[Seminole]

I tried to do a search and even read the manual before I decided to annoy you guys

My problem is with the Automatic Wipers. Never mind that the little green light is impossible to see with its placement behind the steering wheel, but I get in the car and turn them on. As soon as I turn the car off and restart it they are off again... Is there any way to make them always be on, or do I have to press the button every time I get into the car? Thanks alot!


-Sem

[visor]

Yep, agree with the awfully bad placement of the indicator light. I have to peek around the steering wheel in order to see if it's on or not.

Nope, it automatically turns off everytime you turn the car off.

[Gig103]

They go off automatically because the system requires an initialization. When you push the button, the wipers have to wipe so that the camera knows what a dry windshield "looks" like.

And there might be a time when you don't want to initialize it right away when starting the car - a car wash, maybe, or in the winter when the arms might be frozen.

[digivue]

I second that, their design is awful, I wish they were manual.

[BK]

Originally Posted by Gig103

And there might be a time when you don't want to initialize it right away when starting the car - a car wash, maybe, or in the winter when the arms might be frozen.

+1 to this.

[Spacegray335i]

Originally Posted by digivue

I second that, their design is awful, I wish they were manual.

You know that the wipers can be controlled manually? Pull the stalk down then it is in manual mode. Just make sure the "A" light is not on..

[digivue]

Originally Posted by Spacegray335i

You know that the wipers can be controlled manually? Pull the stalk down then it is in manual mode. Just make sure the "A" light is not on..

I meant that it doesn't have a variable speed intermittent mode like in mainstream cars, sometimes it waits until you cannot almost see anything, so I have to retreat to operating it by hand.

[airwolf878]

Originally Posted by digivue

I meant that it doesn't have a variable speed intermittent mode like in mainstream cars, sometimes it waits until you cannot almost see anything, so I have to retreat to operating it by hand.

There is a dial in the stalk for adjusting the sensitivity. Try turning it to a higher setting if it seems like it's waiting too long.

Originally Posted by Gig103

They go off automatically because the system requires an initialization. When you push the button, the wipers have to wipe so that the camera knows what a dry windshield "looks" like.

And there might be a time when you don't want to initialize it right away when starting the car - a car wash, maybe, or in the winter when the arms might be frozen.

The system doesn't require initialization, it uses infrared sensors to detect the raindrops or whatever, not cameras.

[Gig103]

Originally Posted by airwolf878

The system doesn't require initialization, it uses infrared sensors to detect the raindrops or whatever, not cameras.

Okay so I was incorrect about the cameras, it is an IR sensor. But it still needs to initialize. I don't mean it in the same way MS Windows boots up, but every time you turn the system on, notice that the wipers go across the glass, even if it's dry. That's the IR sensors initializing - as the wipers go past, the sensor reads what "dry" looks like, so that it knows what 'wet' is by comparison

[BMW F22]

Originally Posted by visor

Yep, agree with the awfully bad placement of the indicator light. I have to peek around the steering wheel in order to see if it's on or not.

Nope, it automatically turns off everytime you turn the car off.

+1,000,000

I never understood why they did that. I also wonder if you have to turn them on in cars like the Lexus ES.

[visor]

Originally Posted by airwolf878

There is a dial in the stalk for adjusting the sensitivity.

Yes, but does anyone else find it annoyingly too sensitive in the daytime at the lowest setting (so it wipes even when 1 raindrop hits the glass) and vice versa not sensitive enough at night at the most sensitive setting (so you have to look thru blurry rain-soaked glass) ?

Somehow, I think the IR sensor is affected by the amount of ambient light present...

[ages944]

how can you guys honestly be complaining about this? It's a set it and forget it feature, requiring no interaction on your part other than turning it on.

If it's raining, push button. How hard is that?

[to_riffic]

Originally Posted by ages944

how can you guys honestly be complaining about this? It's a set it and forget it feature, requiring no interaction on your part other than turning it on.

If it's raining, push button. How hard is that?

+1
the more high tech these cars get the more ppl r willing to complain about somethin that was never in there car years and years ago...

[snipersix]

i wish the automatic wipers wer designed the mazda3, just leave it at Automode, adjust sensitivity, and you don't need to touch ur wipers again. It turns on by itself, when it needs too

[i2iSTUDIOS]

better than the e46. I like not seeing the lights, all the green indicator lights tire the eyes when when driving at night, less non orange lights, the better IMO.

[iScream]

related topic: I wish the auto-wipers and auto-lights were aware of one another. In MD there is a wiper-lights law, and you can get a ticket if it's raining enough for wipers and you do not have your lights on.

[jli801]

i agree, all these automatic features are making people more lazy. not that hard to activate it when it rains. wtf is this active steering, etc stuff doing here? i say its way too much and is not needed, we are lazy and obese enough. any lazier and fatter we get we will

but i do agree that its sensitivity is off compared to day and night...

[digivue]

Sensitivity is not reliable also. IMO, the current implementation is not quite there yet. They should have stuck with the variable speed intermittent mode until they put their act together.

[noire07]

get rain-x and put it on your windshield so you don't have to use your wipers as much..

[visor]

Originally Posted by noire07

get rain-x and put it on your windshield so you don't have to use your wipers as much..

Not good.

Tried it before... whenever the wiper blade goes across the windshield, it leaves behind a smudge/streak that lasts for at least 2 secs, rendering vision practically useless meanwhile.

[kuvesh]

it defeats the purpose of having auto wipers when you have to switch it on everytime you get into the car...

[Chitown-Irish]

I don't mind having to activate it every time I need to use it, I just wish the indicator light was easier to see but maybe being hidden is a good thing at night.