Windscreen washers

[AJB]

I seem to have to pull the washer stalk for a reasonable while before it squirts water, but I'm not sure if this is as designed or if there's a fault and it's draining back to the reservoir and having to re-prime itself. What are other people's washers like?

I would have thought it was a fault as I've never had a car which doesn't wash immediately before, other than the fact that it's the same even I've recently washed (if it was slowly draining back then I'd have expected it to be slow first wash of the day), and also because the wipers don't ever seem to start until it's actually squirting water.

If there is a designed in delay, does anyone know why?

 

[bpnike]

Was wondering about this too, my one is exactly the same. I thought that it was spraying the headlamps first and then windscreen but it doesn't. I haven't even seen the headlamps washers yet.

 

[Johnnyb]

Haha!!

I actually felt too picky to be putting this concern on here thinking i'd get laughed off the forum, but it is something that annoys me too on my new S3!

Seems it's meant to be like that which is a relief, no big deal but when i pull my stalk back it takes about 2 seconds to kick in, and i also get a little pathetic squirt half a second before it...

What i also noticed is - if you pull it back again a few seconds after, it responds quicker, it's like it has got the delay when it hasn't been used for a while..

I'm assuming it's normal

 

[JohnM100]

My SB has this delay too. I don't know the reason but it has some good & bad points.

Good:
If you have the Comfort Pack / rain sensing wipers then this delay allows you to reset the auto wipers in intermittent/auto mode using a very short pull on the stalk that triggers a double wipe but not long enough to set off the washers

Bad:
Would hope for a longer delay before the headlight washers come on as sometimes you just want a quick wash on the screen, as opposed to headlight overspray all over a clean bonnet. Though the headlamp washers on Xenons are required by law to activate straight away after ~5 windscreen washes if the headlights are on (as opposed to pull stalk for 3 seconds to wash headlights).

Am sure I have seen mine wash the rear window without me having to push the stalk. I think it was after washing the windscreen and then selecting reverse but it hasn't done it often enough to work out a pattern.

John.

 

[Dazz78]

It could be because the washers are heated so might take a sec to prime. But you would have thought the heater would only come on below a certain temperature

 

[AJB]

Haha!!

I actually felt too picky to be putting this concern on here thinking i'd get laughed off the forum, but it is something that annoys me too on my new S3!

Haha! Glad to be of service - even if it's just by being too picky and (relatively) unashamed of it...

Interesting that lots of people seem to have the issue (delayed washers, not pickiness, that is). I wonder why Audi have done it. It did cross my mind that they might deliberately allow it to drain back to the tank to avoid pipes and nozzles freezing, but that seems strange...

 

[Phil-1]

Could it be so the water in the washer jet pipe doesn't freeze?

 

[sidtec]

I think it's so you can give the stalk a quick tug and you will only have the wipers do a quick sweep. I find it useful for when the car's been parked up for a little while and I just want to clear the screen without having to turn the auto wipers off and then on again.

 

[Psyman79]

Do you have headlight washers? My current car (Leon Cupra) has a slight delay as water goes to the headlight washers first and then the windscreen. Not sure if this is a thing or just what i've noticed.

 

[cemerson]

Headlight washers happen after the windscreen washers for me rather than before, and seem to happen every time when the headlights are on

 

[Silky-S3]

I think it's so you can give the stalk a quick tug and you will only have the wipers do a quick sweep. I find it useful for when the car's been parked up for a little while and I just want to clear the screen without having to turn the auto wipers off and then on again.

For sure it's this. It's really annoying on the 8P (with auto wipers) that you cant do this just to have a quick wipe without the washer.

Good thinking Audi

 

[cemerson]

Another related question... why is it that when you turn off the ignition, the front wipers complete their wipe and return back to base before stopping, but the rear wiper just stops dead mid-wipe and doesn't bother completing it? Seems to be this way on every car I've ever owned so wonder if there is a reason for it

 

[cuke2u]

Wiper park relay not receiving power when ignition is turned off....

 

[AJB]

Another related question... why is it that when you turn off the ignition, the front wipers complete their wipe and return back to base before stopping, but the rear wiper just stops dead mid-wipe and doesn't bother completing it? Seems to be this way on every car I've ever owned so wonder if there is a reason for it

I think on every car I've owned until the Audi both front and back stop dead mid-wipe when you turn the ignition off. I guess the A3 one has to keep power to the front wipers so that it can do the maintenance mode thing where you flick the wipers after turning the ignition off and they park up for blade changing, and if they've still got power then they can park.

 

[cemerson]

Yeh, it's just strange that it would do that for front and not back. The power needed to complete the cycle would be minimal, and with everything on a car computerised these days as well you would have thought it would be trivial to do.