Love car, HATE wipers
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 391
Likes: 2
From: Northern Virginia
2010 ML350 GAS 4Matic
Love car, HATE wipers
I drove my new CLK 500 in a slight rain last night and was stunned by how awful the wipers are. I went home last night and did a search on this forum and see that I'm not the only one dissappointed. C'mon - a $60k car and wipers this bad ? I could understand problems with something complicated like distronic but the oldest feature known to cars ?
They skip and chatter their way across the windshield. I added a coat of rain-x which improved things a bit but they still chatter in light rain. I've read other comments that suggest replacement blades at the dealer help. I hope it helps a lot.
The intermittent feature is also easily confused by light rain. Many times the wipers freak out and go into the high speed mode when there is very little rain on the windows. How does stuff like this get past MB road tests ? I don't see why anyone would want the wipers to ever go into high speed mode when in the intermittant mode. If it's raining hard enough for high speed, I'll turn them on to high speed.
My girlfriend thinks I'm nuts to be bothered by chattering, freaking-out wipers but I'm just shocked that something I've always taken for granted has ended up a glaring problem on a $60k car. I purchased this car after becoming irritated with many little problems on my previous 2001 Corvette. But the wipers on the Vette worked first class for me. Never chattered and the variable speed intermittant feature worked perfectly. I think MB tried to over-engineer what should be a simple feature.
Has anyone had the wiper system on their car fixed to their satisfaction ?
Has anyone had any adjustment made to the rain sensor whatsoever ?
They skip and chatter their way across the windshield. I added a coat of rain-x which improved things a bit but they still chatter in light rain. I've read other comments that suggest replacement blades at the dealer help. I hope it helps a lot.
The intermittent feature is also easily confused by light rain. Many times the wipers freak out and go into the high speed mode when there is very little rain on the windows. How does stuff like this get past MB road tests ? I don't see why anyone would want the wipers to ever go into high speed mode when in the intermittant mode. If it's raining hard enough for high speed, I'll turn them on to high speed.
My girlfriend thinks I'm nuts to be bothered by chattering, freaking-out wipers but I'm just shocked that something I've always taken for granted has ended up a glaring problem on a $60k car. I purchased this car after becoming irritated with many little problems on my previous 2001 Corvette. But the wipers on the Vette worked first class for me. Never chattered and the variable speed intermittant feature worked perfectly. I think MB tried to over-engineer what should be a simple feature.
Has anyone had the wiper system on their car fixed to their satisfaction ?
Has anyone had any adjustment made to the rain sensor whatsoever ?
Last edited by Eich; Jan 3, 2003 at 01:22 PM.
Member
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 178
Likes: 2
From: Houston, Texas
I am having the same problem with my wipers. I will be dropping by the dealership tomorrow for new blades. I first thought I would just get new blade inserts and it would be circa $15 and I would not have to mess with bringing it to service. I was shocked when I was quoted $84 for two blades. Guess I will mess with service.
On the sensor thingy, it does suck. My 2001 CLK 430 worked great.
BTW, I am thinking about another C5, what all has gone wrong with yours?
On the sensor thingy, it does suck. My 2001 CLK 430 worked great.
BTW, I am thinking about another C5, what all has gone wrong with yours?
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 391
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From: Northern Virginia
2010 ML350 GAS 4Matic
My Vette had all sorts of problems. Some were the car's fault some were dealer-inflicted after multiple service visits.
Leaking battery
Squeaking roof latches
Power window motor needed replaced
Power door locks stopped working
Misaligned window
High oil consumption
My previous 98' C5 was a 6-speed and had many of the same problems. Additionally, the hydraulic clutch stopped working and was in for service for 2 days. Corvette C5 won the JD Power award for reliability. I hate to think how much service non-JD cars required !
Don't get me wrong. I love Corvettes and have owned 2 C4's and 2 C5's since 1992 but I was growing tired of the multiple service visits and was ready for something a little nicer and more comfortable.
I never thought I'd pay $60k for a car and now that I have I find it almost humorous that the wipers are the source of my only gripe with the car.
Leaking battery
Squeaking roof latches
Power window motor needed replaced
Power door locks stopped working
Misaligned window
High oil consumption
My previous 98' C5 was a 6-speed and had many of the same problems. Additionally, the hydraulic clutch stopped working and was in for service for 2 days. Corvette C5 won the JD Power award for reliability. I hate to think how much service non-JD cars required !
Don't get me wrong. I love Corvettes and have owned 2 C4's and 2 C5's since 1992 but I was growing tired of the multiple service visits and was ready for something a little nicer and more comfortable.
I never thought I'd pay $60k for a car and now that I have I find it almost humorous that the wipers are the source of my only gripe with the car.
Member
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 227
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From: Milwaukee, WI
2003 CLK 320
Had the same problem with my wipers skipping spots and i thought they where loud.
Went to dealer and they put new blades on free no charge under warranty. The blades they put on glide over the windshield do not skip and it seem to me its not as loud. We have not had a lot of rain to check them out like i should but am pleased with the new blades they installed at the dealership. The sensor at this time seems to work ok we have not had alot of rain to check it out. I know for sure with a little bit of rain mine does not go into fast mode.
Went to dealer and they put new blades on free no charge under warranty. The blades they put on glide over the windshield do not skip and it seem to me its not as loud. We have not had a lot of rain to check them out like i should but am pleased with the new blades they installed at the dealership. The sensor at this time seems to work ok we have not had alot of rain to check it out. I know for sure with a little bit of rain mine does not go into fast mode.
Last edited by britton; Jan 3, 2003 at 09:57 PM.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 391
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From: Northern Virginia
2010 ML350 GAS 4Matic
Thanks for the responses. I will definitely have my dealer install new blades.
I wonder if my rain sensor system has a problem ? It definitely freaks out in light rain. It's really annoying when it goes to the highest speed. It will wipe like 3-4 times on high speed, then another few times on standard speed, then back to a delayed wipe - all while chattering and skipping loudly. I'm embarassed to take anyone in the car right now. It's been lightly raining for the past few days.
I wonder if my rain sensor system has a problem ? It definitely freaks out in light rain. It's really annoying when it goes to the highest speed. It will wipe like 3-4 times on high speed, then another few times on standard speed, then back to a delayed wipe - all while chattering and skipping loudly. I'm embarassed to take anyone in the car right now. It's been lightly raining for the past few days.
Member
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 227
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From: Milwaukee, WI
2003 CLK 320
Maybe once you changes the blades it will help with the sensor problem. I did get a little freaky when the blades where skipping spots on the windshield and it was loud. Thinking that i spent this money on this car and the wipers where not working properly. I am glad that it was not rainning alot when i had this problem. I called my sales person and she had me in the next day to take care of the problem. The only other problem I have is I had a invisible bra installed and there are a few bubbles under the bra but they say they will work there way out, and a few fine scratches on the bra. By waxing the bra it should take care of the fine scratches thats what I was told. I hope the blades is the only problem we have with the car. good luck
Last edited by britton; Jan 3, 2003 at 10:22 PM.
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Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 391
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From: Northern Virginia
2010 ML350 GAS 4Matic
Hi tontondavid -
If this really is a "feature" of these new CLK's that we've been "blessed" with, I would imagine that MB will be flooded with complaints on the rain sensor as soon as any driver experiences light rain. I can't imagine that anyone would find this behavior anything but quite annoying.
I wonder if the wiper's reaction to input from the rain sensor is something that is software based. If it was, a software upgrade could easily correct the behavior. The quickest fix would to be to never allow the wipers to go into high speed when the intermittent speed is selected. Although, a more elegant solution would be preferred.
If this really is a "feature" of these new CLK's that we've been "blessed" with, I would imagine that MB will be flooded with complaints on the rain sensor as soon as any driver experiences light rain. I can't imagine that anyone would find this behavior anything but quite annoying.
I wonder if the wiper's reaction to input from the rain sensor is something that is software based. If it was, a software upgrade could easily correct the behavior. The quickest fix would to be to never allow the wipers to go into high speed when the intermittent speed is selected. Although, a more elegant solution would be preferred.
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Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 34
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From: London
CLK 240
I've spoken to my dealer about this problem (my wipers too sound like mating dinosaurs), and they deny all knowledge.
Has anyone managed to get anything official out of Mercedes to acknowledge that this is a problem?
Thanks.
Has anyone managed to get anything official out of Mercedes to acknowledge that this is a problem?
Thanks.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,265
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From: Nashua, NH
2008 VW GTI
The factory wipers on my C-Class were also horrible. Like you, I almost bought a set of replacements on my own but, decided to give the dealer a try (the guy in line in front of me also complained about his at service A). Now they are silent as can be. The rain sensor also now works flawlessly (it would feak out in light rain with the orig. wipers).
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Joined: Nov 2002
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Hey guys,
Just got my wipers replaced under warranty. Just when I picked up my car, it started to rain lightly. I was so excited to see if it would make a difference.....
Well, the wipers were completely silent and they did not freak out like before. I am completely puzzled because just changing the wipers should not fix the speed problem. Anyway, for all who have the same problem, go see your dealer because it CAN be fixed.
Cheers.
Just got my wipers replaced under warranty. Just when I picked up my car, it started to rain lightly. I was so excited to see if it would make a difference.....
Well, the wipers were completely silent and they did not freak out like before. I am completely puzzled because just changing the wipers should not fix the speed problem. Anyway, for all who have the same problem, go see your dealer because it CAN be fixed.
Cheers.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 391
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From: Northern Virginia
2010 ML350 GAS 4Matic
Thanks for the updates ! The only thing I can think of is that the chattering wipers miss some of the rain and cause the rain sensor to think it is raining harder than it really is.
I'm anxious to visit the dealer to get the replacements.
Did any of you who got the replacement wipers inspect the old and new wipers closely? I'm just curious if they look like a different design.
I'm anxious to visit the dealer to get the replacements.
Did any of you who got the replacement wipers inspect the old and new wipers closely? I'm just curious if they look like a different design.
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Joined: Nov 2002
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No problem guys.
FYI, I know that they did not just change the rubber pieces but the actual arm. I notice that because my old ones had marks on them and these don't have any.
I can ask my dealer to see exactly what they did if anyone is interested.
Good luck. Cheers.
FYI, I know that they did not just change the rubber pieces but the actual arm. I notice that because my old ones had marks on them and these don't have any.
I can ask my dealer to see exactly what they did if anyone is interested.
Good luck. Cheers.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 391
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From: Northern Virginia
2010 ML350 GAS 4Matic
Interesting tontondavid-
If they replaced the arms, maybe they switched to springs with less tension. I've read that maybe their attempts to make the wipers stable at high autobahn speeds may have sacrificed low speed useability.
I will definitely make sure to inspect my wiper arms carefully so that I can notice if they changed them.
If they replaced the arms, maybe they switched to springs with less tension. I've read that maybe their attempts to make the wipers stable at high autobahn speeds may have sacrificed low speed useability.
I will definitely make sure to inspect my wiper arms carefully so that I can notice if they changed them.
Member
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 227
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From: Milwaukee, WI
2003 CLK 320
When I took my clk 320 in all they did was replace the blades it only took about 2 minutes and then I was out of there. I was standing there with the person that sold me the car and the person who put the new blades on I would try to only replace the blades first. When they put the new blades on it took care of the problem. That was the old blades where missing spots on the windshield and they where a loud. Putting on new blades solved my problem that I had with the car and the only problem that I have had with the car at this time. good luck!!!
Last edited by britton; Jan 31, 2003 at 12:46 PM.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 391
Likes: 2
From: Northern Virginia
2010 ML350 GAS 4Matic
Took my CLK500 in for service to fix an ESP/BAS malfunction and to hopefully fix the extremely noisy, chattering, skipping wipers. Unfortunately, when I picked up the car, the wipers were no better than before and my service rep was not one of the friendliest people.
I had all but given up on Mercedes Benz of Alexandria, VA until I spoke with a different service advisor by the name of Bill. Finally someone who seemed to care about my satisfaction. I was having another set of wheels installed and asked Bill about the wipers. He said that he would speak with the tech and would get them working well.
Whatever they did this time worked. They are perfectly quiet and don't skip or chatter. The intermittent feature works perfectly as well. I just hope they stay this way and don't revert back to their terribly annoying state in a month or two.
BTW- Bill said that they figured out how to disable Teleaid for those who don't want it and don't want to see that !#@$! malfunction message. It's apparently a 10 minute job on the diag computer. I will have this done during my next visit. Hopefully I can get them to activate the dash display for the Command system Steve is installing for me this weekend...
I had all but given up on Mercedes Benz of Alexandria, VA until I spoke with a different service advisor by the name of Bill. Finally someone who seemed to care about my satisfaction. I was having another set of wheels installed and asked Bill about the wipers. He said that he would speak with the tech and would get them working well.
Whatever they did this time worked. They are perfectly quiet and don't skip or chatter. The intermittent feature works perfectly as well. I just hope they stay this way and don't revert back to their terribly annoying state in a month or two.
BTW- Bill said that they figured out how to disable Teleaid for those who don't want it and don't want to see that !#@$! malfunction message. It's apparently a 10 minute job on the diag computer. I will have this done during my next visit. Hopefully I can get them to activate the dash display for the Command system Steve is installing for me this weekend...
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Joined: Aug 2002
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Originally posted by tontondavid
No problem guys.
FYI, I know that they did not just change the rubber pieces but the actual arm. I notice that because my old ones had marks on them and these don't have any.
I can ask my dealer to see exactly what they did if anyone is interested.
Good luck. Cheers.
No problem guys.
FYI, I know that they did not just change the rubber pieces but the actual arm. I notice that because my old ones had marks on them and these don't have any.
I can ask my dealer to see exactly what they did if anyone is interested.
Good luck. Cheers.
Would you please advise what was done? My dealer here has no idea about the wipers.
thanks
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 391
Likes: 2
From: Northern Virginia
2010 ML350 GAS 4Matic
Well - it has rained for nearly 30 days straight here in Northern Virginia. And again I find myself hating the wipers on this car. They are back to chattering across the windshield. Not as badly as before and not as often but still extremely irritating.
The rain sensor still freaks out regularly, especially in this constant light rain.
My guess at the problem is that the springs that hold the wipers against the windshield are just too stiff and cause the blades to skip and chatter. When they do, the wiper doesn't clear the rain sensor and it decides to freak-out into high-speed mode.
I have a friend who works with someone who is married to a person that works at a MB dealership (Follow that ? !). She claims that they tried a Trico brand blade and it worked much better than the MB blade, apparently because it is made of a softer compount.
Touble is, I can't find the Trico blade that fits the CLK. Has anyone found an aftermarket blade that easily fits this car ?
The rain sensor still freaks out regularly, especially in this constant light rain.
My guess at the problem is that the springs that hold the wipers against the windshield are just too stiff and cause the blades to skip and chatter. When they do, the wiper doesn't clear the rain sensor and it decides to freak-out into high-speed mode.
I have a friend who works with someone who is married to a person that works at a MB dealership (Follow that ? !). She claims that they tried a Trico brand blade and it worked much better than the MB blade, apparently because it is made of a softer compount.
Touble is, I can't find the Trico blade that fits the CLK. Has anyone found an aftermarket blade that easily fits this car ?
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From: 2000 ft over the FL coast in a B-17
Various
Originally posted by Eich
Well - it has rained for nearly 30 days straight here in Northern Virginia. And again I find myself hating the wipers on this car. They are back to chattering across the windshield. Not as badly as before and not as often but still extremely irritating.
The rain sensor still freaks out regularly, especially in this constant light rain.
My guess at the problem is that the springs that hold the wipers against the windshield are just too stiff and cause the blades to skip and chatter. When they do, the wiper doesn't clear the rain sensor and it decides to freak-out into high-speed mode.
I have a friend who works with someone who is married to a person that works at a MB dealership (Follow that ? !). She claims that they tried a Trico brand blade and it worked much better than the MB blade, apparently because it is made of a softer compount.
Touble is, I can't find the Trico blade that fits the CLK. Has anyone found an aftermarket blade that easily fits this car ?
Well - it has rained for nearly 30 days straight here in Northern Virginia. And again I find myself hating the wipers on this car. They are back to chattering across the windshield. Not as badly as before and not as often but still extremely irritating.
The rain sensor still freaks out regularly, especially in this constant light rain.
My guess at the problem is that the springs that hold the wipers against the windshield are just too stiff and cause the blades to skip and chatter. When they do, the wiper doesn't clear the rain sensor and it decides to freak-out into high-speed mode.
I have a friend who works with someone who is married to a person that works at a MB dealership (Follow that ? !). She claims that they tried a Trico brand blade and it worked much better than the MB blade, apparently because it is made of a softer compount.
Touble is, I can't find the Trico blade that fits the CLK. Has anyone found an aftermarket blade that easily fits this car ?
now we have to wax the windshields on $60,000.00 cars??? These new wipers should be 
Newbie
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 2
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Hey guys, I just picked up my new CLK 500 from Herb Gordon two days ago. As many of you have experienced, the MD, DC, VA area has had nothing but rain. The first day I got it I noticed that the wipers were missing the middle of the windshield. I took it to Valley Motors and the service guy said that many people were having issues with the new type of blades. The wipers were then replaced under warrantee. That night we got tons of rain and this time the blades were worse then the original ones. Took it back today and Charlie (the shop foreman) reworked with the blades and they are working perfectly. Long story short... There is a known problem with these new blades, apparently there is some way to adjust the blades to get them to lay on the glass better. Hope this helps. Other then that I love the car. COMAND can be kinda quirky at times though.
-A.T.
-A.T.
