joshg1001

I have owned my car for 2 years now, and I just found out something new today. Maybe you all know it, but I rarely drive my car in the rain. Actually, for the first year, it never touched water outside my driveway

Today, we were getting some drizzel in the bay area, and the auto wipers started going. After a few swipes, the headlights turned on! Now in Cali at least, I think its mandatory to drive with headlights on when you need your wipers, but I didnt know the car knew that too.

Just thought Id share.

LaicepsYdobon

I believe its mandatory all over the US to have your lights on when your wipers are going but the car doesn't know it. Your lights turned on by coincidence. I wish that the lights would turn on when the rain sensing wipers come on because there were a few times when I forgot to turn the lights on by hand.

jctevere

Sorry to burst your bubble, but I am not 100% sure that they are connected. I think it was more of a coincidence that when you started to experience inclement weather and rain, there is less sunlight due to cloud cover and such. As a result, the automatic headlight sensor detects poor visibility and turn on the headlights. While your right in many states, it is required law that when it rains and you use your wipers, than you must use your headlights.

However, I could be wrong, and just made an absolute *** of myself, but there have been times I have driven my car through sun showers where the wipers were on but the lights have never turned on in my 2009 c300.

joshg1001

I dont think its a coincidence. This happend more than 1 occasion today. The drizzle here comes and goes, and the headlights also came and gone. It took a while for the headlights to activate, and the wipers needed to be steadily on (not one swipe and stop).

It was gloomy all day here, and the headlights didnt stay on all day. Either way, I think (and hope) they are connected, haha

jctevere

Haha, I will look this up tomorrow. I will put my wipers on during the daylight on a high speed and see if my lights turn on in the auto setting.

joshg1001

^^ im wondering if the wipers need to be on auto too for this to work...

Ron Jr

Doesn't work like that. I wish it did. Mine is a daily driver and has been through all sorts of weather. Headlights only come on if it is dark enought (auto of course).

zankok

If i put my headlight switch to 0 it won't come on in any condition except for turning the daytime running lights to on, auto wiper or not

mr inkredibul

I put my headlights at 0 and if the daytime running lights are active so are the auto headlight function...meaning at night, even at 0, all headlights, side markers, and tail lights will turn on.

Benz_Guy

I wouldn't be surprised if the headlights and wipers were connected. In fact, I 100% believe that they are.

In my ML, I noticed they had switched on during a drizzle during the daytime (when there was still enough light for the light sensor to keep the headlights off) and to test things out, I switched the wipers from "rain sensing" to "off" and ta-da! The headlights switched off instantly.

I then switched the wipers back to rain-sensing mode and after 3-4 wipes, the lights came back on again. After the rain died down and the wipers stopped, the lights switched off also, even though the wipers were in rain-sensing mode.

I have come to the conclusion that whenever my car senses rain, it switches on the headlamps, and switches them off when it doesn't sense rain.

If the '08 ML has such a feature, I'm ready to bet that all the other vehicles in the line-up do as well.

joshg1001

yay, finally some verification. Thanks a lot!

JFOUR

It's even referenced in the owners manual. "After 10 wipes the headlights will activate".

amdeutsch

Someone that admits to RTFM

Matt230K

I wish all cars had this feature. So many people drive around in the pouring down rain with their lights off.

redfox302

I have also notice that the wiper is also linked to your eyes movement as well. With the rain sensor turned "on", I blinked my eyes multiple times, the wiper works faster and harder even there aren't any much rain on the windshield. Can someone please confirm this? Thanks.

JFOUR

HAHA! I guess thats why I don't post too often.

Rogwp

Must have different copies then, mine (for Canada) says that after 10 wipes the headlights are washed. I can't find anything about headlights turning on with the wipers - not that that is an issue here because our headlights are always on when driving.

dumontmb

+1

JFOUR

Now I feel like a jacka$$ because I've been browsing the manual and can't find where I read that. I did, for my own valadation purpose take my car out of the garage in full daylight today, left it running, and hit it with the hose (needed to wash it anyway). The headlights DO come on after exactly 10 wipes and turn off as soon as the wipers stop/switched off. FYI the switch does indeed need to be in auto (A) mode for it to work, they will not work on 0 Sorry for the confusion.

Joe

NickCats

I thought you guys were crazy, but the other day it was raining on the way home ( and the sun was still out ) and when I turned on the rain sensing wipers I counted 15 swipes and then the headlights turned on. Now I am really confused ?

Nick

LaicepsYdobon

Its called a coincidence Nowhere in the manual does it state that the wipers and the headlights are interconnected.

Wiper Details

Exterior Lighting Details

Plus, do you really think MB Engineers would calibrate the system to swipe 10 times before turning the lights on ? It's just a coincidence guys nothing more, nothing less. The E-Class and the S-Class doesn't have this feature. What makes you think they'd put it in on the C-Class ?

joshg1001

Well raining season is coming up. If you happen to have the P1 package or w/e and have auto rain sensing wipers, then just try it.

Leave headlights and rain sensing wipers on auto, and watch as the headlights turn on when it starts to rain. It cant be a coincidence when its broad daylight.

LaicepsYdobon

I'll definitely give it a try. I know for sure it does not work on my E-Class. I actually got reminded once by an officer at a red light to turn my lights on during a rain storm one afternoon. The rain sensing wipers were going but I had to physically turn the lights from Auto to ON as per request of the officer. Next time it rains I'll take the C out and report back

2xk818

i have a 2010 c350 but im not sure if i even have auto wipers. i know my old 07 bmw 530i had a auto wiper button that i had to push but does my c class?? and do the wipers just have a mind of their own?? im really curious.

LaicepsYdobon

Since you have C350 rain sensing wipers come standard with your car. It is the first two positions on the wiper stalk. The first position is the slower/less sensitive/"city" setting while the second position is the faster/more responsive/highway setting. Click on the link below to see the manual entry regarding your wipers:

http://www4.mercedes-benz.com/manual...10e14883.shtml

The way the wipers work is by having a a sensor facing towards the front of your car on top of the wind shield detect the amount of rain falling and the measurements from that combined with the speed you are currently driving determines how fast your wipers should be working. Here is how the wiper sensor looks on your car:



As an interesting side note the next time it rains and you have your rain sensing wipers on put the car in park. The wipers will stop working but as soon as you put it back into Drive the wipers will start up again.