Rain sensor

You buy a new windshield from MB! It has to be perfectly bonded to the glass with no air bubbles or passages for light to enter. Sorry, you cannot go the cheap route and buy a $99 aftermarket windshield that does not have the rain sensor installed. I see it happening at least once a week at the dealership I work at. Insurance companies don't want to step up to the plate and buy the correct parts to begin with, but in the end they pay twice. Once for the gypo glass and 2nd for the real one.

I just bought a 2001 E-class from a new car Mercedes dealer. The rain sensor was not attached (hanging down behind the rear view mirror) when I got the car, and they put on the paperwork when I bought it they would fix it. The glass has been replaced as the "A Mercedes-Benz Product" sticker was missing, and the glass didn't have the Mercedes star on it, but it is PPG glass. I have heard that Mercedes uses PPG for their glass. Should I demand a new windsheild?

Jeff

(Comment from Jan: If the paperwork said they would fix the rain sensor, then they really fix the rain sensor or commit consumer fraud. How they fix it is their problem, not yours. If the paperwork said they would replace the windshield, it sounds like they did what they said they would do - and you'll just have to live with the disgrace of driving a Mercedes with a fixed-interval intermittent wiper as opposed to a rain-sensing variable interval one.

FYI, here's how I am treating the problem now:

I removed the rain sensor altogether, including unplugging it, and now the intermittent setting does periodic swipes about once every 4 seconds

- something I can live with until I maybe find an M-B junkyard windshield with rain-sensor intact (and even then I still may not want to shell out to install a whole windshield...)

When people ask me about recommending M-B, I just ask them whether they think it makes sense to buy a car which has an irreparable gimmick which may cost up to $600 to replace and which most people really won't miss, or whether they would like to spend their money a bit more sane-ly.

I wonder if a faulty wiper control can mean a recall or an 'unfitness' claim [$$$] ??)

Of course, if anyone from M-B is reading this, you're welcome to exercise your nasty little 'goodwill' program and fix the silly thing as only you can ...

Jan)

I have had a couple of things done under 'goodwill' or at low cost by a sympathetic service engineer.

I would not sneeze at the programme.

DAS

No. You should simply demand that they "fix" it since you have that promise from them in writing.

Kal (who likes his rain sensor)

Mine has a little plug right where the wire enters the sensor box. Just pull it out.

Jan

Let me re-answer...

The Rain-Sensor 'cube' is in a pleasant little rounded black plastic cover just behind the Rear-View Mirror. The RVM can be eased out of its socket (ball & joint type - for break-away protection) to give you a little bit more room. If you can remove this RS cover - and it's only held on with three small plastic clips - then you will see the real RS unit and the plug going into the top of it.

If yours is just hanging, then look at the front of it an you'll see what I am trying to describe.

Good luck.

Jan

Thanks for the advice. The glass part was attached to the windshield. After removing the cover from the sensor, I was able to see how the unit attached and snapped it on. So far it is working great.

What's bad, is this morning I took the car to the deal who said they would fix it, and they said they would have to order a part and didn't even attempt to put it on. I then read your post, tried it myself, and it worked.

Thanks!