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My wipers were sticking to the glass and juddering, sometimes even stopping for a moment with fresh water, when using the washer fluid they were fine. The windshield has some kind of tough wax or silicone coating on it. Standard cleaners and even rubbing alcohol won’t take it off. There is a service notice on it and the dealers have a polishing compound provided by Mercedes. They did mine and it made it a little better. I followed up at home with Stoner Glass Stripper and it’s almost perfect now, pretty smooth wiping now with rainwater. I might do another few applications to make sure it’s all gone. Whatever Mercedes puts on the windows is some nasty ****.
Those are huge wipers and there are many things that will make them sticky such as parking it outside 24X7, not enough rain, and more than likely residue from spay on waxes. With the exception of the first swipe, mine work great. In FL they don't get much time to sit around and stick to anything.
Mine "skip" all the time, even on heavy rain. Dealer replaced the wiper 2 times but didn't change anything. I also tried cleaning the windows but the "skipping" still occurs.
The weird thing is, the first few wipes on the start of the wiper usage are smooth, but then the "skipping" kicks in afterward.
My wipers were sticking to the glass and juddering, sometimes even stopping for a moment with fresh water, when using the washer fluid they were fine. The windshield has some kind of tough wax or silicone coating on it. Standard cleaners and even rubbing alcohol won’t take it off. There is a service notice on it and the dealers have a polishing compound provided by Mercedes. They did mine and it made it a little better. I followed up at home with Stoner Glass Stripper and it’s almost perfect now, pretty smooth wiping now with rainwater. I might do another few applications to make sure it’s all gone. Whatever Mercedes puts on the windows is some nasty ****.
My SA never heard of this service notice, do you have some more details I can use to show them about this notice?
The worse wipers EVER.
Tried glass polish 3 times. Nothing.
Tried removing them and cleaning with alcohol and petroleum based cleaner. Bunch of brown crap came off. Still nothing.
Tried windshield coating. Nothing.
Installed a windshield skin (Dynoflex). Nothing
Either most people are ignorant, or they don't drive in the rain.
I can't wait for an aftermarket company to come up with replacement options.
The worse wipers EVER.
Tried glass polish 3 times. Nothing.
Tried removing them and cleaning with alcohol and petroleum based cleaner. Bunch of brown crap came off. Still nothing. Tried windshield coating. Nothing. Installed a windshield skin (Dynoflex). Nothing
Either most people are ignorant, or they don't drive in the rain.
I can't wait for an aftermarket company to come up with replacement options.
It sounds like all those things you tried, have been found to make wipers worse. Get new blades and don't ruin them with inappropriate products.
I drive in the rain, I don't use "miracle" products, and my wipers are just fine. On my '20, '21, and '19. (Actually, the '21 wipers were stiff, for about 2 minutes in the first rain.)
No need to call me ignorant.
The worse wipers EVER.
Tried glass polish 3 times. Nothing.
Tried removing them and cleaning with alcohol and petroleum based cleaner. Bunch of brown crap came off. Still nothing.
Tried windshield coating. Nothing.
Installed a windshield skin (Dynoflex). Nothing
Either most people are ignorant, or they don't drive in the rain.
I can't wait for an aftermarket company to come up with replacement options.
The problem is with the windshield glass, not the wipers.
The problem is with the windshield glass, not the wipers.
That’s probably right. My theory is that windshields ship to the Mercedes factory with a protective coating held on with adhesive. It might be that the longer it stays on & maybe at warmer temps then some adhesive sticks to the glass when the protection is removed.
My April 2019 build GLE had a sticky substance on the glass. It wasn’t as noticeable at cooler temps. It took me several passes with different degreaser products to get it clean. Glass is porous so crap might get transferred deeper into the glass while cleaning.
My GLE 53 glass was clean but the wipers still stutter a little when the rain lets up. Every time I clean the wiper blades I get more than the expected amount of black “rubber looking” residue.
This won't harm your glass. I have used it since 1992 when I first saw it on Goss' Garage on Motorweek. You need to buy the "Original' Bon Ami 1886 formula. I take my cars to the car wash. I don't pay for the wet wax, but I follow cars that do and it get on the windshield. After a while the build up makes the wipers skip. I wet the windshield. sprinkle a lot on one side, and then use a mircofiber towel to polish the windshield with it. I go over and over to make sure I get it all. You can tell it worked when you rinse it off and the water sheets instead of beads. Also note the instructions on the GM box to use alcohol on the wiper blades. I can't guarantee it will solve the problem of whatever got on your glass. But it's a cheap and easy way to deal with it it's just ordinary crap buildup on the glass. NOTE the pdf from MB shows a photo of water beading on the windshield. That's your clue. Keep scrubbing gently until the water sheets off. One of these days I'll find the link to Goss' Garage with the video. When I went to the local Chevy dealer to buy the stuff in the photos, the parts counter guy was like "what?"
He came back with it and said he'd never seen it before.
This won't harm your glass. I have used it since 1992 when I first saw it on Goss' Garage on Motorweek. You need to buy the "Original' Bon Ami 1886 formula. I take my cars to the car wash. I don't pay for the wet wax, but I follow cars that do and it get on the windshield. After a while the build up makes the wipers skip. I wet the windshield. sprinkle a lot on one side, and then use a mircofiber towel to polish the windshield with it. I go over and over to make sure I get it all. You can tell it worked when you rinse it off and the water sheets instead of beads. Also note the instructions on the GM box to use alcohol on the wiper blades. I can't guarantee it will solve the problem of whatever got on your glass. But it's a cheap and easy way to deal with it it's just ordinary crap buildup on the glass. NOTE the pdf from MB shows a photo of water beading on the windshield. That's your clue. Keep scrubbing gently until the water sheets off. One of these days I'll find the link to Goss' Garage with the video. When I went to the local Chevy dealer to buy the stuff in the photos, the parts counter guy was like "what?"
He came back with it and said he'd never seen it before.
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It might be the same as the Vintage Product mentioned here. It says no to modern coated windshields. I wasn’t aware that they were coated…question that statement.
Bon Ami Powder Cleanser is not recommended for windows, mirrors, or other glass surfaces.
However, Bon Ami 1886 Original Formula Cleaning Powder IS recommended for windows, mirrors, glass-ceramic cooktops, vintage auto windshields (not modern windshields which often have coatings), shower and oven doors, other non-decorative glass surfaces, and many other hard surfaces.
It might be the same as the Vintage Product mentioned here. It says no to modern coated windshields. I wasn’t aware that they were coated…question that statement.
Bon Ami Powder Cleanser is not recommended for windows, mirrors, or other glass surfaces.
However, Bon Ami 1886 Original Formula Cleaning Powder IS recommended for windows, mirrors, glass-ceramic cooktops, vintage auto windshields (not modern windshields which often have coatings), shower and oven doors, other non-decorative glass surfaces, and many other hard surfaces.
Great observation. We have seen where some MB products have acoustic glass. I spent a little time with Google (where everything is true) but could only come up with "metalized" windshields. It's used as a tint, but I couldn't tell if it is in the glass or on the surface.