Headlight Wiper Question

3585 Views 13 Replies 6 Participants Last post by rorypff, Dec 7, 2013

LWB250

Discussion Starter · Nov 28, 2013

As I work to become more familiar with this model before I make a purchase, as I have inspected potential cars I have noticed something about the 1990-95 headlights that have me pondering:

The headlight lenses have three little "nubs" or pins that stick out from them. I know these are for headlight aiming equipment. However, I'm at a loss to understand how the headlight wipers move freely over the headlights to clean them when they are actuated.

Don't they run into these pins? Are they expected to just move over them?

I'm very familiar with MB headlight wipers on other models, but I don't recall ever seeing a design like this.

Dan

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LWB250

Discussion Starter · #3 · Nov 29, 2013

Thanks!

Might have seemed like a silly question, but being familiar with other models that have headlight wipers and no nubs, I just thought it was sort of strange.

Sort of defeats the purpose of the wiper, I would think. Going over the nub would lift the wiper off the lens for part of the sweep.

Dan

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LWB250

Discussion Starter · #5 · Nov 29, 2013

I am not familiar with Euro headlights for the R129, but on other models the different motor is required due to the difference in the wiper arm and sweep range. I would expect it's probably the same with the R129 as well.

I think the earlier domestic headlight wipers, such as those on the R129 and W124, look awful and break up the lines of the front of the car. They're "stubby" and look really out of place.

Dan

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LWB250

Discussion Starter · #8 · Nov 29, 2013

On any of the MB models with wipers, I always figure that the owner does poor job of maintaining the car if one of the wipers is out of place. I just saw a local used car dealer with a nice 98 SL500 for sale, and one of the wipers was at the 11 o'clock position.

Why wouldn't someone fix that????

Dan

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LWB250

Discussion Starter · #10 · Nov 29, 2013

Exactly my point.

Maybe it's me, but in a worst case scenario I would disconnect the motor and unbolt the arm and bolt it back on in the parked position.

That would make me crazy.

I guess I'm just picky. Everything on my cars has to work. For example, I just replaced the driver's lumbar bladder in my W140 coupe yesterday. Granted, that's a creature comfort thing, but it was also bugging me because I had to disable the lumbar circuit on the PSE pump because it was timing out due to the leak…

Dan

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LWB250

Discussion Starter · #13 · Dec 6, 2013

826363 said:
Reason they don't fix it is because they problably did one time and then realized it's not the motor but the relay that is causing it to lay in incorrect position.

If you loosen it and move it, it will then be incorrect for when the time it do work again.

The HD Light wipers only work when the Headlights are on and washer fluid is called for.

3 ways to repair ,
Replace Relay and/or Wiper motor $$$$$$$$$
Remove Wiper and associated parts and replace lower panel w/o wiper hole $$$$$
Wait until wiper is resting correctly and unplug replay/wiper motor N/C $

FWIW,

Lower panel without hole is barely $20 in primer from the dealer. Cheap and fairly simple to replace. A good quality matched paint rattle can will do it...

And the operation of the headlight wipers is the same on all MBs as far as I know. Confuses the heck out f a lot of owners when they don't see the wipers moving when they have the windshield wipers on.

Dan

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