Rain sensitive wipers

[Noige]

Anyone else having trouble with these on the Elegance? Mine start off Ok then seem to think they should run continuously even when the rain stops! Seem to work OK if I'm not moving tho...

[NGee]

Anyone else having trouble with these on the Elegance? Mine start off Ok then seem to think they should run continuously even when the rain stops! Seem to work OK if I'm not moving tho...

Have you tried varying the sensitivity using the switch on top of the wiper stalk?

I've got mine set to far left and the wipers seem pretty good at judging their activity levels. I'm not sure whether this setting is most or least sensitve...

[jan25]

The sensitivity is adjustable, sure. But it still seems to be a bit hit and miss on mine.

Putting the top switch over to the left generally keeps things under control, but there have been times when a higher setting is required.

I have the impression that response is different for different types of rain so, to use a classic excuse.......

......don't use it in the wrong type of rain!

[RogN]

I normally have mine set to the left and then once its raining move it over towards the right as this speeds up the response times.

Having had them on my last 2 Skoda's it takes a while to get used to them and I still think they've got minds of their own - wiping for no good reason, not wiping when you feel they should - but in most cases they are about right.

[Trevorminor]

I have never found a car where they work as probably intended.

Jaguar, Mercedes and various Skodas all seem to demonstrate the same weakness - perhaps I simply cannot be bothered to suss them out. They seem to be one invention that really seems a bit pointless as it's not any hassle to simply flick the wipers if needed or rely on intermittent if that is fitted instead.

I think that sometimes the sensitivity is affected by the cleanliness of the screen. What I don't like is on a bone dry day a largish insect splatting the screen and then setting the 'auto' wipers going. The resultant scraping is annoying and the insect ends up spread all over the place. :S

[ernieb]

Not got my car yet so can not really comment but have you tried RainX or similar on the glass?

I've found that my rear wash wipe (manual) on my current car greatly improved the smear and insect matter clearing after use.

ernieb

[Elcano]

Anyone else having trouble with these on the Elegance? Mine start off Ok then seem to think they should run continuously even when the rain stops! Seem to work OK if I'm not moving tho...

I'm having trouble using the Windscreen wipers on my 'experience'!

It seems mine 'work' like yours.

They can't simply work in accordance with the amount of falling rain.

Does anybody know if the speed of the car is in any way taken into account for the wipers auto-adjustment?

Regards!

[CJJE]

I'm surprised that you're having problems with your wipers... I had them on my Golf Mk iV, and found them so useful that they were a definite must on my present Octy. I find i can leave mine on the most sensitive setting quite happily with them kicking in if it starts raining or you overtake a lorry and get hit by its wash.

I hope that the Yeti's haven't been cost-reduced in some way to make them less effective.

Chris

[900000]

I've had these on a Golf IV V5 as well and really enjoyed them.  The only time they got caught out was driving into multistorey carparks where the neon lights sometimes confused them and the wipers wiped without any rain being present.  Everywhere else they were always spot on and just another set-and-forget feature of the car.

[Trevorminor]

I hope that the Yeti's haven't been cost-reduced in some way to make them less effective.

Chris

I don't think the system is any different to that on my last Octavia. Therefore probably the same as on the Golf.

They're not a nuisance, just a solution to a problem that in my opinion does not exist. How hard is it to spot rain on the windscreen and flick the wipers on? Similarly when it stops raining, I think I'm a better judge of whether to turn them off or not.

Edited 21 June, 2010 by Trevorminor

[speedsport]

I'm having trouble using the Windscreen wipers on my 'experience'!

It seems mine 'work' like yours.

They can't simply work in accordance with the amount of falling rain.

Does anybody know if the speed of the car is in any way taken into account for the wipers auto-adjustment?

Regards!

Same here!

On anything other than the least sensitive setting, they work continuously, even if the rain stops & the only way to stop the wipers wiping is to turn them off altogether, & then back on again. Even after returning the sensivity switch to least sensitive setting, they continue wiping continuously until I manually switch 'em off. I'm not too impressed!

My dealership tells me that it's not an exact science, the system works better on some cars than others. They tell me that they are indeed speed sensitive. I'm just hoping that there will be a software update by the time my first service comes along - which could be some time.

At least I have proved that the sensor will close the windows if you leave them open & it starts raining. (I'd forgotten I'd left 2 windows partially down & started washing the car. They closed straight away!)

[Terfyn]

I don't think the system is any different to that on my last Octavia. Therefore probably the same as on the Golf.

They're not a nuisance, just a solution to a problem that in my opinion does not exist. How hard is it to spot rain on the windscreen and flick the wipers on? Similarly when it stops raining, I think I'm a better judge of whether to turn them off or not.

I go with this view. Do we need a piece of electronics to tell us that it is raining? I want total control over the wipers to reduce smear and unnecessary wear.

[speedsport]

I go with this view. Do we need a piece of electronics to tell us that it is raining? I want total control over the wipers to reduce smear and unnecessary wear.

Fair comment, I'm not too bothered about having rain sensing wipers either but if you buy the Elegance, you dont get a choice.

I'd much rather have had the option of a variable frequency intermittant wipe (which my Escort had 14 years ago as standard) which gives you back control & lessens the likelihood of the wipers starting up unexpectedly on a dry screen & scratching it or, as this thread is suggesting, them failing to stop wiping when the rain stops. The only way to get the wipers to wipe intermittantly is to select the auto sensing function, otherwise you only get continuous wipe.

Edited 25 June, 2010 by speedsport

[900000]

Fair comment, I'm not too bothered about having rain sensing wipers either but if you buy the Elegance, you dont get a choice.

I'd much rather have had the option of a variable frequency intermittant wipe

All VAG cars have this. The same toggle that alters the rain sensitive wipers' sensitivity will toggle the intermittent speed on normal cars. BUT the car's speed will also affect the wipers' speed. So if in the furthest to the left position it might leave 2 seconds between wipes when driving and 4 when stopped at the lights - without having to toggle the switch. As to your Escort: I had a Mondeo rental about 4 years ago (previous shape). It did have the variable intermittent toggle on the stalk BUT it did not have the speed related bit and it was a right old pain when you got to a stop as you continiously had to fiddle with the toggle to get the speed right. The VAG version works miles better.

And remember the rain sensitive wipers are just on automatic in the first setting of the wiper stalk. Go to the next setting and you have the normal intermittent and 2 speed wipers like all other spec of Yeti. So you don't have to use the sensor on an Elegance if you don't want to.