1999 Mercedes Benz 202 problems

Filed Feb 2, 2001 · Visibility · NJ

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.