10¢ flaw in $50K car
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MBWorld Fanatic!
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From: Massachusetts
2018 GLE350, 2014 G550, 2000 SL500, 1980 TR8, 1995 E320 Cabriolet
10¢ flaw in $50K car
I'm on my third set of wiper blades this winter. But not because the blades themselves have gone bad (it has been a bad winter), but rather, because the little 10 cent piece of poorly specified plastic the hold the ends of the wiper assemblies together keeps breaking off in the cold. MB does not sell just this piece, so at $55 a set it's starting to add up! Somebody deep in the inner sanctum of MB engineering sure got that one wrong (or perhaps sales and marketing got it right).
Fortunately I still had the second set and discovered that you can easily removed this piece from an old set and use it to replace the broken piece on a new set. All four end pieces are the same so my old set will get me through three failed end pieces.
For a car that was designed in a cold climate, the "snow worthiness" is really rather poor. There is also the issue with the cabin air vents clogging with ice, and on my car, the folding mirrors can't really be used in the winter because snow/ice jams the hinge. Hmmm.
- FD
Fortunately I still had the second set and discovered that you can easily removed this piece from an old set and use it to replace the broken piece on a new set. All four end pieces are the same so my old set will get me through three failed end pieces.
For a car that was designed in a cold climate, the "snow worthiness" is really rather poor. There is also the issue with the cabin air vents clogging with ice, and on my car, the folding mirrors can't really be used in the winter because snow/ice jams the hinge. Hmmm.
- FD
Super Member
Joined: Dec 2007
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From: Woodstock, IL
His 2019 RAM Cummins Turbo Diesel Laramie; Her's 2007 ML320 CDI P3; Mine BMW R1200R
Sometimes if I am in a rush to scrape the windshield, my scraper will hit those plastic pieces you mentioned and break them. I did reuse from the old one like you mentioned after my 3rd set.
The folding mirrors is a feature I turn off at the first hint of winter and leave off till spring. They jammed really bad one winter, and had to park in a warm garage to fix. Definitely should have been designed better, maybe with a cover shield?
You forgot to mention the headlamp washers that freezes unless you mix some special fluid brew for the fluid. (And even then it's hit or miss.) Nothing like going to work on a snow covered morning, and pushing the wash button only to see... nothing. Then you have to go back out in - 10F and clean the headlamps manually. I noticed that 09's and newer have heated washers. Naturally no offer of a retrofit for 07's.
Also, if you have it, you should try the Parktronic in the winter.
The folding mirrors is a feature I turn off at the first hint of winter and leave off till spring. They jammed really bad one winter, and had to park in a warm garage to fix. Definitely should have been designed better, maybe with a cover shield?
You forgot to mention the headlamp washers that freezes unless you mix some special fluid brew for the fluid. (And even then it's hit or miss.) Nothing like going to work on a snow covered morning, and pushing the wash button only to see... nothing. Then you have to go back out in - 10F and clean the headlamps manually. I noticed that 09's and newer have heated washers. Naturally no offer of a retrofit for 07's.
Also, if you have it, you should try the Parktronic in the winter.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 4,260
Likes: 6
From: Philadelphia area
2010 ML550, 2010 E350 4M, 1966 Corvette Convt C2
I'm on my third set of wiper blades this winter. But not because the blades themselves have gone bad (it has been a bad winter), but rather, because the little 10 cent piece of poorly specified plastic the hold the ends of the wiper assemblies together keeps breaking off in the cold. MB does not sell just this piece, so at $55 a set it's starting to add up! Somebody deep in the inner sanctum of MB engineering sure got that one wrong (or perhaps sales and marketing got it right).
Fortunately I still had the second set and discovered that you can easily removed this piece from an old set and use it to replace the broken piece on a new set. All four end pieces are the same so my old set will get me through three failed end pieces.
For a car that was designed in a cold climate, the "snow worthiness" is really rather poor. There is also the issue with the cabin air vents clogging with ice, and on my car, the folding mirrors can't really be used in the winter because snow/ice jams the hinge. Hmmm.
- FD
Fortunately I still had the second set and discovered that you can easily removed this piece from an old set and use it to replace the broken piece on a new set. All four end pieces are the same so my old set will get me through three failed end pieces.
For a car that was designed in a cold climate, the "snow worthiness" is really rather poor. There is also the issue with the cabin air vents clogging with ice, and on my car, the folding mirrors can't really be used in the winter because snow/ice jams the hinge. Hmmm.
- FD
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 4,260
Likes: 6
From: Philadelphia area
2010 ML550, 2010 E350 4M, 1966 Corvette Convt C2
Around here before a snow storm most all dealers on their used car lots do just that with all the cars
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Joined: Mar 2011
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In our first year in a cold weather climate, we noticed that pretty much everyone lifted their wipers on their car before a snow, or during a snow. So this makes sense to me.
However, I will say that Mercedes usually did a better job at designing a car with cold weather in mind. While in Florida I owned an 76, 84, 86 Mercedes and damn them when the climate control failed it always defaulted to full heat and defrost (winter). Didn't appreciate that much in Florida.
However, I will say that Mercedes usually did a better job at designing a car with cold weather in mind. While in Florida I owned an 76, 84, 86 Mercedes and damn them when the climate control failed it always defaulted to full heat and defrost (winter). Didn't appreciate that much in Florida.
