Hey guys hope you can help.   My windscreen washers empty within a few days of filling them.  Where do I start in find what the problem is?  Thanks 

You don't say which model. Or whether it empties within a few days when just parked, or when using the washers a fair bit. I had a problem when I first bought my car at about 9000 miles, turned out the connection at the back of one of the headlight washers had fractured. The headlight washers (assuming you have them) are only activated when the headlights are on and (I think) then once every 3 times the washers are activated but the fracture was allowing lots of fluid to escape. Anyway it will be leaking somewhere, just a matter of finding out where. Although it also has to be said that if you have the washer reservoir on the right side, the capacity is not very big and the headlight washers do use a fair bit even when they are not leaking.

 

So check for drips under the car when parked. Put a towel over the windscreen, headlights off, run the washers (so the towel absorbs the water and it doesn't run down under the car) and look underneath to see if any water drips out elsewhere. Same tactic with headlights on although it is harder to distinguish between what comes out of the headlight washers and what might be leaking from the pipework behind. Probably the towel tactic will still work but you need to allow the headlight washers to pop out.

Edited 19 January, 20242 yr by nicknorman

Thanks for that reply - I have the same problem on my Mk3 Octavia, but I know there’s a split/fracture/broken joint somewhere, as there’s spillage just in front of the nsf wheel.

 

Had to happen this weather, didn’t it…

Interested to hear from the OP if it is just a leak.

 

If the washer liquid is not suitable for the temperatures in cold weather to avoid freezing then it might well burst the bottle or pipes part etc.

Just like the Anti freeze needs the ratio / mix with a strength suitable to the winter lowest temperatures.

 

Welcome to the forum @Garrth111111

Edited 19 January, 20242 yr by Rooted

There is a simple reason it runs out so quickly; the water bottle is too bleedin’ small, especially if your car is fitted with headlamp washers, which keep going off pointlessly. The screen wash bottle on our Peugeot 604ti held a gallon! 

2 hours ago, numskull said:

Peugeot 604ti

🤩 You've just made me ~40 years younger! Thanks! 🤣

16 hours ago, Bap33 said:

🤩 You've just made me ~40 years younger! Thanks! 🤣

Next to the 280, the 604 was the best car I’ve owned. If only it have the habit of disintegrating before one’s eyes, I’d’ve kept it; I’d absolutely love to own one today. 

1 minute ago, numskull said:

I’d absolutely love to own one today. 

It should be a very affordable young timer!

4 minutes ago, Bap33 said:

It should be a very affordable young timer!

If only, Bap. Here, there are 5 TI’s which are all off the road, 5 SL Autos off and 1 on the road, 2 GTI’s and 2 STI’s, all four of which are off the road. 

If off the road, then even more affordable , but probably very expensive to restore 😐... 

12 hours ago, Bap33 said:

If off the road, then even more affordable , but probably very expensive to restore 😐... 

These are the cars that are on SORN - Statutory Off the Road Notification, where the owner informs the government that they own the car but it’s not parked on the road so is not liable for tax. I expect the owners were all, or maybe are all still “planning” to restore them. And you’re right - it’d be at huge expense especially given the lack of parts. 

4 hours ago, numskull said:

especially given the lack of parts

and probably due to corroded parts on the chassis, floor / door panels...

Cars from this generation were quite sensitive to corrosion. 🙁

Yep. They were all using cheap Russian steel and zero paint protection. Fiat/Lancia/Alfa got the brunt of bad press, but they were all buying it. 

Good to see that @Garrth111111 the OP has signed back in today and can maybe say if the Washer Fluid was empty just from use & cleaning screen and lights or there was a leak.

17 minutes ago, Rooted said:

Good to see that @Garrth111111 the OP has signed back in today and can maybe say if the Washer Fluid was empty just from use & cleaning screen and lights or there was a leak.

Hey.  No not from using it it seeming to empty by itself.  The weather is terrible atm so I’ll need to check it when it’s not so wet.   How easy is it to access the bottle it’s a 2017 Skoda Superb S.  

@Garrth111111   Dead simple. When empty how much does it take when you fill up again?

So there is still some in it now  probably not a lot.  But it takes like maybe 5 liters? 

It’s 3.1 litres with a headlamp wash system and 3.7 without, which is weird..

Well I was guessing lol it’s a pre made up 5 liters container and there’s some left after it’s full 

Yeah, that’d make sense. It’s ridiculously small for the volume of fluid it kicks out and it’s even worse still for those with headlamp washers. 

1 hour ago, Garrth111111 said:

Hey.  No not from using it it seeming to empty by itself.  The weather is terrible atm so I’ll need to check it when it’s not so wet.   How easy is it to access the bottle it’s a 2017 Skoda Superb S.  

You don't mention which 2017 model. Some some have the bottle in the vicinity of the left front wheel, some in the vicinity of the right front wheel. You can tell which, by which side the filler is on!

Anyway to access the tank you need to remove the front wheel and wheel arch liner on the appropriate side. This is just lots of screws, and there are quite a few screws underneath as the wheel arch liner has a flat bit that goes forward a fair way. There may also be a few plastic rivet things (depending on model) - you need to extract the central pin and then the rivet will come out. Normally they are fairly easy to remove because most screw into plastic and so corrosion is not a problem. Some underneath do screw into metal clips but for me at least, with my 2016 Scottish Skoda on salty roads, they were not difficult to remove. They do have torz socket heads so you would need the appropriate screwdriver bit. And look around carefully, they are not all easy to spot up under the wheel arch, easy to miss one!

 

This gives you access to the bottle, pump and some of the pipework but of course the pipework then disappears to the front and back windows and maybe the headlight washers if you have them.

Edited 21 January, 20242 yr by nicknorman