do use appropriately sized and curved Bosch Icons on my car, and they work out great.

I'm curious - once you have aero wipers, are you stuck with them, or can you just go aftermarket like I do?

Glyn M Ruck

I have genuine MB/Bosch blades on my car but Bosch aftermarket blades are available to fit in SA. Replaced under the Service Plan so I did not worry about cost.

LILBENZ230

It appears the aero wipers are not compatible with other things.

slammer111

Retrofitted the (real deal) aero arms on mine. They make the car look a lot more expensive, just like bi-xenons.

The driver's side still squeaks, but it's 60% less than before the retrofit. It used to drive me nuts.

Boom vang

With the ones I have, the connector is only on MB OEM part. I tried to source aftermarket blades (Bosch, Michelin, Trico, Tridon etc) as they would be a whole lot cheaper than the $48ea per blade (over $100 with tax for a set), but the connector interface is an exclusive fitting and none of the universal fit kits that come with aftermarket blades work with it.

My old Acura I could buy refills and slide on the rubber blade for $5 ea from the dealer, so cheap that I would change them often

So now when I am in the US I drop by a MB dealer and buy extra blades as they are $45 for the pair. Like everything we get burned for the cost of things compared to those that live south of the border.

tommy

Is that much different in appearance than one of the Bosch Icon-similar blades?

Glyn M Ruck

Nice beefy arms!

tommy

Thanks - I've been working out.

Glyn M Ruck

Kompressive

Thanks for the info on the corrosion/seizing Boom Vang. I'll check tonight and see if that's the problem. Living in Chicago, we really get our share of salt in the Winter, so it would make sense that the arm end is locked up.

LILBENZ230

I replace my Aero wipers with SWF brand (says OEM?) from RMEuropean.com. They are identical to OEM part, work excellent, and are $18 each.