WINDSHIELD WIPER MOVES TO CENTER OF WINDSHIELD THEN HESITATES FOR A FEW SECONDS AND THEN SLOWLY DRAGS ACROSS THE REST OF THE WINDSHIELD, THEN DOES THE SAME THING WHEN IT RETURNS TO ITS ORIGINAL POSITION. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR WARANTY SERVICE AND WAS TOLD IT WAS NOT COVERED. IF I WANTED IT FIXED IT WOULD COST APPROXIMATELY $700.00 FOR A PART THEY CALLED THE WIPER TRANSMISSION PLUS LABOR. I CHECKED WITH OTHER DEALERS/REPAIR FACILITIES AND WAS TOLD THE SAME THING. WHEN I CHECKED WITH AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP THE MECHANIC FIXED THE PROBLEM IN LESS THAN 5 MINUTES BY CLEANING THE BASE OF THE WIPER AND LUBRICATING IT WITH WD-40. THE WIPER WORKED FINE AFTER THAT. I WENT BACK TO THE DEALER AND TALKED TO THE OWNERSHIP TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND THEIR MODE OF REPAIR WHICH WAS EXCESSIVELY PRICED. I WAS TOLD THAT THE REPAIR DONE WAS ONLY A TEMPORRARY FIX AND WOULD LAST LESS THAN A MONTH OR TWO. THAT WAS OVER TWO YEARS AGO!! JUST RECENTLY THE PROBLEM STARTED AGAIN AND I REPAIRED IT MYSELF IN ABOUT FIVE MINUTES. WHEN I CONTACTED MERCEDES BENZ NA CORPORATE OFFICE TO TELL THEM OF MY PROBLEM I GOT THE RUN AROUND FOR TWO WEEKS OF REPEATED PHONE CALLS,BUT WHEN I FINALLY CONTACTED SOMEONE I WAS TOLD THAT THE DEALERSHIP WAS TOLD TO REPLACE RATHER THAN REPAIR THE WIPER MECHANISM IN ALL CASES RELATING TO THIS PROBLEM, AT COST TO THE CONSUMER. I HAVE HAD CONTACT WITH OTHER MERCEDES OWNERS WHO HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM AND THEY WERE TOLD THE SAME $700. PRICE FOR A REPLACEMENT PART WHICH WAS UNNECESSARY. I HAVE OWNED THREE DIFFERENT MERCEDES OVER THE YEARS AND HAVE PAID QUITE A BIT FOR REPAIRS AND MAINTANANCE, BUT I NOW WONDER IF I HAD BEEN TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF IN MANY CASES TO THE TUNE OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. TO ME THIS SEEMS LIKE A FACTORY DEFECT OR A DESIGN DEFECT AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED IN THE WARRANTY.
- NHTSA ID
- 740351
- Incident
- Dec 30, 1998