truax

Hi everybody, My windshield washer fluid bottle has been leaking since I bought the GLK 2014 in 2016. MB changed the bottle in August '17 under warranty but it is still leaking. Apparently this bottle was designed in 2 pieces and welded together. Very bad decision and poor design! As far as I know, nobody else designs bottles in 2 pieces because they will always leak. I took the car to MB a few months ago and asked them to check for leaks. They said everything was ok. Yesterday I filled the bottle and half the fluid spilled in my driveway. What should I do? MB won't listen to my complaints.

MJ50

moved to X204 forum...

kombifan

If your handy you can try replacing it yourself.

https://www.pelicanparts.com/More_In...9-03-20-28-M22

Otherwise try a different sa and try to talk to the service manager.

Marek_Norway

Very easy to check the leak if it is reservoir or pump or hose...lift the car, remove the left front wheel, remove fender liner (2 pieces with few plastic push pins and plastic nuts) and thats it...reservoir with pump can now be checked visually...

truax

Thanks Kombifan. I try to avoid dealers because they are too shifty.

Clon3

I've had the same problem with my 2012 GLK. I just learned to lived with it and fill only 1/3 of a gallon each time I get the washfluid warning.

If you split the 1 gallon tank and 3 intervals, it won't leak because the fluid doesn't fill high enough to the point where it starts to leak. Give this method a try and see if it still leaks. Basically you'll just have to top up more often, but it avoids the leaking problem.

Good luck!

truax

Thanks

Sounds like your leak is not related to mine. I think my leak is caused by the joint between the bottle and the filler neck. That is a poor design. MB dealer fixed it a year ago but obviously the band-aid did not last long.

Rascally Wabbit

Interesting that this problem has been a topic of discussion for many years. This thread is only the latest. Out here in the SW, the land of almost no rain (4" YTD) & ditto on snow, the wipers are rarely needed. However last week, when returning from a day of shopping, there was rain & I accidentally ran the washers. Not driven the car since & when the Mrs. drove out this morning, I discovered dried traces of washer fluid on the garage floor. This has occurred before & to avoid the problem I do not refill the tank. The reservoir is p/n, 204-869-02-20 which supersedes 204-869-02-20-28, for vehicles without lamp washers. Can anyone tell if the reservoir design or method of manufacture has been upgraded with the new p/n? Certainly would be nice to know when the superseded p/n was introduced. TIA!

truax

Thanks Clon3. That is what I am doing now as I have not taken the time to remove the wheel and check for the leak.

truax

Hi Wabbit, let me know what you find out.

Clon3

Yeah, if it works and it's not bothering you and I'd recommend to just leave it.

My mechanic said in order to replace the reservoir, he'd have to remove a ton of stuff to get to it. Waste of time/money and potentially messing something else up while fixing this.

Rascally Wabbit

When I upgraded the headlamp bulbs years ago, I recall seeing the tank behind the driver's side light. This GLK does not have headlight washers which says there will be less stuff to disconnect & possibly break. The dealership does all of the maintenance on the vehicle & the washer bottle is topped off when it is in for service. I usually remember to mention not to do so but that was forgotten the last time through. Time to replace the tank & see how long it lasts. Is there any way of determining what year a part was superseded?

louiet3

My 2012 leaked 5 years after bringing it home. I read then that the most common issue with MB is the windshield washer pump, sure enough it was the pump. I think its accessible without removing the driver side wheel, just undo the fender liner. Bought this from Amazon - https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B001HQHYFA.

habbyguy

Just an anecdotal input to this thread. My windshield washer fluid started leaking badly out of the blue a few months after I bought my 2011 GLK. I waited until I was doing an oil change and pulled the pump out of the reservoir. The seal / gasket looked OK, so I reinserted it and the leak kinda / sorta stopped. For a short while, and then started up again. I pulled the pump a second time to check for a possible crack in the reservoir (apparently also a likely suspect) and found none. Then it hit me that due to the design of the seal / gasket, it's really not going to be easy (possible?) to insert it properly while it's on the pump's pickup tube. So I removed it from the pickup tube, inserted it into the reservoir hole (taking care that it was fully seated, since my bottom access didn't allow a proper visual inspection), and THEN inserted the pump. Voila! No more leak. I put a gallon of filtered water into the reservoir (with the splash panels still off the car) and after 12 hours, not a drop. In all my reading on this subject, I never saw any suggestion to install the seal first, without the pump. Hope this helps someone...

calder-cay

Thanks for the fix info!