[ArthurRW]

I rarely use my windshield washer but today, with the temps in the teens and all the salt on the roads I needed to. I haven't refilled my fluid since I bought my 453 in March and still had half a tankful. My washer didn't work! On checking my fluid level I had half a tank...of ice! I checked my wife's 453 and found the same thing, half a tank and ice. Either the dealership is watering down their fluid or the OEM stuff is real cheap. I added some -27 degree fluid and I hope it will thaw out my lines and I find no expansion leaks tomorrow when it's supposed to get into the 40's.

 

[OliverB]

Wow, that's unusual! OE fluid in both my '13 and '16 lasted almost a year and both were definitely low temp fluid.

 

[jzchen]

That sucks!

Here, as a precautionary measure, I add the hard to find winter stuff just in case I bring a car somewhere cold. But here you have to really look to find the winter formulation.

(I'm worried you'll have ice plus the fluid on top in the morning. )

Can you get a blow drier to it?

 

[ArthurRW]

Whoopie! Windshield washer thawed and working. I ran the washer enough to flush the weaker solution out (I hope) so that should take care of that.

 

[Miss Mercedes]

So I'm not crazy. I tried using mine in the teens too. It wasn't frozen, but it came out kinda "goopy" instead of actually spraying. I'll take note of this!

 

[jbjinturner]

On my 453 the original washer fluid was frozen solid at 6 degrees. Service hatch latches were also frozen solid. Finally thawed out and I refilled with Prestone de-icer washer fluid. All is good.

 

[ArthurRW]

Sounds like we have a trend going. I should have noticed earlier in the year when I tried to wash my windshield and it iced up.

 

[mvaldes]

Hmm, I'm using the winter stuff but still had some problems when I was driving home in last weekend's snow storm. I thought it was the wiper blades and ordered new ones. But, thinking about it after reading this thread, I'm not sure that was the whole problem. When I turned the defrost on full blast with the heat all the way up it minimized the problem so I'm wondering if it was actually a slurry that was freezing and fuzzing up my view. I've never had the problem before and the stuff I've used year round for the last 7 1/2 years is supposed to be good to -27. Any thoughts?

 

[jzchen]

Hmm, I'm using the winter stuff but still had some problems when I was driving home in last weekend's snow storm. I thought it was the wiper blades and ordered new ones. But, thinking about it after reading this thread, I'm not sure that was the whole problem. When I turned the defrost on full blast with the heat all the way up it minimized the problem so I'm wondering if it was actually a slurry that was freezing and fuzzing up my view. I've never had the problem before and the stuff I've used year round for the last 7 1/2 years is supposed to be good to -27. Any thoughts?

Mixed with the snow "slurry" it increased the freezing point of the mixture, fluid plus snow slush.... (A shot at the answer. ) Must be cold! I'm shivering just thinking about it.

 

[mvaldes]

I think you're right that the "fuzzy" slurry was mostly snow, possibly mixed with a bit of ww fluid, that my aging wipers didn't clear completely. Thanks

 

[Miss Mercedes]

The lines in my 451 sometimes get cold enough to make it come out as a "slurry", but a second of clearing the lines fixes that. With the 453, the actual fluid itself appears to be freezing.

Maybe MB put a higher temp fluid in the 453s as opposed to the 451? It smells the same as the original 451 fluid, but apparently seems to have a different freezing point.

 

[toaster]

Just a guess... but is it possible that the factory filled the reservoirs with the equivalent of RV antifreeze? While this stuff does turn slushy or freeze at low temperatures, it does not expand in the process as water does, and consequently break things.

RV antifreeze is also known as propylene glycol. It is a food additive and when heated produces the fake smoke used in fog machines and in some vaping liquids.


~toaster

 

[jzchen]

The Mercedes Winter Fit stuff is supposed to be mixed with water. I wonder if the dealers actually use it, and if so at the right concentration/proportion. It is expensive. Researching ingredients I look up MSDS sheets. I could only find it for Winter Fit in another country's Mercedes site, I think a country with .Au. It is a more complex solution than others I've looked up. If you have sprayers to the headlights I guess you could use it to help protect them from getting damaged, for example UV fading/opaque. (You know what I mean I hope. Wait, I think I'm still in the 451 side. Not a concern for a 451 as I know. No clue whether the 453 has sprayers to the headlights.)

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