tkd_M119

Anyone have any tips for keeping your headlight wipers level? Mine were somewhat level for the past year but recently started to not return to their proper place. I used to be able to simply (gently) push them into place but as of late they seem "locked" into place.

Holson

I've been wondering about that too. They seem to return to different positions (+/- 1" from where they should be) whenever I use them.

maybe the stops are worn out? how do the wipers know when they have reached resting position?

Jim's500E

My euro wipers 'move' a bit also...probably because I drive like hell ALL the time and the wind blows them out of position...my old US wipers had the nipple on the headlamp glass which I suppose stopped it in the correct position.

I just manually move mine a bit now when they are crooked...and many of the Euro cars I've seen never seem to have their wipers sitting the same way on each side.

I have an AMG E60 (6.0 litre E500) brochure and one of the pics they have of it has the wipers sitting screwy !! Whatever.

Jer

This can happen sometimes if you quickly operate the wiper switch. MB came out with a new relay that you can install in older cars which were manufactured before the new relay was fitted.

omegabenz6

Do you know anything more about the relay? That would be nice to put on my car.

I open up the wiper, adjust to where it should be after holding down the lever in the car for about five seconds with the lights on so they return to where would be normal.

Jer

According to the service manual the part # is 126 820 20 26. The # might have changed. The relay was introduced in March 1989.

ZorroAMG

I suppose for the purist MB fans out there this is a concern, but IMO they don't even work, and make the whole front end too busy. Delete them and he problem is solved

Cap'n Carageous

Over time the parts inside wear and gradually lose their ability to return to 'rest'. I tried for a few months to keep mine in sync by removing the motors and taking the back covers off and resetting the gears. It didn't help for long so I just set them one day and unplugged the damn things! It really distracts from the prestige of a quality automobile to see one coming down the road with the wipers flopping all over the place.

pkmaven

With my Euro headlights and wipers I have found that adjusting them correctly above the edge of the front lens at rest kept them aligned correctly. I spoke with a tech about a relay and he didn't know about it. I am curious as to what the relay does differently. P.

Jim's500E

My motors are brand new and still have a bit of play in them...its no big deal though; I also have to re-align the grilltop star sometimes after splattering bugs.

I think the euro wipers look nice and serve a purpose (why else would MB have put them on?). And they definitely set the car apart from looking like a regular taxi....pretty classy for a 20 yr old design IMO. To each his own though.

ZorroAMG

You are right they DO serve 2 purposes:

Spray water all over your hood at night if you accidentaly bump the stalk

Keep you coming back to the dealership to replace yet another broken part...LOL

I am unsure of how your winters are in CT, Jim but up here in Kanada, they don't work on our snow

You are definitiely right though, it is to each their own...

Holson

The wipers on the E420 have been pretty reliable and I've never really heard of broken headlight wipers.. *knock on wood*

I guess if you try to move a lot of snow/ice w/ these tiny wipers, the motors would most probably burn out...

I like them there for looks. Just one of those old gadgets that set these things apart. It's all in the detail they say A lot of people seem to always notice the monowiper, the headlight wipers.
Then again most of my colleagues are engineers and these are the things they notice....

Also.. most people modify their car for looks

But, I don't think I'd lose sleep over replacing the US wipers if I had a pre-facelift 124. Unless maybe it's a 500E

zeronero

When I use my wipers the left hand side one stops in the middle of the light at a 45 degree angle, then I clean them again and it goes to the normal position. Strange! If you really need to adjust them just pull the wiper down, unscrew the nut, pull the wiper off and set it in a different notch.

Jim's500E

Zorro...my 500E actually isn't driven in snow so I can't comment on how they work in those conditions; in the rain they work just fine. That's why I have a 4x4 truck; for the winter months. Plus, my snowboard wouldn't fit very nicey nice...would scratch the burl I'm afraid.

I'm amazed that you drive your car in the snow; as nice as it looks. That's quite a shame...rear wheel cars in snow is a disaster waiting to happen. You crazy.

ZorroAMG

Me not crazy, me only own one vehicle for now Sand bags, good tires (with metal studs) and she's not that big of a B!^ch ...plus I usually only drive in the city and fancy myself a good winter driver...although I don't have the M119 power to contend with, LOL

I appreciate the compliments, they are greatly appreciated when received from owners of the DADDY W124's

FWIW, my snowboard fits nice (and looks great) on my modded E's roof rack heh heh

Jim's500E

Right on Z...It sounds like you got the winter specs set-up just fine for your ride. You get an award for having a sweet ride that's not the typical winter garage queen (like so many of my 500E brothers cars are, mine included)

Even with ASR, all that torque and hp on the M119 makes it daunting to drive in the winter here in CT...we get around 100 inches of snow/year. No comparison to you Canucks but still enough to warrant a 4x4 truck in my book.

Maybe we see each other at Whistler or Tremblant...eh?

ZorroAMG

Mont Tremblant? LOL yeah, see I grew up in a ski resort town an hour SE of Montreal, so I know a thing or two about winters (FWIW, the town is called Sutton, not to be confused with Sutton, Ontario) Mont Sutton has som of the best Glade skiing in NA...

Jim's500E

Nice...I'm a glade-a-holic myself and frequent Jay Peak...right on the border in VT. I'll have to check out Mt. Sutton this winter for sure.

My wife has family in LaSalle near Montreal also...small world, eh?

Much props to you for driving your Benz thru the crazy winters you all get up there...I'm amazed that your ride looks as good as it does, being black and all that.

ZorroAMG

Muchos Gracias Senor

Jim's500E

De nada amigo...