Auto Windscreen wipers and washers - Not happy

 

Anyone else not happy about the Auto Wipers ?

 

For the last 10 years or so, every car i have had, has had a AUTO button to enable the auto function of the wipers. However the S3 does not have this.  From reading the manual you push the stalk into Position 1 and leave it.

 

However, i have found the toggle for the freq controls the settings regardless of any Auto element.

 

Page 77 Manual - http://ws.skoda-auto.com/OwnersManualService/Data/en/Superb_3V/11-2015/Manual/Superb/B8_Superb_OwnersManual.pdf

 

Today i have tested it a few times, heavy rain and the stalk in position 1, approx 30 secs between sweep, if i amend the freq on the toggle in position 1, it continuous sweeps even when the screen was dry.

 

Anyone found the correct setting for auto to work all the time without having to fiddle with it ? 

 

From the manual

 

 

Operating lever positions
 Wipers off
 Depending on specification:
▶ Intermittent windscreen wiping
▶ Automatic windscreen wiping in rain
 Slow windscreen wiping
 Rapid windscreen wiping
 Front screen touch wiping / wiper arms service position (spring-loaded
position)
 Spraying and wiping the windscreen (spring-loaded position)
 Rear screen wiping
 Spraying and wiping the rear window (spring-loaded position)
 Depending on specification:
▶ To set the wiper interval for the windscreen
▶ Sensitivity setting of the automatic wiping with rain
By setting the switch in the direction of the arrow wipers sweep more often.
Spraying and wiping the windscreen 
After releasing the operating lever, the wipers will make from 2 to 3 wiper
strokes.
At a speed of more than 2 km/h, the wiper wipes once again 5 seconds after
the last wiper stroke in order to wipe the last drops from the windscreen. This
function can be activated/deactivated by a specialist garage.

 

 

 

Spraying and wiping the rear window 
After releasing the operating lever, the wipers will make from 2 to 3 wiper
strokes.
The operating lever remains in position 6 .
Activating / deactivating of the automatic windscreen wiping with rain
Automatic windscreen wiping in rain can be activated or deactivated in the Infotainment
» Owner´s Manual Infotainment, chapter CAR - Vehicle settings.
Automatic rear window wiping
If the lever is in position 2 or 3 » Fig. 69, the rear window is wiped every
30 or 10 seconds if the vehicle's speed exceeds 5 km/h.
If automatic windscreen wiping in rain is activated (the operating lever is in the
position 1 ) the function is only active if the windscreen wipers operate in
continuous mode (no break between each wiping process).
The automatic rear wiper can be activated/deactivated in the Infotainment
» Owner´s Manual Infotainment, chapter CAR - vehicle settings.
WARNING
Automatic wiping during rain is only a support. The driver is not released
from the responsibility to set the function of the windscreen wipers manually
depending on the visibility conditions.
Note
■ If the operating lever is in the position 2 or 3 and the speed of the vehicle
drops below 4 km / h, the wiping speed is reduced. The original wiping speed is
restored step by step when the speed of the vehicle exceeds 8 km/h.
■ The rear window is wiped once automatically if the windscreen wipers are on
when reverse gear is selected.

 

 

 

 

Thanks in advance

That doesn't sound right to me. My current car and the previous one (Honda Civic) have auto wipers that are set by putting the stalk in the first position. The Honda by far had the best implementation, it was just set and forget; my Hyundai does a single sweep every time the engine is started, even if the screen is dry, so I leave them off unless it's actually raining. But neither have done continuous sweeping by changing the sensitivity in dry weather.

Sent from my SM-N910F using Tapatalk

Very occasionally I get a false positive and the wipers would do one sweep on a dry windscreen, but this usually occurs in underground car parks - must be a camera glitch. Other than that I never had issues with wipers automatically activating in dry weather.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

Auto on my SE Business works well, the sensitivity switch works as I would expect, definitely auto not timed.

Yip, mine works well too. Not completely perfect, as I'm in between extreme right hand position or the next one to the left sometimes on the sensitivity selector.

Your's doesn't sound right.

Is the screen clean in front of the sensor?

All clear... car does not have a spec of dirt on it ...

 

Example... today.. heavy rain... set on stalk 1, toggle on postion 1 for low rain...  it was pouring down and i waited for approx 30 secs before they did a one sweep.... then another 30 seconds before they did another when i would expect them to of been sweeping maybe with a 2 to 3 second pause max.

 

Will assess more over the weekend and get it booked it

ps.. thanks for your feedback all

All clear... car does not have a spec of dirt on it ...

Example... today.. heavy rain... set on stalk 1, toggle on postion 1 for low rain... it was pouring down and i waited for approx 30 secs before they did a one sweep.... then another 30 seconds before they did another when i would expect them to of been sweeping maybe with a 2 to 3 second pause max.

Will assess more over the weekend and get it booked it

Which side of the toggle are you calling position 1 Rick, left or right? The sensitivity is least sensitive when toggle is left and most sensitive when it's all the way to the right.

I find the same as 'Stinker', far right is fine most of the time but occasionally needs to be set one click left to prevent over-wiping.

Sound like your sensor is faulty or the car doesn´t have the "AUTO" function activated at all. Regardless of the setting on the adjustment knob, it should put full power on the wipers, if it´s pooring down.

On the Octavia, you can disable the 'auto' setting in the infotainment and the wipers just become a variable intermittent type. Is this option on the Superb? Has yours been disabled and in fact is now just acting as a standard intermittent wipe?

Re: the above...

 

RickTT

I am going to ask a perhaps a silly question. When you state that you waited up to 30 seconds in heavy rain. Were you parked up at the time?

If yes the even on the SII, well mine anyway that happens to a certain extent. I would find that the wipers start to operate normally again as I move off.

If not ignore the above.

Edited 1 April, 201610 yr by Danny 57

I have to say I'm finding the auto wipers a little confusing like RickTT. My previous car was a Peugeot and had the good old 'Auto' position which let me know it was definitely on! Thanks to Pete T for clarifying which direction increased sensitivity, it wasn't seeming to make any difference, only wiping when I actually moved the toggle.

RTFM

RTFM

Good point, however as I said, it wasn't seeming to make much difference! :p

Which side of the toggle are you calling position 1 Rick, left or right? The sensitivity is least sensitive when toggle is left and most sensitive when it's all the way to the right.

I find the same as 'Stinker', far right is fine most of the time but occasionally needs to be set one click left to prevent over-wiping.

Yes.. Far left for least freq and far right for more freq.

The wipers are enabled in the infotainment section also.

If I move the stalk to position 1. While it's dry, should the wipers not come on at all ?

In Reply to "was I parked when waiting between the sweeps".. No I was driving

Thanks

Edited 2 April, 201610 yr by RickTT

Rick, if you leave the stalk in position 1 and sensitivity in far right position and the wipers don't work when it rains then there's something wrong with them. Dealer fix.

Mine don't sweep when the screen's dry.

As Danny says, they will stop wiping when car isn't moving.

If they stop wiping when the car stops moving that's dangerous!

For example, you stop at a zebra crossing in heavy rain, a person crosses, your wipers aren't wiping and you won't know if it's clear to set off again.

I have left them in position 1 today with the toggle to the far right.   (Still left then there at the moment)  and had no random wipes as expected as its dry.

 

Will see how it goes over this week

Cheers

Edited 3 April, 201610 yr by RickTT