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After complaining about Magic Vision not being so magic, I decided to do something about it. I searched and found this thread (W222 Washer Tank & Pump Removal / Clean), and thought that an hour of my time was better spent taking a look, than going to the dealer, so I did.
It turns out that there was a blob of goop around the filter in my washer fluid tank, and the filter itself was also blocked. I went down this path after taking the wiper blades off, and squirting the windshield. I put together a quick montage of before and after!
Yes, the filter/grommet openings are almost invisibly small and wonderfully prone to clogging. For those not wishing to futz with cleaning it, a new one is only about $1.50!
My advice would be to thoroughly clean out the tank while you have it out!
I actually also had a bad pump in my car, but it was only about $50. As you say, a little time invested for a big savings compared to $250 quoted by my indy shop, or who knows what at the dealer.
Last edited by Tom in Austin; Jun 22, 2022 at 01:25 PM.
FYI, I looked into just replacing the rubber on the Magic Vision blades. Got them apart but haven't gotten around to figuring out what brand will retro-fit into the blade's holders. That is key. Some simple notches will need to be cut in the centers where they are retained. Basically that's the only difference between normal rubber and these. There was another person on the site that says they did it successfully in about an hour but didn't elaborate how. Maybe they'll chime in or we can start another thread.
After complaining about Magic Vision not being so magic, I decided to do something about it. I searched and found this thread (W222 Washer Tank & Pump Removal / Clean), and thought that an hour of my time was better spent taking a look, than going to the dealer, so I did.
It turns out that there was a blob of goop around the filter in my washer fluid tank, and the filter itself was also blocked. I went down this path after taking the wiper blades off, and squirting the windshield. I put together a quick montage of before and after!
Remove fluid tank, see thread linked above for How To
Find the filter
Filter, still in tank
Clean the filter, I just ran it under hot water and squished and squeezed it!
Washer fluid tank filter
Flush the tank
Reinstall
Magic, Magic Vision!
Something does not look correct with this video. My wipers alternate fluid. When they go left, only fluid comes out in front of the blade, when they go right, only fluid on the right side.
Something does not look correct with this video. My wipers alternate fluid. When they go left, only fluid comes out in front of the blade, when they go right, only fluid on the right side.
Why did you say that?!? But I think that you are right.....I filmed again in slo-mo on my phone and just watched it back. The front stroke seems much weaker than the back stroke, now I'm going to have to spend more time investigating this chaos!
Why did you say that?!? But I think that you are right.....I filmed again in slo-mo on my phone and just watched it back. The front stroke seems much weaker than the back stroke, now I'm going to have to spend more time investigating this chaos!
Thanks for the heads up!
As long as fluid is in front of the blade ( It does not need much ) All is good.... They came out with this system specifically for the Convertible's, so no one gets wet...
Do you have any other photos of the process? Is that Rubber Filter not part of the tank but under it when you remove it?
Thanks, for the Valeo tip. I'll have to take a dis-assembled blade unit to a Valeo dealer to see if I can match up the rubbers then. Separate thread with lots of pictures on that at some time in the future unless someone on bUbeTube beats me to it.
As long as fluid is in front of the blade ( It does not need much ) All is good.... They came out with this system specifically for the Convertible's, so no one gets wet...
Do you have any other photos of the process? Is that Rubber Filter not part of the tank but under it when you remove it?
I don't have any more pics of when I was doing the job, but I did just take a couple more, and mark them up.
Below is a summary of what I did, after referencing the threads previously mentioned
Make sure the engine is cold (your going to be handling the cooling system expansion tank)
Empty the washer fluid from the tank, I syphoned it out using an old piece of hose and a little air pup that I have
I put the fluid into gallon container (the tank holds lots of fluid, more than a gallon!)
Remove the push fit rivet in the wheel well
See pictures below
Remove the two bolts (10mm) holding the washer tank, and the torx bolt holding the expansion tank
Shown in the green circles (below)
Unclip the electrical connector on the expansion tank
Shown in the purple/pink circles (below)
Unclip the hoses from the expansion tank and the washer tank
Shown in orange circles (below)
Unclip the lid that holds the washer fluid heater element into the washer fluid tank, and wriggle out the element
I did not remove the hoses from the element, I just removed the whole thing and moved it out of the way
Shown in the red circle (below)
Move the expansion tank out of the way
I followed the blue line, and it ended up almost upside down, just resting out of the way
Wrestle the washer fluid tank up and out (as far as it will go)
The pump is push fitted into the filter, in the tank
It's on the side of the tank, with the bottom of the pump near the bottom of the tank!
Pull up on the pump, and it will come out of the filter
If there is fluid left in the tank it may come out at this step (or the next!)
Pull on the filter, and it will come out of the tank
Run the filter under hot water and roll it between your thumb and finger, breaking up any solid deposits blocking the filter
Flush the tank get rid of any crud in the bottom
I used some distilled water that I had in my garage
Reverse the process to put everything back together
Fill washer fluid tank
Washer Fluid and cooling system expansion tank, marked up
Washer fluid pump, filter and tank
Push rivet in the wheel well, holding the expansion tank in place
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Magic Vision is Magic Again!
(200 dollar wiper blades)!
But I think that you are right.....I filmed again in slo-mo on my phone and just watched it back. The front stroke seems much weaker than the back stroke, now I'm going to have to spend more time investigating this chaos! 
