Can wiper sensitivity be adjusted?

Vertigo1

Vertigo1

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Having added the Light & Rain pack to my current car I had to confess that I'm not entirely happy with the automatic wipers.

With them set on automatic, the sensitivity just isn't high enough. I have it on the most sensitive setting all the time yet quite often (not all the time), they just don't wipe the screen often enough and I'm forced to flick them up to the "permanently on" setting. The lower sensitivities are obviously even worse and I don't even bother with these.

What's really needed is to increase the overall sensitivity of the system so that the most sensitive settings on the stalk would be more sensitive and the least sensitive setting would be more like what the most sensitive is now. Does anyone know if this can possibly be modified by a dealer or via VAG-COM?

Have to pop to the dealer tomorrow anyway so I'll ask them but I thought I'd ask here anyway, plus the dealer might not have a clue :)
 
I have exactly the same problem - in some ways I'd like to change the wipers back to ordinary intermittent. At least then they would then clear the screen at regular intervals. Don't know if this is possible but if anyone can shed any light on either increasing the sensitivity or changing to normal intermittent it would be most welcome.
 
Hmm, strange.
Before Dave R replied (or before I read it) I was going to reply that maybe you should pop back to your dealer as possibly they are faulty?
I was basing this on the fact that I've got them on my new Audi (but didn't on my previous) and I think they're great - and more importantly have found them to work really well. Highest setting I've used so far is one click up from minimum - and Glencoe had 505ml of rain in November and I suspect December will have beaten that :rolleyes:
Not sure what else to say as they work for me in downpours and drizzle but sorry to hear of your problems guys.
 
I would have thought they could adjust this easily as it will only be a pot (potentiometer) or something similar. Let us know what the stealers says!
 
stewarta13wsb said:
Hmm, strange.
Before Dave R replied (or before I read it) I was going to reply that maybe you should pop back to your dealer as possibly they are faulty?
I was basing this on the fact that I've got them on my new Audi (but didn't on my previous) and I think they're great - and more importantly have found them to work really well. Highest setting I've used so far is one click up from minimum - and Glencoe had 505ml of rain in November and I suspect December will have beaten that :rolleyes:
Not sure what else to say as they work for me in downpours and drizzle but sorry to hear of your problems guys.
Click to expand...

I have them fitted to mine as well and haven't had a problem with them. Really like the feature actually. Occasionally they wipe the screen when it doesn't need doing but apart from that they are really good.

J.
 
Perhaps I'll wait and see if the ones on the new Sportback I have on order (due late Feb/Early March) are any better.
 
As above, had them on most of my cars and never had a problem with them
 
Well I forgot to ask the dealer about it this morning but, having used them a bit more I'm not sure it's as simple as sensitivity.

It only seems to be now and then that it fails to wipe the screen in a timely fashion. It'll be drizzling steadily and for some reason it'll take too long to wipe the screen, to the point where you're about to flick the wipers on yourself, then it'll wipe, but thereafter it'll wipe in a timely fashion for ages before it "misses a beat" again.

I've also noticed that, when the rain picks up, it takes a few seconds for the wipers to "catch up". I think it averages the amount of rain detected over an (admittedly small) period of time so when it starts raining harder it takes a few seconds for the average to go up, so to speak.

This would also make sense as the amount of rain falling on the actual sensor is going to be down to luck to a fair degree so averaging over time will help with this. I think what happens when they "miss a beat" is that now that then relatively little water falls directly on the sensor and so they slow down a bit.

One other interesting thing I've noticed is that the speed appears to be continually variable. What I mean by this is that, once it's raining hard enough for the wipers to be on permantently, if it starts raining harder then they just get gradually faster and faster, rather than "stepping" to the fast wiper speed you get with the stalk at the top-most position. Interesting.

Another difference I've noticed with this car is that, on the old one, when I did a wash-wipe, it would do the single wipe 5 seconds later to clear and remaining splashes. The new car has a different system. Rather than wiping again 5 seconds later, the final downstroke of the last sweep is slower than normal, to act as a final slow "squeegy" of the screen to wipe the water away without splashing. Seems to work better than the extra wipe system tbh.
 
I had them on the S4 and thought they were too sensitive on occassions.
 
I've not had them, and having read various threads about them, I'm coming to the conclusion that I wouldn't choose them. To me, deciding when the windscreen needs wiping seems like something best left to the driver's own judgement.
 
I was of that opinion to start with. My last car had auto lights but no auto wipers and tbh I order the pack on this one for the auto lights again as I really wanted them so I kind of got the wipers "for free".

They work 90% of the time, it's just now and then they seem to miss a beat.
 
Vertigo1 said:
Well I forgot to ask the dealer about it this morning but, having used them a bit more I'm not sure it's as simple as sensitivity.

It only seems to be now and then that it fails to wipe the screen in a timely fashion. It'll be drizzling steadily and for some reason it'll take too long to wipe the screen, to the point where you're about to flick the wipers on yourself, then it'll wipe, but thereafter it'll wipe in a timely fashion for ages before it "misses a beat" again.

I've also noticed that, when the rain picks up, it takes a few seconds for the wipers to "catch up". I think it averages the amount of rain detected over an (admittedly small) period of time so when it starts raining harder it takes a few seconds for the average to go up, so to speak.

This would also make sense as the amount of rain falling on the actual sensor is going to be down to luck to a fair degree so averaging over time will help with this. I think what happens when they "miss a beat" is that now that then relatively little water falls directly on the sensor and so they slow down a bit.

One other interesting thing I've noticed is that the speed appears to be continually variable. What I mean by this is that, once it's raining hard enough for the wipers to be on permantently, if it starts raining harder then they just get gradually faster and faster, rather than "stepping" to the fast wiper speed you get with the stalk at the top-most position. Interesting.

Another difference I've noticed with this car is that, on the old one, when I did a wash-wipe, it would do the single wipe 5 seconds later to clear and remaining splashes. The new car has a different system. Rather than wiping again 5 seconds later, the final downstroke of the last sweep is slower than normal, to act as a final slow "squeegy" of the screen to wipe the water away without splashing. Seems to work better than the extra wipe system tbh.
Click to expand...

I have to agree with you, sometimes they are wondefull, sweeping faster and faster then slowing down as the conditions improve etc. Other times I am going along thinking come on come on sweep for f***s sake, I would'nt have them again unless they also had the intermittant control as well.

I also woud'nt have the auto lights again either, I often wonder how many accidents have been caused by the lights coming on and being misread by other motorists who then pull out in front of you?
The lights are probably more of a waste of time than the wipers.
When following people down roads with trees, and the lights are on and off, I have often seen the driver in front looking in his mirror, I wonder if his thoughts are along the lines of "The car behind has got auto lights, they're real good " or more likely "Whats up with this w****r behind switching his lights on and off?"
 
ahaydock said:
I would have thought they could adjust this easily as it will only be a pot (potentiometer) or something similar. Let us know what the stealers says!
Click to expand...

I think the sensitivity can be set with VAG-COM so it should be an easy job.

I for one, am very happy with the auto wipers. It knows exactly when too wipe. I usually have it set the the bottom position or one noth up. In fact it is so good that I whish the rear wiper was also auto sensing. Actually I am quite happy with all the automatic features. The autodimming mirrors are brilliant and the auto headlamps with coming-home function are also excellent. I just set everything at auto and never look back: The lights go on when it gets dark, the wipers come on when it rains and the mirrors dim when some idiot creeps up from behind with badly adjusted headlights. Now all I need is an automatic driver... oh wait... that's called a bus... nah.. bad idea ;-)
 
I don't have auto wipers,but I also have a query.
Even if I have my wipers on 'constant',they stop when the car stops.
I hate it.
It's downright dangerous.
Every junction and set of lights turns into a kerfuffle.
Constant wipe should mean constant wipe.

Can the 'car stop/wipers stop' function be turned off ????
 
All of the above posts confirm my view, which is that the car should not be second-guessing something that is the responsibility of the driver.
 
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