MBS430

I was just washing my car and noticed that the wiper blades cannot fold forward in horizontal position. ... It hits the upper edge of the hood.

does yours also behave this way?

thanks in advance,

Quadcammer

100% normal. Thats why you must put the wipers in a vertical or near vertical state to swap wiper blades

MBS430

Thanks OliverK.

yeah ... I have to turn the key to position 1 then wait for the wiper blade to be vertical then quickly turn the key back to position 0.


My first concern is the car wash (the hand wash kind), I just hope they wont force the wiper blade arm to fold forward too harshly ....

WEBSRFR

It's not a very practical design as the W211 has the same issue. I really worry that someone washing the car one day is or over a series of attempts is going to scratch the paint at the tip of the front hood where the wiper arm would make contact. Bad design IMO as even when are replacing the wiper blade you might scratch the windshield by having to force the wiper on when the windshield is dry and might have contaminants.

Diesel Benz

Your "good design" would introduce additional drag from worse air flow around the windscreen area. It would also introduce additional noise. They can damage the car at car wash even if the wipers did not touch the hood, why not use a place where they know how to wash the car.

I certainly would prefer the current design as a compromise (I don't even consider it a compromise).

egauster

This design is becoming more common and I would take the less noise and improved aerodynamics anyday over any minor inconvenience with the car wash! As for scratching the windshield, wouldn't normal use do the same thing?! And after the wash, the windshield should be clean...
These wash/detail guys have seen every design of car come through and I would worry using a wash that hasn't... You'll get more damage from the machine then the wiper issue. Hand wash when possible and get that detail (claybar, high grade wax, complete detail) at least twice a year and youll be happy!