Intermittent Windscreen Wiping

[mcevoyd]

Hi, only had my car (2005 C Class, Classic, 2.2cdi Diesel Auto) a week so still getting to grips with all the knobs. One irriatating issue is the intermittent wipe - can't see that I have a speed control - its either on or off. Would that be right or am I missing a trick? Don't know if I have rain sensor wipe option that's perhaps not working correctly? - how can I tell? There is a small sensor thingy towards top of screen in front of rear view mirror - is that anything to do with it? Thanks for any advice.

 

[Chrishazle]

IIRC the speed adjustment is part of the auto wipers system - and that little sensor is the beastie that decides how often the screen needs wiping. On my 204 the "intermitent" setting gives anything from one wipe per 30 seconds to continuous wipe!

 

[mcevoyd]

Cheers. Ok maybe I'll start by giving the screen a good clean around that sensor dot and maybe a new set of blades wouldn't go amiss before I start digging deeper.

 

[mcevoyd]

Ok, I have now found a thread, a few months back, from SJX 'Is this windscreen crack repairable' and having read what the sensor looks like , I suspect that I don't in fact have the rain sensor fitted. I guess that the sensor dot I have which is located behind the rear view mirror is something to do with the auto lighting perhaps? Anyone know if this is right or if there is a definitive way of knowing if the car is rain sensor fitted or not?

 

[mcevoyd]

Right, I phoned my local MB authorised service centre. They told me, from vin details, that no rain sensor fitted from factory. If it had been fitted as an optional extra then the tell tale is apparently the blue section up on the screen in front of the rear view mirror - I don't have that. Frankly, I am astonished that a fairly modern car (05 plate) has no speed control over the intermittent wipe, as standard, when the rain sensor kit is not fitted. That'll be very irritating. Retro fit of sensor kit sounds way too expensive - so has anybody retro fitted another stalk with speed control dial?

 

[andy27168]

Hi,
The only mod I have heard of people doing is fitting the rain sensor, though it involves a new screen, sensor and possibly a small wiring loom, with a bit of coding on STAR, the most expensive part of the mod as you can imagine is the screen the rest IIRC is reasonably cheap and easy to do. Most do this mod when their screen needs to be replaced, buying the sensor etc. before hand.
When the screen is replaced it will have to be replaced with a different spec one.
Forum member Whitenemesis done this mod on his previous car and I,m sure he would answer any questions you might have cost etc. and IIRC there is quite a long thread on here about it detailling it.

 

[mcevoyd]

Thanks I'll do another search and talk to Whitenemesis for further help.

 

[Dec]

In daylight, placing a towel over the windscreen sensor to block out daylight should cause the lights to come on after several seconds… if the are set to auto.

I don’t think there is a speed controlled wiper motor nowadays, its either fast, slow or intermittent.
On my car, if slow wiper speed (2) is in use and the car comes to a stop in traffic then the wipers revert to intermittent (1) when the car moves again then slow sped is resumed, perhaps you have slow speed selected and are confusing this feature with the intermittent setting.

Dec

 

[grumpyoldgit]

I think what the OP is saying is that there is no adjustment to vary the intermittent wipe as there is on other makes, i.e. from once every 3 seconds up to once every 30 seconds. You don't have that option on Mercs.

 

[Dec]

I see what he means now, thanks.

Dec