Rain Sensitive Windshield

[bobbabigan]

'01 E320, the rain sensor is on it's way out, it starts out fine then after short while the wipers continue to wipe regardless wet or dry conditions. Does anybody know the best/easiest way to replace it (short going to the dealer)?

[Hirnbeiss]

I believe it's glued on behind the rearview mirror. It's an optical sensor, so make sure there's no dirt on the glass anywhere.

[ILUVMILS]

There's a few things you can do before going to the dealer . First, make sure the wiper is cleaning all the water from the glass. A slight smear is all it takes to initiate another wipe. Next, look closely at the area of the windshield where the sensor is. Using a spray bottle, hit the area with a little mist. After the wiper passes over the sensor see if it leaves a slight haze. If it does, you can use some compound to thoroughly clean the area. Almost every time it rains, I get a few clients who come in with this problem. You'd be amazed at how often this happens. If you must go to the dealer, ask them if they can try re-adapting the sensor before replacing it. This works some of the time. Good luck

[thornton]

We had a similar problem that was cleared up with a fresh wiper blade.

Apparently the sensor, is very sensitive.

[jcyuhn]

Originally Posted by thornton

We had a similar problem that was cleared up with a fresh wiper blade.

Apparently the sensor, is very sensitive.

Ditto. Start with the simple stuff, change the wiper blade.

- JimY

[bobbabigan]

Thank you all. I cleaned the new blade and buffed the glass around the sensor with a very light rubbing compound (ended up cleaning the whole window that way, looks like new), and the sensor worked as it did before. It wasn't long before the wiper just kept working even when all signs of fog, mist, sprinkle, rain, deluge had vanished. What's the easiest way to remove/replace it?

[bobbabigan]

OK, I begrudgingly give; I hate the local/only dealer. Thanks anyway.

Bob