Blu@1O1

My car is just over a year old. Has anyone else had a problem with their windshield wiper fluid not working.

mercedesbuff

I had a windshield washer pump go bad years ago, on my 2015 E400. Dealer replaced under warranty.

I remember my dealership's Service Manager inferring that I was an idiot because the washer fluid reservoir was probably just empty... (He was conspicuously absent when I picked up the car, after the pump was replaced).

BlueYonder

What kind of fluid have you been using? I had issues using the Rain-X brand that went away after switching back to a German product.

Do you have the Magic Vision wipers or the regular ones?

MarkerVB

Twice ours has quit working. Fluid definitely not empty. First time was the pump, second time was "grommet clogged with debris" near the pump. They had to remove the left front wheel and a slash shield to get to it. Not sure how "debris" got into the washer fluid since the only fluid that gets put in is by the dealer.

Blu@1O1

Whatever fluid the dealership uses it what is in the car.

Blu@1O1

Did the dealership cover the repairs?

MarkerVB

Yes in both cases. It is still under warranty.

Blu@1O1

We have 2024 450 GLE and we already had a grommet go bad on our windshield wipers and the dealership is charging us for the repair! Ridiculous!

streborx

Stay away from fluids containing silicon additives, and especially the orange RainX stuff (it coagulates). The ordinary blue water/methanol mix is safe, or go with whatever your dealer fills it with.

Blu@1O1

It was the dealers fluid that clogged it.

streborx

That's interesting -- there's a strainer in the filler neck so that debris doesn't get poured in. I wonder if there was some incompatibility between what the dealer added and what might have been previously added (?).

Blu@1O1

I have no idea, but a car this new should not be having this problem!

wildta

I'd speak with a manager about that. Should be covered.
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mikapen

Let us know why the warranty didn't cover the repair.

Blu@1O1

The dealership did not cover the repairs.

MarkerVB

Ours is going in for the third time for this problem.Happened within weeks of regular service; no fluid added and app says it's full.

Blu@1O1

Is your dealership covering the expense each time?

MarkerVB

So far they have. I will expect them to cover it the third time because there is something clearly wrong. We do not add our own fluid.

wildta

Hopefully you don't have to threaten to lemon the vehicle over something so trivial for them to dig deeper into the issue.

Blu@1O1

After many calls to Mercedes’ headquarters, I finally received a call from our dealership and they have agreed to give us a credit for what we paid to have our windshield wiper fluid container filter unclogged. Unfortunately, they still think the customer is responsible if the container clogs the system, even though I told them it was their fluid that caused this. I told him this is a Mercedes problem, not the dealership, and the guy had the nerve to say it wasn’t Mercedes problem. I hate it people just can’t admit there is a problem and keep trying to dance around it.

Mercedes! If you are reading this, the problem lies with you, not the customer! Either fix it or tell your dealerships you are going to cover the expense!

wildta

I'd report it to NHTSA, it takes 5min. If you can't reliably clean your windshield while driving, that would be a safety hazard.

mauiTom

2024 GLE450 5000 miles; Sometimes when pressing the windshield wiper button (to step 2 fully depressed not single wipe position) and/or rear wiper button fully & firmly to activate washer system wiper blades activate but no solvent is sprayed, again it's a crap shoot on when it works or doesn't (yes at the dealership it always works) NOTE; reservoir is full, nozzles are clear & not clogged, hood is closed completely.

mikapen

It sounds like a check valve is not working properly. It would keep the fluid lined fully charged and ready to squirt.

I actually don't even know if there is a check valve, but the symptoms you describe would be caused by its failure, if there is one.

mauiTom

Not check valve because can hold the button for 3 minutes and nothing, shut vehicle off come back 30 minutes later and it works fine, but again very RANDOM

mikapen

Good troubleshooting.