Automatic windshield wipers

[gullyfoyle]

Hi everyone.
i'm just curious, those auto wipers , if i turn them on to auto mode , i'd expect that they stay in auto mode untill i turn them back off. but in my case i need to turn auto mode on every time i get into car. is that how it works or it's broken ?
Thanks
G

[larryn]

Automatic wipers reset every time you shut the car off. Your car is functioning as intended. :smile:

[hansenc]

Yeah I was kinda upset when my CA told me this but I can kind of see why.

When you first turn it on it wipes the windshield and I think that sets a baseline. Its not that bad. It would be cool though if it was automatic.

[danmcg]

I thought the same thing when I got my MINI. CA explained it to me. Made sense to not have them come on automatically. For instance if you drive into a car wash (GOD FORBID YOU DO THAT TO A 1) and your wipers are left on auto. RIIIP! Or perhaps you get in and there is ice on your windshield (for you Northerners ...

[gullyfoyle]

i guess you're right about car wash and ice but what's wrong with car wash for 1er? i've not been in one... yet...

[JC Jai]

i don't get it

[Mad Dragon]

car washes are bad for any car. they damage the paint.

[gullyfoyle]

Originally Posted by Mad Dragon

car washes are bad for any car. they damage the paint.

even those which called "touchless"?

[hansenc]

What?!?! Car wash for the new 1 series! My baby will never see a carwash, I don't care if it is touchless.

I haven't decided it I will be waxing it yet myself but I will be washing it every few days myself. it isn't that hard. Just an hour or so of your time. Just keep the inside clean and wipe it down every few days and you will not have to worry about it too much. Just make sure you condition the seats every few months.

[RickR]

The auto wiper function on my Benz did not reset. I hated it. The bmw approach is much better.

[gullyfoyle]

Originally Posted by hansenc

What?!?! Car wash for the new 1 series! My baby will never see a carwash, I don't care if it is touchless.

I haven't decided it I will be waxing it yet myself but I will be washing it every few days myself. it isn't that hard. Just an hour or so of your time. Just keep the inside clean and wipe it down every few days and you will not have to worry about it too much. Just make sure you condition the seats every few months.

Well, the thing is, i can't see myself waxing "my baby" when it's 32-33F outside :-) i mean i probably could but i better would not :-) but the car still gets dirty and that is not good for the paint either... hmm

[PA135i]

Touchless car washes are bad news. They use high pressure to get the dirt off. The problem is they will over time ruin your door seals (create air leaks) and even blow the paint off the Roundel emblem on the hood and trunk. Has happened to me twice ! No more.

I see your point about the dead of Winter wanting to get the salt off it. This is the only rare occasion I will use a touchless. Even then I use it as little as possible.

[gullyfoyle]

Originally Posted by kja325ci

Touchless car washes are bad news. They use high pressure to get the dirt off. The problem is they will over time ruin your door seals (create air leaks) and even blow the paint off the Roundel emblem on the hood and trunk. Has happened to me twice ! No more.

I see your point about the dead of Winter wanting to get the salt off it. This is the only rare occasion I will use a touchless. Even then I use it as little as possible.

the salt on the road is another reason i'd go to car wash... my previous car got very rusty underneath. though dealer said that it's quite unusual for maximas, but he still would recommend to wash car's bottom in car wash just to wash out road salt... i guess you're right about how often one should wash the car in touchless. but i've never seen what you're describing....maximas don't have emblems though...

[PA135i]

Are the Auto wipers speed sensitive on a 135?

[neteagle]

Originally Posted by kja325ci

Touchless car washes are bad news. They use high pressure to get the dirt off. The problem is they will over time ruin your door seals (create air leaks) and even blow the paint off the Roundel emblem on the hood and trunk. Has happened to me twice ! No more.

I see your point about the dead of Winter wanting to get the salt off it. This is the only rare occasion I will use a touchless. Even then I use it as little as possible.

A "Touchless" car wash ripped the drip rails right off of my 97 VW GTI...when I called the # on the carwash to file a claim (it was one of those automatic ones without an attendant), the guy told me I was a fraud and hung up on me...since they were based out of Virginia and I live in Georgia I didn't sue because driving up there didn't seem like a good way to spend my time...

...never again.

[PA135i]

Originally Posted by neteagle

A "Touchless" car wash ripped the drip rails right off of my 97 VW GTI...when I called the # on the carwash to file a claim (it was one of those automatic ones without an attendant), the guy told me I was a fraud and hung up on me...since they were based out of Virginia and I live in Georgia I didn't sue because driving up there didn't seem like a good way to spend my time...

...never again.

I hear yah. When they came out they seemed like a good idea. What could be better than a "touchless" car wash? After having two Roundel emblems ruined I learned my lesson.

[60Driver]

^ It took two to learn the lesson, huh. :wink:

[1Ronnie]

When I first got my 323i we had about 60 days without rain in Vancouver, I was so ripped as I wanted to see the auto wipers running. When it finally did start raining (and boy it started raining) I was disappointed to see they needed switching on after every restart. Personally I would far rather they stay on Auto, but hey, just a minor niggle.

Actually, what annoys me more, is that I can't see the Green LED to say that auto is activated from my driving position, the stick is blocked by the steering wheel, I would rather have had an indicator on the dash. But again, just a minor niggle.

As an asside, when I was about 12 (1982) my older brother in law had a low-beam foot switch (remember those?) on the floor set up to make the wipers go once. He used to tell me the car had a rain sensor which made the wipers run by themselves:biggrin: ... who would have guessed huh!!

[rocketpop]

The way my CA explained it to me was that it was not intended to auto sense when it started raining but more to control the speed of the wipers once you turned it on.

I though the same way as everyone else, that they would just come on when it started raining.

[PA135i]

Originally Posted by 60Driver

^ It took two to learn the lesson, huh. :wink:

Yeah, it took 2. They were different types of touchless systems.
Use them at your peril.

[Tom K.]

Originally Posted by kja325ci

Are the Auto wipers speed sensitive on a 135?

They don't seem to be. They are essentially controlled by a rain sensor on the windshield. The push switch on the lever turns them on and the other switch adjusts the sensitivity.
The only "speed sensitivity" is that when you are stopped, the wiper system automatically drops from fast speed to slow or slow to intermittent/sensor, and then changes back when you start moving again.

Tom