Why are W126 wipers so dang slow?
 

Can anything be done to make the wiper motor faster, or to replace it with a faster wiper motor?

MB just didn't design these things for Florida downpours. It almost makes Rain-X mandatory and I hate the stuff because when it starts to wear off, your windshield becomes a streaky mess.

Anyone?

I don't find mine to be that slow :confused: Perhaps you should take everything apart and lubricate it.

-J

Yeah, but you live in Michigan..... If you lived in Florida where the rain can come down in sheets and buckets, almost instantly, then I think you'd be singing the same tune as I am. I've got two W126s and unless they are both in need of the exact same amount of lubrication, then I don't think that's the issue. The real issue is that Germans have never seen a Florida downpour, where you can literally have flash flooding on a road within seconds.

Normally, I don't drive in those conditions, but the weather can change VERY quickly down here and you can get swamped by the rain while you're still trying to find an exit off the interstate.

This is actually the reason I quit driving my trusty '78 Volare. One time the rain came down so hard and fast that I had a very hard time getting off the interstate without death. I couldn't go faster than 45 without hydroplaning, and going 45 in a 70 in the pouring rain is a great way to get flattened by a semi. I was on the way back from a funeral, and I decided right then that if I didn't quit driving that car everywhere that I would be attending my own funeral very shortly. That's when I went out and bought a 300SE.

Now I feel very safe behind the wheel, but when it pours, the wipers just can't wipe fast enough.

They move pretty darn fast if you have 14V available and they are in good lubricated working order. Speed III is very quick! In fact it is quite a bit better than the monowiper in the W124....that struggles to keep the window clear in a downpour.

Now W123 wipers....those are slow.

On my car, with the wipers on high, you can feel a vibration through the body when the wipers reach the end of their travel and reverse... they are moving fairly quickly! Are you sure yours are operating as the factory intended?

I don't think the wipers on my W126 are any slower then my 99 Jetta, and they are definitely faster then the wipers on my 92!

-Jason

Alright, I'll bite-

How do I lube my wiper motor?

Just remove the whole assembly and grease all of the joints and the drive gears. Put the hood all the way up, remove the grid/cowling, and with a few nuts/bolts removed the whole thing will come out.

Agree - all three of my W126's have quick wipers. I do love Rain-X though!! It isn't all that easy to put on but it is WELL worth the effort.

I was wondering why all the folks on the road were driving so slow until I got into my friend's car and he couldn't see squat!! But that was when it was busy dumping 18" of rain on Augusta, GA in two days. Rain-X is fabulous!

Alright, thanks. I'll give it a shot this weekend. I still feel like they're going as fast as they go, but I'll give it a good lube and we'll see.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Motor is probably kaput. You'll "see" a dramatic difference with the speed of a new motor.

My 1988 300SEL wipers are pretty quick... even on low. I would not mind them to be a little faster though.

They were faster than the ones on my 1985 380SE however, but it was an older car and had 150K more miles. ;)

My 1991 Lexus LS (and my old 1990) had fairly slow wipers... they wipe most of the glass with their design, but too slow IMO.

I improved my charging and everything by adding a extra ground wire from battery to intake manifold bolt.All of these w126s,an w123s need this.

I can remember my '57 Chevy having vacuum wipers that ran off the intake manifold vacuum. If you went up a hill or pulled out to pass a car, they just stopped .

DG