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2014 E350 Sport (sold), 2015 S550 Sport (sold), 2018 S560 Sport (sold), 2018 GLE43, 2014 E550
PSA: Fake Wiper Blades
Someone at some point recommended Ali Express wiper blades, they are garbage, buy OEM only. I figured while I had the part out I would so a side by side comparison as I could see someone passing these off as authentic. Pics are below, fakes on top, OEM on the bottom. The OEM ones have more stampings and cleaner etched markings. I could see someone trying to sell the knock offs as real for full price so be careful out there people!
I am using the ones from Ali. They work as well as the OEM. Of course you should know what you are buying and not get cheated by someone trying to pass off the Ali ones for OEM.
2014 E350 Sport (sold), 2015 S550 Sport (sold), 2018 S560 Sport (sold), 2018 GLE43, 2014 E550
Originally Posted by blevinson
I am using the ones from Ali. They work as well as the OEM. Of course you should know what you are buying and not get cheated by someone trying to pass off the Ali ones for OEM.
For sure, the Ali ones weren't doing the job for me. They probably functioned 60-70% as good as OEM (clearing water in one fell swoop, etc.). For the extra couple of bucks, take my money MB.
IMO the OEM wipers are horrible. Worst wipers I've ever had on a car, they chatter and skip...no amount of cleaning the windshield helps either. For blades that cost $200...total joke IMO
For sure, the Ali ones weren't doing the job for me. They probably functioned 60-70% as good as OEM (clearing water in one fell swoop, etc.). For the extra couple of bucks, take my money MB.
Extra couple of bucks? I got 5 pairs for less than the cost of 1 OEM. And mine work great so far. It really depends on the actual company that makes them. There are literally dozens of Chinese companies that make the blades. You may have been unlucky and gotten them from a poorly made batch.
Extra couple of bucks? I got 5 pairs for less than the cost of 1 OEM. And mine work great so far. It really depends on the actual company that makes them. There are literally dozens of Chinese companies that make the blades. You may have been unlucky and gotten them from a poorly made batch.
Care to share what brand they are?
For the record I just had new OE MB blades put on at the dealership. They work as expected, amazingly well. Now the MagicVision system... I have my gripes with that, but its not the blades' fault.
For the record I just had new OE MB blades put on at the dealership. They work as expected, amazingly well. Now the MagicVision system... I have my gripes with that, but its not the blades' fault.
The company I worked with and who made them is Xiamen Kction Auto Parts Co, Ltd.
Recently replaced mine with Bosch aerotwin, well they suck, I'm returning them and getting originals. Only excuse comes up to my mind is if the these Bosch are fake, since I got them on Amazon.
Any reliable online source for original wipers/parts other than dealer?
OEM for most things. Spark plugs, wipers, brake pads, rotors, serpentine belt. I buy aftermarket (brick and mortar store) oil filters. Mann brand, which I think are OEM/factory.
Recently replaced mine with Bosch aerotwin, well they suck, I'm returning them and getting originals. Only excuse comes up to my mind is if the these Bosch are fake, since I got them on Amazon.
Any reliable online source for original wipers/parts other than dealer?
I ditched the OEM's because they chattered across my windshield. I purchased multiple pairs from Alibaba and the one pair I installed has been fantastic as they are quiet and do a nice clean sweep of the glass. Back when I got them in the spring, I paid around $240 with shipping for 5 pairs. Here is the link:
I'm with you!!!!! I can surely afford the OEM ones but WTH, 200.00 for a set of wipers???????????????? I would rather by a piece of trim or something else then waste it on a wiper blades. There is NO WAY that part cost them more than 10.00 to make. I don't care if it says MB on it or not, if it functions the same, I'm all in. I wouldn't skimp on a part that is critical but a wiper, PLEASE! NO THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm with you!!!!! I can surely afford the OEM ones but WTH, 200.00 for a set of wipers???????????????? I would rather by a piece of trim or something else then waste it on a wiper blades. There is NO WAY that part cost them more than 10.00 to make. I don't care if it says MB on it or not, if it functions the same, I'm all in. I wouldn't skimp on a part that is critical but a wiper, PLEASE! NO THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The OEM's cost way more that $10 to manufacture. They aren't regular wipers. They have a heating element in them to ensure the fluid doesn't freeze in the little holes where the fluid comes out while wiping. If you take them off, you'll see that the whole contraption is very different and much more complicated than a regular wiper. I've seen OEM as low as $120 for a pair. I got my China knock-offs, which work fantastic for about $40 a set including shipping.
The OEM's cost way more that $10 to manufacture. They aren't regular wipers. They have a heating element in them to ensure the fluid doesn't freeze in the little holes where the fluid comes out while wiping. If you take them off, you'll see that the whole contraption is very different and much more complicated than a regular wiper. I've seen OEM as low as $120 for a pair. I got my China knock-offs, which work fantastic for about $40 a set including shipping.
If you paid 40.00 for a pair and the seller is making a profit, how much do you think they actually cost to produce? I’d say about $10. Logically speaking, everything is keystone plus 10 will always your baseline. I worked for an exclusive company that did keystone plus 50.
Last edited by 2014CL600; Jan 19, 2022 at 08:28 AM.
If you paid 40.00 for a pair and the seller is making a profit, how much do you think they actually cost to produce? I’d say about $10. Logically speaking, everything is keystone plus 10 will always your baseline. I worked for an exclusive company that did keystone plus 50.
You're just so incredibly wrong about this. My wipers are Chinese knock-offs (no R&D cost since China steals everybody else's intellectual property) that I purchased through the business side of Alibaba. There were several companies selling these kinds of blades. I went with the most inexpensive to get 5 sets with shipping. Mine were $29 per pair plus shipping. Since those companies work for cheap with almost no labor cost, I'd guess that the cost to manufacture them was likely at least $20 per set....a year ago before the cost of everything got completely out of hand (thanks Dims and Biden).
The OEM blades likely had high R&D cost due to their limited use design in very few models, plus they are likely not made in a sweat shop by people earning 10 cents per hour. To say that they only cost $10 to make per pair is ludicrous. I'd be willing to bet that the cost to make a pair of OEM blades is likely well north of $50 per pair. But does that make them better than my Chinese blades? Probably not.
Mercedes has sold a pair on almost every higher end car since 2014. Plus, a replacement pair to many people who didn’t need them, the R&D has been recovered many years ago. As for you paying 29.00 per pair, how much do you think they cost to make in China? 5-10 per pair? How much,(7 years after they were first on the assembly line) do you think they actually cost now? I’m just saying, I’m sure if you can afford a 189k car, you can afford 200 plus tax for the blades, I just think it’s blatant theft.
Condescend all you want, affording is not something I have trouble with.
I'm not being condescending at all, I drove Lexus vehicles for 22 years, I had 7 of them. The Mercedes is MUCH, MUCH more expensive to maintain and service than a comparable Lexus. You can buy parts for the Lexus anywhere, everything it needs is at Pep Boys. Anybody can work on it. The Mercedes is just different.
Is my 560 "worth" the $33,000 more it cost than the last LS460L I had? Objectively? No way. Was the $700 I paid Mercedes for the A service objectively worth that money? No way. But...this is a Mercedes S Class and they don't price anything that has to do with it "fairly" or "with value".
If Lexus still made a soft comfortable V8 sedan I never would have stopped driving them and upgraded to this, but they don't...so here I am.
If you don't want to buy the OEM blades, get the chinese knock off ones Dave suggested, but the car and all its parts are designed for people who don't care what anything costs. Thats just a fact.
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