Aero Wiper Retrofit Discussion Thread

[nlpamg]

Cool, I've been meaning to ask the same thing... Is it just me, or am I the only one that hates the stock wipers? I thought that I had a better wiper on my old C280 Sport. Citron, how much did you pay for the wipers? Were they easy to install? Thanks.

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[FrankW]

I thought the 2004 C230k already has the aero wipers?

[CitronC230K_03]

here are my aero wipers and old wipers.

[xxbenzc230kxx]

thanx citron.. looks great...i think i might get some for myself hahah

[CitronC230K_03]

no problem! they do wipe better from what i can tell. doesnt rain much in so cal so i dont know all to well.

[psycho's poetry]

Looks good. Some other questions. How are they in durability anybody else have some opinions on this. How much do replacement blades cost and the availability. I would like to hear some more opinions on the winter performance. I live in NC now(we barely even have a winter) but, once I go to college I am planning on mving to Maine Canada or Washington so it'll be important then.

[CitronC230K_03]

the blade are like 2-3x more expensive but last 2-3x longer than standard blades.

[HumblePie]

This setup looks an aweful lot the Valeo wiper system. Does anyone know if that is the case? I thought I heard that the Valeo wipers are used in Europe on some of the newer MBs (I think S class).

[Mark08859]

Elchinocache posted that the aero wipers are poor performers under winter conditions. Is there anyone out there who has enough experience with them to comment? Thanks.

[CitronC230K_03]

Originally Posted by HumblePie

This setup looks an aweful lot the Valeo wiper system. Does anyone know if that is the case? I thought I heard that the Valeo wipers are used in Europe on some of the newer MBs (I think S class).

from what i've read this isthe same setup. the S and CL's have had this setup for a couple years and it finally worked its way to the C-Class in 2004.

[Silver_Lana]

Hey Chaps.
Anyone know the best replacement wipers for the C320? I'd like them to be as good as the 04 and above since those wipe like squegees.

Thanks!

[respdoc]

I'm assuming your talking about the aero wipers..Easy retro-fit to your car..

[vadim]

Or else, got to http://tirerack.com and search for "Valeo" wipers - same "banana" design, but fits pre-2004 wiper arms.

[brabusCcoupe]

I ve installed the new AERO wipers on my 2003 c230 coupe and the wiper on the passengers side keeps hitting the side. The wiper blade 1045 was replaced with the 1545 for both sides, was this wiper shorter? Any help would be appreciated, thanks

[Harris]

Yes, the passenger side arm and blade is SHORTER than the driver's side.

[vadim]

My dealer sold me two identical blades, and they both clear the edges just fine. I will check what P/N I got (need to dig into my files, will take time).

[SUNILP]

my dealer sold 2 identical blades also.

[nlpamg]

That's happened to me already. When my dealer was trying to eliminate the odor from the climate control, they had to R&R the wipers... When I got the car back, I noticed the left wiper was a bit high and when I used it it scraped and went past the driverside glass edge. So 15 minutes later, I drove back to the dealer and showed it to them. Since it was 6:50PM, the chief mechanic brought it into a bay and did an adjustment that didn't take more than 20 minutes.

So, you might just need to adjust your wiper a bit.

[brabusCcoupe]

Thanks guys, i did try to adjust the passengers wiper arm with no luck, i got frustrated (really pissed)and took them off. I might just end up getting the Valeo wiper blades replacements from tire rack and keeping the old style arms.

[vadim]

No need to get *that* pissed. Just get the right parts.

[brabusCcoupe]

I was just trying to be funny with the pissed part. It was just frustrating since i had just put on my Brabus pedals right before. Ive decided to keep my wiper arms and get the VALEO wipers at www.ultimatewiperblade.com Comes out to be 87.90 shipped, so im saving 80.00 by returning the AERO ones to Mercedes. Thanks.

[vadim]

You may want to consider getting Trico Innovision blades - same as Valeo at 1/3 of the price.

http://www.midwayautosupply.com/sear...xtSearch=trico

(scroll down to see Innovision). Obviously, you need to know what length you want.

[brabusCcoupe]

Thanks Do you know if these are as good as the Valeo ones?

[vadim]

Both companies claim that their product is a breakthrough Who knows? This stuff is too new to have produced a reasonable body of feedback. It wouldn't be surprising, though, if one of these companies turned out to be an OEM for MB.

[Skylaw]

For those who may be looking for less expensive options that $95 for OE blades (and more for the Aero blades - $135 at my dealer, plus replacing the arms as Sunman mentioned) -

Mercedes blades for the S500 just seem to chatter a lot and don't last long; and they're severely overpriced (what else is new?). Plus, I just don't like having to make a trip to the dealership for something simple like wiper blades - it's 12 miles, but many auto parts places are nearby.

Bosch makes a set of Micro-edge Excel blades for the S500 - listed as part # 3-397-005-046, OE replacements. I haven't located any in stock at local parts stores as yet.

However, today I did buy a set of 28" Bosch Micro-edge Excel blades (not refills), $40 for the pair at Auto Zone. They are metal blades with the "pierced" structure similar to the Mercedes OE blade, but lack the aerodynamic fairing of the OE Mercedes blades. They also do not have as many "pressure points" as the OE Mercedes blades; and the metal blade is of lighter construction than OE.

The 28" blade was just a bit too long for the passenger side; a 27" blade would work better. However, I trimmed about 1/2" from one end (had to use a bench grinder for the spring steel - couldn't trim it with metal shears). I swapped out the plastic mounting pivot from the OE blades so they would fit on the hook of the arms. The plastic pivots just pop off easily for replacement.

The pivot point is not in the center of the blade - if you mount it wrong, the blades will extend well outside the windshield glass. Once you figure that out, the Bosch blades fit the arms well, giving adequate clearance for the lower blade brace that is part of the arm itself.

I'll give them a try - with rain in the forecast this week, I should know soon how they work out.