Octavia vRS Front Wipers Not Working

[Blimsters]

Hi there

 

I have a 2006 Octavia vRS, which has been sat on my drive for the last four weeks due to me being unable to drive following a dislocated shoulder. I took it out this afternoon and discovered that my front wipers aren't working. I have read a few different posts on this forum and others describing a similar problem and possible solutions, so I am aware that the issue has been discussed before (including this very helpful thread - http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/290821-front-windscreen-wipers-not-working/), but I thought I'd post a message anyway to see if anyone has any extra insight or advice...

 

I have checked the fuses, both in the dashboard and in the engine compartment, which looked fine but replaced them anyway and still no joy. The washers are working and the rears are fine which suggests it's not a problem with the stalk. From reading other people's experiences it sounds like it could be an issue with either a relay or the motor. If it was a relay issue, would there be anything else that should in theory also be not working? I've tested every electrical system I can think of and the only thing that's not working seems to be the wipers. As far as the motor goes, it seems strange that it would stop working for no apparent reason from not being in use.

 

Can anyone think of anything else that could have been affected by the car being out of use for a month which could have affected the wipers? Other posts I've read for a similar issue seemed to result from some sort of work or tinkering, but mine hasn't been touched.

 

Taking the car to my nearest Skoda (or other) garage is a bit of a pain due to my working hours, plus I'd rather not pay their rates for a motor replacement if possible, so I was thinking about getting a replacement motor and having a go at replacing it myself, in case that is the problem. This very useful thread - http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/193780-windscreen-wiper-motor-replacement-scuttle-panel-removal/ - seems to give a good idea of how that is done. I don't have a great deal of experience with car maintenance, just basic jobs, so the other option is to pay about £120 for a mobile mechanic to come and do it.

 

I hope I've explained the situation clearly, any input or advice is welcome, especially on what you'd recommend doing next (bearing in mind that I do have difficulty getting it to a garage during working hours, so a mobile mechanic/doing it myself is my preferred option, if repairs are needed).

 

Thanks

[RADIOTWO]

Hi 

My son had a  Octavia some time ago and had a problem with wipers and it turned out to be the linkage

that had sized up, And if I remember we removed the motor with the linkage and stripped it down and 

lubricated all the joints and was fine after that 

[mikey vrs]

Is the bonnet shut correctly,no warning light on the dash? only reason i ask is the front wipers wont work if the bonnet is open,there is a switch on the lock mechanism i believe. 

[DanialA11]

Has it had a hid kit fitted to the car by any chance

[shoveitpusher]

I also had the linkage seize up after the car was laid up for a while

[Blimsters]

Thanks for the input. I removed the motor assembly and established that it was definitely receiving power, suggesting the issue was with the motor or linkage. There is absolutely no sound from the motor when connected and the linkage can be manually moved so it can only be the motor. I've ordered a replacement so hopefully that will resolve it.

 

Seems quite strange for it to just go for no apparent reason.

[Turkeythighs]

let us know how you get on  :sun:

[Blimsters]

It's not the motor. Connected a different one and still nothing. Pretty much running out of ideas now, below is a list of possible issues which I've eliminated...

 

Fuse - every fuse has been checked, and any that could be relevant to the wipers have been replaced

Stalk - everything else on the stalk works, so I'm ruling this out

Motor - replaced and still nothing

Seized linkage - replaced with motor

Bonnet switch fault - washers still work with the bonnet closed

Relay - swapped over the two identical relays which are in the engine bay fuse box and no change. Perhaps there's another relay somewhere I don't know about

No power to motor - I've used a voltage tester and it appears the motor is receiving power, just no commands to turn on

 

I even took it out for a drive along some bumpy roads thinking, "maybe it'll just sort itself out".

 

It definitely seems like it's an electrical issue. I know extremely little about car electronics so I'm just hypothesising here, so wondering if anyone knows if it could be any of the following:

 

Dodgy earth - with the car being sat unused for a month, could the point where the motor is grounded to the chassis have corroded? How would I find where the connection is grounded to?

Controller fault - again, I don't know how the whole system works, but I assume at some point between the control stalk and the motor there must be some sort of controller? Could this have faulted and need resetting?

 

I'm about to bite the bullet and just take it into the main dealer or a specialist auto electrician. I really hate going in there with a completely unknown fault though, which could take a lot of investigation/trial and error. I feel like I may as well be handing them a blank cheque...

[pikpilot]

If you have a high resistance connection somewhere you will still see full volts with a multimeter. True volts only shown when on load.

I would work back from the motor. First test is to disconnect the wiring at the motor and replace it with fused wires directly from the battery. My guess is the motor will run (even better if you can take the motor off first).