I've had the Yeti a month or so now and am really loving it but one thing is confusing me.

When I use the front wipers, the rear wiper seems to have a logic of it's own. On the motorway with steady rain and constant wiper, the rear wiper would sweep every 30 seconds or so. I also noticed that when I parked up in services and turned everything off, the next time I turned the car on, the rear wiper made a single sweep. During all of this, the rear wiper was in the off position.

Can someone explain whether this is normal? Bit worried about the second point in case the wiper tries to turn in the winter when it's frozen solid.

It's normal. See the handbook. In the November 2011 version it's on p. 56.

That is normal, the rear wiper makes a sweep every 20 or so wipes by the front ones, if the front wipers are in use the rear will also move if you select reverse. There is also a setting whereby the wipers move slightly as you remove the ignition key, this is to stop the blades becoming bent over because of always being folded the same way when they park.

As you mention frost, have you noticed yet that the wipers cannot be lifted from the screen without fouling the edge of the bonnet? There is a service position you can use. When you remove the ignition key knock the wiper stalk and the wipers will sweep to the top position (12 o'clock) then they can be raised from the screen without damaging the bonnet.

I am sure you will find the manual essential reading. :sun:

Thanks for the replies, I've just had a look at a PDF manual (pp64-65) and it mentions about the intermittent wipe when moving but it doesn't seem to answer why it does the single sweep the next time I start the car. I'm presuming that if I turn the function off in the MFD, it will cancel this feature as well.

The Yeti does have some strange quirks, wipers being one of them, but I have also noticed that it likes to have its headlights on a lot, especially when it is raining, this is no bad thing it also puts lights on if you drive a tad faster than usual.

I have resigned myself to the fact all these things happen without any thought from me and I don't worry about it. Just enjoy the drive.

Not sure if others have found the same but as my second Yeti has auto wipers then in auto, whether the rear wiper works with the front appears very random indeed; sometimes nothing happens and then other times you will get two or three sweeps in a couple of minutes, followed by nothing for the next ten minutes or so, resulting in a manual selection being needed. Put in in the front wipers manual constant wipe and it works as advertised :wonder:

TP

Not sure if others have found the same but as my second Yeti has auto wipers then in auto, whether the rear wiper works with the front appears very random indeed; sometimes nothing happens and then other times you will get two or three sweeps in a couple of minutes, followed by nothing for the next ten minutes or so, resulting in a manual selection being needed. Put in in the front wipers manual constant wipe and it works as advertised :wonder:

TP

I agree with what you have said, I also get no auto wipe when I can't see out and now and again I get a wipe when it isn't raining, quirky.

I'm obsessive about rear wiper use so the first thing I did was disable the 'auto' rear wiper setting, thank you very much.

On the lights, there is a setting for auto lights that will switch the lights on if you go over a certain speed or if the wipers are in heavy use. Clever stuff.

The lights will come on automatically, in daylight, but at illegal speeds in the UK.

I have auto wipers in my Elegance, but my rear wiper only works when I manually switch them on. Even though the box is ticked, it never wipes when I select reverse either. So thankfully I'm always in control of it somehow and it does not have a mind of its own... Maybe it is broken! hehehe And if it is I will keep it this way.

Unfortunately, as I've got the Urban, there's no auto lights and wipers. I've disabled the "rear wipe" thing in the MFD and will have to see how it plays out.