M-Class (W166) Produced 2012-2015

Strange windshield wiper problem

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Old Feb 22, 2014 | 01:23 PM
  #26  
tyu98006's Avatar
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ML350
Strange wiper problem

tahlia48, in my experience, see my posts above, it is the wiper blade and the MB blades don't work well. It is either that the connection where the blade clicks onto the arm is too sloppy or the blade itself is too flexible. (IMHO, it is the former.). As mentioned in my post, I use these inexpensive blades I got from Costco, Goodyear I think. But others have had luck with Bosch. -- I used the cheap ones since if it did not cure the problem, I was only out a few bucks.

But, the blades fixed the problem. I too took my car back to MB, several times. They changed the blades twice, re-set the angle of the blades, all to no avail. I also tried RainX and a higher grade window treatment. They work fine for a few minutes, then don't.

It's now been six months on the cheapie blades and still going strong up here in the Pacific NW, aka, rain country. Good luck.

tyu98006
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Old Feb 22, 2014 | 09:28 PM
  #27  
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SLK250
Strange wiper problem

Hi tyu98006, I have to agree with your comment. One end of the blade has no tension whatsoever, and this is the area that judders when the blade swipes across the windscreen. The unfortunate problem that I have now is that I can not find any blades from other brands in my country that can substitute the merc blades. I just can't find anything with the same clip design.
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Old Feb 23, 2014 | 01:53 PM
  #28  
tyu98006's Avatar
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ML350
Blake1, I don't think the Goodyear blades were exactly "made" for the MB ML. I think they are "universal" type blades, but I don't think they list the ML as one of the suitable cars. Anyway, if you have access to online auto parts ordering, the Goodyears are Model:"Assurance"; 765-26; 26 inches/660 mm. They come with an adapter to connect to the MB wiper arm. See photo of instructions, part E. It does not fit snugly like the MB blades, see photo, but it "clicks" in and works. Good luck. tyu98006
Attached Thumbnails Strange windshield wiper problem-image.jpg  
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Old Mar 9, 2014 | 07:05 AM
  #29  
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SLK250
Wipers problem

Hi tyu98006, thanks for your help. The car I have is not MB ML, it is a SLK 250. I bought the car in 2012 and it is actually still under warranty, that is the reason why I had been reluctant to get non MB blades to fit to the car in case they might void my warranty. As per my previous post, I took the car back to the dealer many times and asked them to fix the problem under warranty but they virtually did nothing apart from adjusting the arms. Absolutely disgrace!!! I rang the head office in Australia, they told me to get a second opinion and take the car to another dealer. I did what they told me and recently took the car to another dealer to have them look at the blades and also carried out B service for my car. I only did 8000k and this is the second service on my car, however, I was charged an arm and a leg because apparently MB service centres do not share their database and they do not accept what ever service history if the previous work was done by another service centre. I actually showed them the invoice from the other service centre with the list of work performed during my A service, but they told me they do not accept that. To make things worse, they even want me to pay for a pair of new blades. They said MB blades only last for 2 year, so it is a wear and tear problem which I need to pay for. I told them I did not buy the car until late March 2012, so it is less then 2 years. To my disbelieve, they said the car was built in Germany in Nov 2011, so it is more than 2 years. I said to them I will pay for the new blades if they can guarantee the new blades are going to fix the problem. Of course, they will not make such guarantee. After a further 15 minutes haggle with them, the service guy finally agreed to put in new blades under the warranty. I tried out the new blades in the rain the other day and they DO NOT WORK. Now I have completely given up the idea of taking the car back to MB although I still have one year warranty left on my car. From my own experience, warranty virtually means nothing. If you buy a new car from the MB dealer, don't expect they will do anything for you during the warranty period for their product failure.
Thank you for your help, I have found a site in the UK which I will try to get some non MB blades.
Regards, Blake1.
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Old Apr 10, 2014 | 08:23 AM
  #30  
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SLK250
Wipers problem

My new pair of Bosch wiper blades finally arrived from the UK and I tested it in the rain today. The blades glide effortlessly across the windscreen and without juddering or making those rubber squeaking noise like the Mercedes genuine blades do. The Bosch blades are much cheaper than the Mercedes blades and most importantly they "actually work" as well. Thank you all for your posts which helped me to solve this on going problem for the last 2 years.
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Old Apr 10, 2014 | 09:29 AM
  #31  
Barry45RPM's Avatar
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From: Ft. Lauderdale Area, USA
2015 ML 350
I have also found Trico Neoform Beam Blades to be supremely quiet. Sometimes the OEM MB Blade pairs are quiet on my car, sometimes several pairs in a row are not, so I order the Neoform Blades and am thrilled. Many auto parts stores will order them for you. I also get them from Amazon.com

They install the exact same way as OEM.



http://tricoproducts.com/Drivers/Wip...FbBj7AodNwgATg
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Old Oct 15, 2014 | 03:28 PM
  #32  
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1999 Mercedes E320, 2011 Mercedes ML350
Slightly different issue -- new windshield

I purchased a CPO 2011 ML350 earlier this year -- new wipers, slight chip in windshield that could not be repaired. Wipers worked fine on the original windshield. Dealer paid for new windshield install - first time it rains -- wipers are dragging across windshield -- awful "rubber-scraping" noise. I clean windshield with window cleaner (on advice from dealer) twice. Next time it rains, same problem. Questions: Are the MB wipers that bad? Do new windshields have different contour than OEM? Should I just buy new wipers? Favorite brand?
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Old Oct 16, 2014 | 06:32 AM
  #33  
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2014 ML350 BlueTec
My 2014 350BT wobbles a little at the bottom. It in no way degrades it aboilty to keep the windshild free of water. In fact the wipers work quite well.
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Old Oct 16, 2014 | 02:18 PM
  #34  
schorert1's Avatar
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2013 ML 550, CLK63 AMG, 2012 E350 4MATIC
I had a similar problem with my E350....if the mounting is the same, where you slip the wiper over a peg and then lock it with a lever, the peg is bent. I don't know whether it's bent by the drag on a dry windshield, or simply too thin...but our problem culminated in the wiper disappearing over the roof of the car in a driving rain, luckily we were 1/4mi from our destination.
I put another blade on the next day, but obviously the arm was defective, my dealer dispatched a tech to replace the arm, the blade and they paid me $20 cash for the replacement I had to buy.
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Old Mar 9, 2015 | 12:16 PM
  #35  
garyzimmer's Avatar
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ML350; E350
2102 ML350 Rain Sensing Wipers

I recently purchased a 2012 ML350, (21,636 miles), rain sensing wipers were not working. My local MB dealer diagnosed the problem as a windshield issue. Microcracks in the sensor area. MB replaced my windshield at no cost to me. Apparently there is a field notice or technical bulletin addressing this issue.
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Old Jul 21, 2015 | 02:41 AM
  #36  
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ML350
ML350 wiper blade waggle

Per some suggestions, I got a bottle of Duragloss polish, and applied it to the windshield.
No more chattering on the driver's side. And it lasts.


Washed down the whole Benz and applied it to the whole vehicle per the instructions - nice smooth finish. $10 bucks well spent.
EPS
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Old Jul 21, 2015 | 01:07 PM
  #37  
HAILERS2's Avatar
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Originally Posted by epspsy1
Per some suggestions, I got a bottle of Duragloss polish, and applied it to the windshield.
No more chattering on the driver's side. And it lasts.


Washed down the whole Benz and applied it to the whole vehicle per the instructions - nice smooth finish. $10 bucks well spent.
EPS

Does it also repell rain/water on the windshield like Rainx?. Never hurt to ask. Just curious.
And I notice there's several products with th Duragloss Polish name. As in there is a Duragloss Clear Coat Polish..as an example.
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Old Jul 21, 2015 | 02:43 PM
  #38  
epspsy1's Avatar
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ML350
ML Wiper blade issues

My specific product was Aquawax. Time will tell but so far it lasts longer than
RainX . RainX will wash off with soap and water. Aquawax adheres better to the glass.
EPS
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Old Jul 24, 2015 | 06:18 AM
  #39  
GregGebhardt's Avatar
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2014 ML350 BlueTec
Originally Posted by red308
I was the original poster on this thread. My further analysis of the problem is a little different than all of the comments regarding polishing of the windshield.

While making the windshield perfectly smooth might help, it is not a long term sustainable solution. Who wants to apply a chemical or polish every week?

The rotational angle of this left blade is fairly severe/abrupt. I think this makes every element of the mechanism more critical. So everything has to be just right for it to work without wiggling all the time.

I have not tried this yet, but will soon as our weather becomes wetter. The wiper blade actuator arm does not seat down the blade tight enough into the mounting bracket. So it is allowed to wiggle in the bracket. This small wiggle in the bracket projects out to a wide wiggle at the end of the blade.

The only solution I can think of is to somehow tighten the blade into the actuator arm mounting bracket. Will work on this. If anyone has an idea I am keenly interested.
I do not think you will be able to eliminate the wobble, permanently, no matter what you do.
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