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I had my OEM wiper blades replaced when my car was in for service in late April. Now, after nearly 7 months, they are again streaking badly. I was out last night in heavy rain and could barely see the road when the light of oncoming cars hit the windshield. I can't remember ever having any car with such poor quality blades.
I just ordered a pair of Bosch Icon winter blades. I checked several sites, and all listed the 24" size as correct for the 2015 C300. I also checked on how to replace the blades, and got two different versions. One shows merely pulling the wiper arm up, then twisting and sliding the blade off of a pin. The other shows letting the arm swipe up, then turning off the ignition. There is then a slide shown which is moved to remove the blade.
Does anyone here have any experience changing out these blades? Which procedure is correct, and is the 24" size shown correct? Supposedly, the OEM blades are made by Bosch, and they do list an OEM version, but I'm hoping the Icon blades will offer better longevity with fewer problems.
Just looked at some older threads, and a lot of posters said they have 22" blades, not 24". I just checked, and the blades on my car measure just under 22", so the 24" blades will not fit. I cancelled my order, but now have no idea how to get wiper blades that will fit, since every web site shows 24" is the proper size.
I spoke with a tech at the place I ordered from, and he said every parts book he has shows the 24" size as proper for the W205. He will check further and call me back.
Mine has the 22" blades but I think there's a couple of different variants out there depending on your year of manufacture. I'm still awaiting a trial set from wipertech with the new block fitting. Keen to get away from the OEM blades.
Just going to touch on other variables than the baldes themselves re wiper perfromane;
The blade angle can impact the blades pass on the glass and twisting the metal arm section can yield improvement, particularly if experiencing judder.
If the appearance is streaking its worth making sure everything is clean, and that means taking more time than a little car wash.. cleaning the blades with some mild solvent like methylated spirits will ensure grease and oil from traffic film is removed.
Similarly the glass cleaning, often you'll need more than windex...
Perform a standard wash on the glass
Now while soap suds are on the screen perform a baggie test, it may feel rough if so....
Then use a fallout remover (such as iron-x)
Then clay the glass with either traditional clay or with newer synthetic clay pads / cloths..
Now perform a baggie test on the glass and it should feel slick ad smooth to the touch
You can simply clean the glass now with something like stoners invisible glass inside and out and be fine.
If however you have some light scratches in the screen you can polish it with cerriglass a rayon pad and a rotary polisher will get rid of any remaining film, remove light scratches and smooth the glass surface.
IF you still have wiper issues after this then yes its the blades..
Doing the above once a year keeps the glass pretty much as new aside form the fine chips from stones.....
DBOC, i'm on the GC and if you have issues such as this, happy to help hit the glass with the glass polish etc..
I have confirmed with MB-USA that all W205's use 22" blades, not 24". I have no idea why every online parts house specifies 24" blades for these cars. Even Amazon says 24" blades. My guess is that MB never supplied the updated information, since the W204 used 24" blades.
I have tried several different glass cleaners, and the glass does feel smooth. The blades look okay, but both sides still smear terribly. I'll try another round of cleaning both the glass and the rubber again, but I'm not overly hopeful. Considering how expensive the OEM blades are, one would expect superior performance and longevity. A six or seven month life cycle is absurd.
If all else fails, I'll have to order the OEM blades again. My local garage is trying to find an alternative, so maybe they can come up with something.
DBOC, i'm on the GC and if you have issues such as this, happy to help hit the glass with the glass polish etc..
Cheers for the offer mate but I'm still on top of it for now. The car is cleaned daily and I think that helps as well. They're still OK for now but I can tell the blades are on the way out. I'm just not a fan of the OEM blades. Mine had minor juddering almost from new when the screen was semi-dry. I ended up using clay on the glass and hit it with some minor polishing with the orbital to keep things flowing smoothly but its just crazy to have to go to those lengths with new blades. Some of the loaners I've had have been shocking as well. Considering their exorbitant price they are definitely not worth it.
I just finished cleaning the glass again for about the fifth time, and cleaned the blades with alcohol. No improvement at all, and the streaking is actually getting worse. I can not find anything here that will fit, except the MB OEM blades, which cost nearly $50US per blade. I'll just have to do it and replace them every 6 months. I have had great luck with this car, and really enjoy it, but this is a major PITA.
I posted a link a couple of weeks ago to Amazon and the ICON 22" blades. They work fine on my early W205.
I found your post about using the Bosch ICON 220E, 22" blades. I will order a set and hope they will fit the wiper arm bracket. The blades on my car are 22", so that part is okay. Thanks for the information.
I just came back from my local shop. They had the Bosch ICON 22 OE blades in stock, and checked with their parts supplier, who confirmed they were the right size. After trying every combination of every bracket, nothing would fit. They even pulled out a variety of "universal" brackets they had, and nothing fit these wiper arms. The width of the wiper arm itself is not standard, nor is the diameter of the pin that holds the adapter. The mechanic spent over an hour trying to find some combination that would work, and finally just gave up.
My car is a 3/2015 build, so something must have changed along the way. The Bosch 22 OE will not work. What we appear to have now is a proprietary wiper arm that conforms to no known industry standard. The fact that MB has never released the specs for these blades makes it virtually impossible to find any aftermarket solution. Every online source shows the old W204 24" size as correct for the W205, which is completely wrong.
So, guess what I had to do? I just had my garage order a set of grossly overpriced and low quality OEM blades. I am not a happy camper. This just strikes me as incredibly stupid and totally unnecessary.
I just came back from my local shop. They had the Bosch ICON 22 OE blades in stock, and checked with their parts supplier, who confirmed they were the right size. After trying every combination of every bracket, nothing would fit. They even pulled out a variety of "universal" brackets they had, and nothing fit these wiper arms. The width of the wiper arm itself is not standard, nor is the diameter of the pin that holds the adapter. The mechanic spent over an hour trying to find some combination that would work, and finally just gave up.
My car is a 3/2015 build, so something must have changed along the way. The Bosch 22 OE will not work. What we appear to have now is a proprietary wiper arm that conforms to no known industry standard. The fact that MB has never released the specs for these blades makes it virtually impossible to find any aftermarket solution. Every online source shows the old W204 24" size as correct for the W205, which is completely wrong.
So, guess what I had to do? I just had my garage order a set of grossly overpriced and low quality OEM blades. I am not a happy camper. This just strikes me as incredibly stupid and totally unnecessary.
Stan, the wiper chatter should be covered under warranty. As my previous C300 chatterd as hell, they changed about 4 wiper blades, then wiper arm, then windshield fluid sprayer, nothing worked. last, they changed the windshield! It worked, well still not perfect, but definitely to a level a normal customer can accept. All covered under warranty.
You should try your dealer first. They have dealt this issue before with various Mercedes that's having this problem.
The wiper arm on W205 may have different types as they changed the design along the way.
Stan, the wiper chatter should be covered under warranty. As my previous C300 chatterd as hell, they changed about 4 wiper blades, then wiper arm, then windshield fluid sprayer, nothing worked. last, they changed the windshield! It worked, well still not perfect, but definitely to a level a normal customer can accept. All covered under warranty.
You should try your dealer first. They have dealt this issue before with various Mercedes that's having this problem.
The wiper arm on W205 may have different types as they changed the design along the way.
Actually, the chatter is the least of my problems. When the glass is wet, there is no trace of chatter. The problem is that the blades work fine for a few months, then streak so badly that driving at night in the rain is dangerous. I'm just trying to order wiper blades, and that's been a very frustrating experience. I haven't been able to find any references even close to accurate. My dealer did provide the part number for my VIN, so it looks like I'll have to stay with OEM blades. I wonder how many variations of the wiper arms actually exist for the W205.
11-16-2016, 11:50 AM
