GLK350AMG

My "low windshield washer fluid" light came on last week. Went to purchase a bottle of SummerFit from MB. Costed around $3.50+tax (USD).

I filled the tank as instructed with the SummerFit and 4 litres of water (it's made in Germany so it uses the Metric system). It seems like I can keep filling the tank with water, but that means I'll need to get another bottle of SummerFit.

Does anyone know how many gallons/litres our windshield washer fluid tank is?

beejonnybee

Look on the ground, your washer fluid tank is leaking!

kozak79

My 2013 takes a full gallon when the fill message comes up. Pretty convenient as with my other cars I'd always have a third of a gallon bottle bouncing around in the trunk. Now I just dump the whole gallon in and chuck the bottle.

GLK350AMG

Thanks! I had the same problem with Japanese cars I drove before.

Has anyone tried adding some vinegar to their fluid?

koalatm

Our 2014 takes more than 4 litres to fill - but it's possible that Mercedes fits certain markets with a higher capacity reservoir and doesn't even disclose this.

When I did the Audi factory tour in Neckarsulm last fall, we talked about some interesting technical details and one conversation was on how even for a market like the United States, Audi would fit 5 different types of radiators on their A5 convertible, depending on where it was going to be driven.

GLK350AMG

koalatm: that's an interesting fact!

I wonder what kind of mods Mercedes does for different markets/states/provinces in America or Canada.

bop11

Koalatm; I guess Europeans don't understand Americans very well. It is very likely that a guy who bought his Audi in Maine will get a new job in Texas and move. So now he has a small radiator in a vehicle that will see nothing but Texas heat? And this is only one of the many selections the factory makes depending on where the car is going in the US? I knew there was a reason I gave up on VW/Audi in the 90's after owning 9 of them. Hey Europe, the US is BIG and we are mobile, moving every 5 or 6 years.

koalatm

The thing you have to realize is that every single auto maker does this. I was only using Audi as an example since I was in their factory recently.

This is the type of stuff that they don't always disclose as it's not like they go out of their way to tell you the specifics of their radiator and if the decide to include a slightly larger windshield washer fluid reservoir, most people would never notice.

Bob338

I looked up both radiators and 'dashpots', what they call the windshield washer fluid tanks, in EPC, the online Mercedes parts catalogs. I seriously doubted the presumption they install different radiators or the fluid tanks according to areas in the US, and now I'm more certain they don't. There's no way I can address the issue as between different countries, but I would seriously doubt that was well for the same model car. The costs both in manufacturing different capacity radiators or tanks, plus the costs to logistically handle those changes on the production lines, would be astronomical compared to the very minor savings and materials for the largest capacities which might be needed in both.

There IS a difference for the gassers based on model years but I can't tell what those differences might be. Could be just different means of attachment. Capacities aren't given for either.

Common sense tells you they have to allow for maximum cooling in the deserts of the US, as well as for the tropical climates in which the cars might operate either in the US or elsewhere in the world. Someone would have to furnish proof to me of any such differences based on geography on ANY of their production cars of the same model. I wouldn't address the Maybach's or other custom offerings but at least for the GLK's, C , E and S classes I'm firmly convinced there isn't any difference in radiator or windshield fluid tanks based on vehicle destination. They do make different models for different geographical locations and there may be some differences for those based on models designed for those areas but not for the US models, and likely not for the same models for Canadian import. EPC isn't available for Canadians.

PilotAlan

Yes! I love that!


Every other car I've had, the capacity was a gallon from empty, rather than a gallon from where the idiot light comes on.

LesF

a gallon when the low wash comes on. seems to be the same with most models.

cindyclk

...from owner's manual...6.3 US qts

rmfnla

Or how about a family in New England that decides to take a summer car trip to the Grand Canyon..?

miked807

Curious ? which plant were you at? and did you a "tourist tour" or EUD as a buyer?
>Feels likes "something got lost in Translation(s) - Germainc- engrish am guessing


So ReLax Bob :P:P

koalatm

Neckarsulm. All of my German family lives within 30 km of there... two of them are big suppliers to the VW group, so we got a private tour + we did the regular public tour as well.

Was kind of neat as I went into the part of the factory where they build the R8, which is something they do not show on the public tour.

gcbmb

manual says: with headlamp cleaning system=3.5liters

without headlamp cleaning system = 1 liter.

BUT the damn manual says the message cames up when ot drop after 1liter. sigh. no feature distinction. so who knows if the 3.5 tank also lights up after only 1L.