With cold weather here in some places and coming to other areas soon I thought I'd warn owners of cars fitted with headlamp washers to make sure that when they de-ice their windows before moving off also de-ice the washer covers that fit flush to the front bumper just below the headlights. A neighbour of mine with a BMW failed to do this and when they operated their washers the device pushed forward as normal but the frozen flat bumper cover snapped off leaving a rather unsightly gaping hole in their bumper. Cost to replace... several hundred pounds on their BM due to having to buy the whole device as can't just get a cover to fit on due it all coming as one piece, then add the labour and bumper removal..... !!??**

Do not go there !

Thanks for the warning. I normally do a quick flick wash when the lights are on (to and from work now :'( ) so they don't activate, then a longer wash to clean the grit off my windscreen.

Its a pain that they activate first time when the lights are on and you can't manually wash the lights. My other car can wash the headlights on demand and its VERY useful when hoodys deliberately cross the road in front of you to make you slow. Taste my screenwash sunshine

Edited 5 December, 201114 yr by Web Ferret

Good advice, it is also worth remembering that a very quick pull and release followed by a normal pull and hold of the wiper stalk prevents the headlight washers from operating.

Good advice, it is also worth remembering that a very quick pull and release followed by a normal pull and hold of the wiper stalk prevents the headlight washers from operating.

Does that trick apply across the VAG range? I must try this on my Octy mk1....

On the MK I, they come on only hwen you activate the washers and hold them on.

If you only activate the washers for a short while then they don't come on, regardless.

I found that I was using bucket loads of washer fluid in mine so I got the dealer to deactivate my headlamp washers.

As I do a lot of miles I was sometimes filling the washer bottle 3 times a week.

Good advice, it is also worth remembering that a very quick pull and release followed by a normal pull and hold of the wiper stalk prevents the headlight washers from operating.

Not on the facelift. can't find a way of changing the timings on vcds either.

How do they pop out anyway, anyone know?

Not on the facelift. can't find a way of changing the timings on vcds either.

How do they pop out anyway, anyone know?

Water pressure I believe.

and its VERY useful when hoodys deliberately cross the road in front of you to make you slow. Taste my screenwash sunshine

Love that.

Not on the facelift. can't find a way of changing the timings on vcds either.

How do they pop out anyway, anyone know

Water pressure I believe.

I believe they pop out by electric motor driving a toothed track against a toothed wheel which is how the front bit gets forcibly snapped off when frozen.

A liberal smear of Vaseline may stop them from freezing to the bumper?

Just guessing really, none of my cars are posh enough to have them. :no:

You're missing nothing by not having them, they just make the dirt wet!

I believe they pop out by electric motor driving a toothed track against a toothed wheel which is how the front bit gets forcibly snapped off when frozen.

Ah, maybe my old school style are different then.

It's just that, and it pushes into a cylinder that's then connected to a water pipe - no eletrical wiring. Think my Mazda is the same, as I was washing the windows for ~10seconds, then turned the lights on while doing this and they sprayed for aaaages, as if relieving the pressure?

Same as mine....i thought they were pressure based. So when they are frozen they wont pop out anyway....this is what happened to mine in the big freeze last year, they simply didn't work...

Same as mine....i thought they were pressure based. So when they are frozen they wont pop out anyway....this is what happened to mine in the big freeze last year, they simply didn't work...

Ahhh... preparation BEFORE the freeze is everything isn't it!

Fill up those washer bottles well with good strength wash solution now if not already done. Pet hate of mine = frozen parts!!