Automatic Wipers
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MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Aug 2017
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2019 S560, 2015 Honda Civic Hybrid
Automatic Wipers
Wanted to share an interesting experience I had with the automatic wipers. It's a feature I use pretty much all the time but I had a startling experience the other day when I hit a deep puddle that threw up a big wall of water in front of the car.
I concentrated on holding the steering wheel steady to make sure the car didn't hydroplane, expecting the wipers to come on momentarily and clear the windshield. However, they did not come on ... the big wall of water was all on the driver's side and apparently not enough hit the upper center of the windshield where the sensors are. When I realized the wipers weren't coming on by themselves I started grabbing and twisting the stalk to get them going. A moment later I realized that I was using the wrong stalk! That's because I'm so accustomed to my wife's car which has the wipers on the opposite side! I'm so used to operating them manually in her car and use the stalk so rarely in the S560, I reached for the wrong one.
Glad to say there were no other cars around us and the car tracked straight ahead so when I finally used the correct stalk, all was ok. But it seemed like a lesson in becoming so dependent on an automatic system that in an anxious moment you can forget how to work it manually.
I concentrated on holding the steering wheel steady to make sure the car didn't hydroplane, expecting the wipers to come on momentarily and clear the windshield. However, they did not come on ... the big wall of water was all on the driver's side and apparently not enough hit the upper center of the windshield where the sensors are. When I realized the wipers weren't coming on by themselves I started grabbing and twisting the stalk to get them going. A moment later I realized that I was using the wrong stalk! That's because I'm so accustomed to my wife's car which has the wipers on the opposite side! I'm so used to operating them manually in her car and use the stalk so rarely in the S560, I reached for the wrong one.
Glad to say there were no other cars around us and the car tracked straight ahead so when I finally used the correct stalk, all was ok. But it seemed like a lesson in becoming so dependent on an automatic system that in an anxious moment you can forget how to work it manually.
Last edited by Tom in Austin; May 1, 2026 at 01:13 PM.
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Joined: Aug 2007
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From: Pacific Northwest
2001 S600 V12 Sold, 2011 Jaguar XFR Sold, 2017 S550 4-Matic, 2018 S63 AMG Sedan
Thanks for sharing that experiene Tom. Easy to see how that can happen.
The weirdest thing about my wipers is that sometimes when I first turn the car on the wipers will wipe the windshield one time and then stop. This happens regardless is temperature and humidity. The other day it was 70 degrees and bone dry when I parked the car at Best Buy. When I got back in and started the car, they swiped once. All on a bright sunny day with low humidity. And I notice this from time to time, but can't say if its 1 in 10 starts or 1 in 50 starts. Is this normal? If so, why?
The weirdest thing about my wipers is that sometimes when I first turn the car on the wipers will wipe the windshield one time and then stop. This happens regardless is temperature and humidity. The other day it was 70 degrees and bone dry when I parked the car at Best Buy. When I got back in and started the car, they swiped once. All on a bright sunny day with low humidity. And I notice this from time to time, but can't say if its 1 in 10 starts or 1 in 50 starts. Is this normal? If so, why?
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2024
Posts: 266
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From: Alien Town Roswell NM
2014 S550
My wife's GLE450 does that occasionally - not sure why.
My S550 had an issue with the rain/light sensor and the wipers wouldn't automatically adjust with rain and I would get an occasional message on the DIC that the auto lamp function was inoperative. When BenzNinja coded my upgrades, the pdf scan that he saves of all of the different modules showed that my rain/light sensor had an internal short. Being that it rarely rains here and the auto lamp message only appeared occasionally, I ignored it for a few months.
As luck would have it, I was heading home one afternoon when an oncoming truck popped a nice sized rock right at the lower corner of my windshield and left me with a 2 foot long crack so I took it to a buddy of mine that owns a glass shop and had it replaced. After replacement I decided to order a new rain/light sensor. I figured I would have to have it coded to the car since it was one of the modules in the pdf list but luckily it didn't require coding. Replacement was relatively simple and it now works like it is supposed to. As I type this, it is raining....
My S550 had an issue with the rain/light sensor and the wipers wouldn't automatically adjust with rain and I would get an occasional message on the DIC that the auto lamp function was inoperative. When BenzNinja coded my upgrades, the pdf scan that he saves of all of the different modules showed that my rain/light sensor had an internal short. Being that it rarely rains here and the auto lamp message only appeared occasionally, I ignored it for a few months.
As luck would have it, I was heading home one afternoon when an oncoming truck popped a nice sized rock right at the lower corner of my windshield and left me with a 2 foot long crack so I took it to a buddy of mine that owns a glass shop and had it replaced. After replacement I decided to order a new rain/light sensor. I figured I would have to have it coded to the car since it was one of the modules in the pdf list but luckily it didn't require coding. Replacement was relatively simple and it now works like it is supposed to. As I type this, it is raining....
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
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2019 S560, 2015 Honda Civic Hybrid
My 2016 had the weird random wiper activation Carlos mentions above. So strange on a broiling hot 100 degree Texas summer afternoon!
Haven't seen that happen yet on the 2019.
Haven't seen that happen yet on the 2019.
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Joined: Dec 2011
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W212 FL
Thanks for sharing , My W212 also occasionally swipes once and turn off . I was told it was due to dirty , dust particles on the wndshield but I don't know . Magic wipers looks not to have solved the issue
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Joined: Aug 2007
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From: Pacific Northwest
2001 S600 V12 Sold, 2011 Jaguar XFR Sold, 2017 S550 4-Matic, 2018 S63 AMG Sedan
On the most recent one-swipe incident, the car had just been washed the day before so it was practically spotless. It doesn't bother me when this happens in the winter because it's usually raining or high humidity. But when I'm starting off on a dry day from being parked in the garage overnight and it will swipe once, that just seems weird
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MBWorld Fanatic!
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From: Phoenix
222 S-65
Both of my 211 cars would do this intermittently. My 221 and both 222 cars would wipe the window intermittently when they darned well feel like it.
It will give me the 'Beep-Beep' intermittently which is the car's way of saying "You're about to kill us you idiot" when driving into a shaded area too.
Unlike so many other makes it never dynamites the brakes while driving on the freeway for no reason.
It will give me the 'Beep-Beep' intermittently which is the car's way of saying "You're about to kill us you idiot" when driving into a shaded area too.
Unlike so many other makes it never dynamites the brakes while driving on the freeway for no reason.
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Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2026
Posts: 64
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2020 S560 4matic. 2017 Z06 convertible.
Probably the most hated thing about mine is the rain sensor wipers. I'd rather have a physical intermittent option of settings. Mines way to sensitive and the wiper constantly wipes a dry windshield and makes that gut wrenching chatter. Beside myself how much these cars cost to have such a terrible design for something so simple. GM got it right on my Z06, Mercedes, nope.
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2025
Posts: 265
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From: Seattle
Currently ‘2015 S550 4matic. Previously 03 E320, ‘06 S430, ‘08 S550 4matic
Thanks for sharing that experiene Tom. Easy to see how that can happen.
The weirdest thing about my wipers is that sometimes when I first turn the car on the wipers will wipe the windshield one time and then stop. This happens regardless is temperature and humidity. The other day it was 70 degrees and bone dry when I parked the car at Best Buy. When I got back in and started the car, they swiped once. All on a bright sunny day with low humidity. And I notice this from time to time, but can't say if its 1 in 10 starts or 1 in 50 starts. Is this normal? If so, why?
The weirdest thing about my wipers is that sometimes when I first turn the car on the wipers will wipe the windshield one time and then stop. This happens regardless is temperature and humidity. The other day it was 70 degrees and bone dry when I parked the car at Best Buy. When I got back in and started the car, they swiped once. All on a bright sunny day with low humidity. And I notice this from time to time, but can't say if its 1 in 10 starts or 1 in 50 starts. Is this normal? If so, why?
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Can the sensor be calibrated using XENTRY or something, I mean, I used to have the light sensor kick in too late when dusk hits and was calibrated and turn on when appropriate, I am wondering if the same fundamentals applies to the rain sensor as well?
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2025
Posts: 265
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From: Seattle
Currently ‘2015 S550 4matic. Previously 03 E320, ‘06 S430, ‘08 S550 4matic
great question. I just now contacted Peter at Benz Ninja. He figures that the light sensor code could be “adjusted”
Last edited by SSBN629 Seattle; May 4, 2026 at 01:22 PM.
