CLK W208 Smearing on the Windscreen

[ssk]

I drive long distances on the motorway for which I use a Mercedes CLK 320, lovely as it is unfortunately, I find it hard to drive in the rain. The single wiper leaves a veil affect across the windscreen as it wipes. I have replaced the wiper, after a few drives on the motorway once again I have a dangerous smearing in wet weather. Any recommendations to solve this problem will be welcome. Thank you.

 

[Myros]

smear campaign

Take some good quality car wax on a clean cloth, and rub it onto the contact part of your wiper blade. It should clean off any residues causing the smearing. You don't mention what you're using in the washer reservoir. I suggest some good quality screenwash, in a strongish concentration as well.

Good luck

 

[MB partsman]

Use MB's own screenwash, its the best on the market, i have many customers with other makes of car an i even use it myself in my vauxhall....
drain all the old stuff off 1st and rinse the tank
what you want is q36003171 £3.08 try it.. and in 100% surenyou will be happy!

 

[jberks]

HI,
I use rainx (actually Halfords equivalent) which together with a decent screen wash and a not more than 6 month old wiper blade serve me well. (don't get palmed off with a £20 blade, you can replace the rubber) I travel over the pennines (highest motorway or so the sign says) twice a day, and it doesn't get much rainier or muckier than that !
Just apply per instructions and I also use a good abrasive glass cleaner first. Puts a non stick film on the screen so you almost dont need the wiper.
In the past I used to keep a bottle of washing up liquid in the car. A little on a cloth wiped over the windscreen and then washed off with the washers works wonders as the smear is only grease.
There used to be a product called Holts Mixra in the old days which was an aerosol, spray it on and instant clean screen. But I haven't seen it around recently.
Also I never, ever use a spray de-icer as I find it leaves a greasy residue. Just let the demister do it's thing for a few mins.
Smeary windscreens are a pet hate of mine - can you tell ?

 

[OlafMaxwell]

Good quality screenwash is a must, clean wiper blade regularly to remove residues. After motorway run its worth giving the wndscreen a good clean too. I replace the blade every 3 months, about 5k miles. The wear on the single blades is very high, you only need to buy the rubbers too. Suggest having two blades, change rubber in your own time as it can be fiddly and keep the spare ready for the next change.

Frosty weather its worth avoiding deicer and just using blower/cool water on windscreen but avoid running the blade over a frozen screen as it kills the rubbers.

 

[Ade]

I have exactly the same problem and I know its a low tech solution but I've tried cleaning my screen with both cellulose thinners and vinegar with no effect! Do these products actually work?

If cellulose thinners can't degrease the screen what can?

 

[jberks]

Isn't the pain cellulose based, if so I wouldn't go near the car with the thinners! I believe vinegar is used in some glass cleaning products but I'm not sure if its any use on it's own. At the end of the day, it's acetic acid, which can't be too good for the rubber. The best degreaser I have come across is still washing up liquid. If it can clean a pan after a fry up, it can degrease your windscreen ! Careful though as it can probably also clean the wax off the paintwork.

 

[Richard Murray]

Windscreen Smear

Hi

Try ClearVue Glass Polish from Turtlewax. I've used it before with excellent results. Apply with damp cloth and work in small areas. It drys to a haze which polishes off easily. I've cleaned my wipers with a little Methylated Spirit to remove any built up residue.

Top up windscreen washer with a good quality additive and Bob's your uncle!

Richard

 

[lastmanstanding]

A great tip for cleaning windows and Windscreens is to use a little lemon juice with newspaper, that will get rid of all the greese and gunk on the screen, then use a quality cleaner (rain x glass cleaner compound, white bottle) when washing the car and to finish off by using rain x rain reppellent (yellow bottle) to coat the windscreen. You will always get dirt on the wipers os regular cleaning is a must, but this method will keep your windscreen clean when you need it.

 

[c13tay]

remember reading somewhere that washing up liquid has a very high salt content which knackers not only wiper blades but also rubbers screen seals - doesnt do your paint any good either so shouldnt use it to clean car or wheels

 

[Simon J]

I found Rain X excellent, would recommend to all although you have to follow the instructions. Try to get the bottled product not the new wipes, they dry out very quickly. That said tried it on my SL as I was suffering from what I thought was dirty screen only to find that the window is actually worn! When polished the marks are visible when the light cathches at the right angle and the marks can be felt. The wiper has clearly worn an arc on the screen, which at night is really annoying and distracting. So :evil: check your screen.

Anybody else had this problem or did my former owner use a sand paper wiper blade?