Steamy Windows

[mercedes13156]

Hi there,

I've got a C220 Diesel which constantly mists the windows up. It's worse when it's raining. The heater provides plenty of heat, but the fan is very poor and very noisy because we have to have it on at around 3- 4 to provide any air movement. Our last car, a C180 did the same thingfrom time to time, but not as bad as this. On advice, I checked the pollen filter above the passenger footwell and this is OK. Is there anything else I should be doing?

Secondly, how do you lubricate the wiper piston. It's a wee bit lumpy in parts of the swipe.

The car is 6 years old and has done 142k with a full maintenance history.

 

[Parrot of Doom]

Is the recirculate button stuck?

 

[996jimbo]

Secondly, how do you lubricate the wiper piston. It's a wee bit lumpy in parts of the swipe.

Have a look at this thread:

http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showthread.php?t=10505

Hope that helps (and hope I got the right one).

Jim

 

[mercedes13156]

The Recirculate button doesn't seem to be stuck. When I press it, the LED comes on and the sound of the airflow changes with a "Thunk" indicating that something has moved and the air is going through a different shaped hole. I thought that it had maybe been wired upside down at some point, so I left it on recirculate for a while. It didn't seem to make much difference.

This might be a complete red herring, but I think that the internal air pressure is raised when the fan is on. My ears feel like popping sometimes. Could there be a blocked vent to outside, or are there blocked inlet vents?

 

[mercedes13156]

Thanks for the advice on lubeing the wiper. I'll give it a go at the weekend.

 

[Parrot of Doom]

I believe there is a vent at the back of the W210 that lets air out. I don't know about yours, but you can easily test it by just slightly opening two of the back windows when driving (a common trick to speed up demisting on a cold morning anyway).

I'm a Merc newbie, but I can only suggest you check the air filter, make sure its nice and dry, keep an eye on the coolant level (for instance the heater matrix leaking or something), and also check that all drain holes in the engine bay are clear of leaves and stuff (including any fixed to the bonnet).

Is it just steamy windows, or is it greasy as well? Grease would indicate that you have a leak of some kind.

 

[jberks]

1) Clean the windows (often ignored and makes a vast difference)
2) Aircon on at all times (6 years old I assume has aircon as standard). Turn off the aircon on mine (1yr old) in this weather and its foggy in minutes.
3) check for dampness in the carpets (is it just the air or do you have a leak)
4) The air pressure should be equalised though I can't think where the vents are on the W202 but this could make a substantial difference.

That should cover it.

 

[mercedes13156]

Thanks for all the advice on the heater. The air filter seems OK. I've checked the coolant level. It's OK. I also believe the heater matrix is full as I get really hot air, just not much of it. I opened a back window a crack and the windows cleared in a few minutes and the car was much warmer and more comfortable.

I noticed this morning that the temperature guage settled just under 80 degrees and my feet were a bit cold on the 50 mile drive to work. This afternoon I had to idle it for a few minutes and as soon as the guage went over 80 the heating improved and was adequate with the fan on 2, as opposed to 4 for the journey home. Any ideas about thermostats?

I also think I need to investigate drain holes and vents a bit more.

Thanks.