Headlight wipers? Why?
 

I had back surgery last Tuesday so I'm home on the laptop 24/7. Sorry for all the posts but not working is great! Does anyone know the purpose of the headlight wipers on the old Mercedes cars? I still have mine and am thinking about fixing them just in case I go off roading in the dark and the mud and rain get all over my headlights and I can't see well :) Was it something in Europe that caused this supposed need or thought? :confused:

I think it is a safety feature. Mercedes-Benz likes to go the extra mile when it comes to these sorts of things. For example, the washer fluid reservoir being heated with engine coolant. The extra visibility the wipers offer is definitely advantageous if you live in a climate with real winter conditions.

The headlight wipers work in conjunction with the headlight washer spray. Only.

In more recent times, the pressure of the spray has been increased so that wipers are no longer necessary.

In Germany (EU?) it's legally mandatory to have headlight washers if the car has HID headlights. It's a good way to tell if a prospective purchase has HID lighting. (Headlight automatic leveling is also required with HID lighting.)

You're on the money mbzman. In California they would be pretty useless but in areas where they put salt on the road they can make a big difference in seeing at night. When I lived in Quebec , and they salt like crazy there, there would be so much salt on your car sprayed up from the melted snow on the road that your car would turn white. Needless to say , salt spray and hot headlights meant your headlights got coated pretty quickly. Having those wipers and headlight sprayers were pretty handy on a dark winters night.

Ahhh...so basically, it was just to clean your headlight lenses when you squirted your fluid on the windshield to clean your bugs off? I can appreciate that. Also, yes, what is up with the heated wiper fluid idea? I guess in severe cold weather climates this is a good thing. I live in Southern California so those things never cross my mind:) Thanks guys!

Yeah, yours don't work either...? Mine just stopped working one day. Luckily in the down/off position. I replaced the fuse once, but it just keeps failing, so I pulled it and wrote them off for good. They still look cool sitting there though.. I just don't see it worth the trouble to bother with. The car itself is impractical to begin with, so whatever.

LOL at this thread for those who never lived in places with real winters. I used to live in CO and that was always a joy, though not much salt.

One year I drove through the Grapevine (I-5 north of LA) during a snowstorm and the car was pretty much coated more with road grime than anything else after I got through it. Just a layer of this grayish-brown muck pretty much everywhere. Luckily it was the morning, so I didn't need headlights, but the front was the worst of course and when you looked at the car from about fifty feet away there was no detail on the front end at all, not the headlights, the license plate, the grille, nothing; just this flat color, sort of like going to Earl Scheib I suppose. :rolleyes: Just the gunsight sticking up through it all (albeit with it's own layer of crap on it).

I miss living in a place with four real seasons, but not those aspects of it. :D

When I drive my GF's 95 E320 as a winter car, I can definetely attest to there effectiveness. Salt literally cuts light output in half. As soon as I hit the sprayer, its like highbeams are on. I dont think there that effective on the 86-93 US-style headlights though. They barely touch the glass. Seems like a cheap US market after thought. Look at the 94/95 E320 (300E) lights and you will see what im talking about.

The reason for headlight wipers is not only winter safety, but a global market. In some Northern European countries (you know the type that breeds rally drivers?) they mandate headlight wipers because in the winter the snow piles up on the headlights, and as it melts the roads get so muddy during a normal trip that the headlights require cleaning. This is why you'll also see it on Saabs and Volvos. I can't remember specifically what countries require this.

I did a couple tests on my 350 when it still had the DOT lights. The wipers would clear a good bit of the glass, about 3/4 of it. Not as effective as the euro lights / wipers, but still a help.

The pressure on the wiper blade itself is about the same between DOT and euro wipers.

-Jason

....and your headlights need to be turned on.

Well....I didn't expect to get all of that great information but now I can explain to these people in So. Cal why I have wiper blades on my car's headlights even though it only rains here one day out of the year:) Never had to deal with salted roads or snow. If it snows here, we put our longer shorts on and thicker tennis shoes and go outside and play in it until it melts a few hours later :(.
In two days, I fixed all components of both my electric powered seats, even the headrests which I will never adjust but I just like things to work if they're supposed to (if anyone needs help with theirs, let me know...I was even able to fix the passenger seat that was jammed down in the back to where you can't unbolt it). So, after I tear apart my dash next to replace those two vent pods that are deeply hidden, I will do the power headlight wipers too!

Thanks again so much! Great info.

Steve

Or just running lights. Per my 91 560 SEL manual.

I replaced the little wiper blades on my 300E this year. :D Before winter I need to get the nozzles spraying again too....they are plugged up.

Do your wipers work? Did you fix them or did they always work? Where did you get the blades for them? LOL!

Steve