Windscreen 'washer' jets - are your's rubbish too?

southpaw66

southpaw66

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Is it me or are the washer jets useless on the A3. Very noticeable this morning that the coverage is rubbish and there's a bit in the middle-bottom of the screen and half the passenger side that just doesn't seem to clean properly. How come Leon's and Golf's get those diffuse sprays and the A3 gets the old fashioned two jets?
 
Good question.... is the diffuser spray something that can be retrofitted from VW parts???
 
I was thinking how good they actually were this morning, seeing it was freezing cold and spray coming off the road all the journey, kept the screen really clean... I got a 2007 A3 sportback model......

My previous in my BMW were a waste of time would not even work in the cold ...
 
Maybe a good sign - specced may car with heated washer jets.
 
Maybe it's the adjustment on mine. The wipers are fine when the whole screen is wet, but I don't seem to be able to easily wet the whole screen without holding the spray for a few seconds. I'm used to giving just a 1 second blast of water in my old shape leon.
 
i agree my folks have an altea and the washer jets on that are superb they way the spray wide over the windscreen with a nice even spray - supposedly cheaper car with better technology than the 'premium' one - how hard would it be for audi to just fit these jets - cos them about 2 quid per car probably!

I would also be interested to see if the jets can be changed from audi ones to SEAT ones
 
Or VW - my Mum's MKv golf has them!
Anyone know if this is an easy mod???
 
Is there a heated option on VW/Seat? Assuming it's this nozzle bit that has the heating elements.
 
Aren't heated nozzles standard ???
I'm sure my car has them,but I didn't spec them.
Visible steam when they're used on cold mornings and,for the first time ever in any car I've owned,they have never,ever,frozen.

PS,I don't know how anyone can say the wipers are great,coz the passenger side is hardly ever cleaned properly.
Always takes a few goes to get passenger side clean,even though driver's side will have cleaned first time.
 
Not sure if it's standard, I know when I specced folding mirrors it also said I got heated washer jets, so assumed tehy we're an option.
 
bowfer said:
PS,I don't know how anyone can say the wipers are great,coz the passenger side is hardly ever cleaned properly.
Always takes a few goes to get passenger side clean,even though driver's side will have cleaned first time.
Click to expand...

Exactly.
 
Speaking of wipers, mine are really noisey some times and squeek on the return if that makes sense. They arch up, then return at that point there is a nasty squeek type noise. Anyone else? Have my blades had it, do I need new. They don't smear.
 
Mine were squeeking like this , I cleaned the windscreen and they don't do it anymore.
 
southpaw66 said:
Is it me or are the washer jets useless on the A3. Very noticeable this morning that the coverage is rubbish and there's a bit in the middle-bottom of the screen and half the passenger side that just doesn't seem to clean properly. How come Leon's and Golf's get those diffuse sprays and the A3 gets the old fashioned two jets?
Click to expand...

This has pee'd me off for a long time. My 8L S3 ('02 plate) has the traditional washer jets and over time (4.5yrs) they get steadily worse. Yet our Golf Gti Anni ('52 plate) has the fan-spray washer jets!

TT's (MK1's) have fan style jets too. I did start to have a look on the parts database to see if the fan ones could be retro-fitted. But I never got round to following it up with VAG-parts or somewhere.

All that said, you can imagine how even more ****** off I was when I was testing driving the new S3 only to find out the "boffins" (NOT!) at Audi have decided to fit the f'in normal jets to a brand new car!!

The fan style jets cover the screen so much better. On my 8L S3 almost every month I have to re-align the jet nozzles to try and get decent coverage. Its a pain in the ****.

AL
 
jamiekip said:
Not sure if it's standard, I know when I specced folding mirrors it also said I got heated washer jets, so assumed tehy we're an option.
Click to expand...
They're standard on all A3s. Where did it say about heated washer jets?
 
You probably won't be surprised to learn that your local Audi dealer has a template they put on your windscreen for aligning the washer jets properly!!

I wonder how many hours of research went into that?!
 
Tooks said:
You probably won't be surprised to learn that your local Audi dealer has a template they put on your windscreen for aligning the washer jets properly!!

I wonder how many hours of research went into that?!
Click to expand...

Even better! They are this bad on purpose!
 
i found the fan jets on golf mk4's to be a pain in the ****, even on max adjustment they only reached halfway up screen, was glad to find normal jets on the audi
 
[
I clean the windscreen and the wipers every week
/QUOTE]

What do you use to clean the wiper blades, some say cleaning with a product can dry them out & cause a squeek, try a wipe when you wash the car.
Click to expand...
 
template hey? well someone please go tell lancaster audi manchester how to use it cos they clerly dont have a clue. car went in with jets fine, had wiper problems so they had to remove all scuttle panel (which washer jets clip into). when refitted they didnt clip the ets in properly so must have found the jets were hitting windscreen too low (hmm never wondered why they weren't like this before did they- ooo noooo they just went ahead and readjusted them!) i got car back notcied the jets werent clipped in - clipped them in as they should hae been and the final result was well it was the car behind me that got their windscreen cleaned not mine!!!!!! absolute mongs!
 
My wipers squeek and its ****** annoying!!!

I have used rainX on my windscreen and above 40mph wipers aren't needed as the water just runs off!

Audi price and spec guide doesn't mention anything about heated washers as standard or as an option.
 
Vertigo1 said:
They're standard on all A3s. Where did it say about heated washer jets?
Click to expand...

Hey Vertigo,

When I was speccing my car up I selected folding mirrors:
Here's the brochure:
http://www.audi.co.uk/etc/medialib/cms4imp/audi2/uk/Products/a3/pdf.Par.0010.File.pdf

Page 39 it reads:
Door mirrors - electically folding, including heated washer jets

It doesn't state they are standard fit in the brochure, unless it has changed for 07 cars....? I know they sometimes juggle the spec's - bit of an off one, as imagine there is very little in the cost with or without heating.
 
jamiekip said:
as imagine there is very little in the cost with or without heating.
Click to expand...

Ah you might be wrong there, when i had my Polo it came with heated washers as it was the 16V version, the rest of the range didn't have them as standard.

When i had to replace one of them as one became faulty and didn't work, VW wanted £40 for ONE heated jet washer and then it was £6 for a standard non heated one, you can guess which one i went for in the end!
 
audi upgrades
Just had a quick look on audi.co.uk

A3 Sportback -> Price and Specification -> A3 Special Edition 1.6 102PS 5 speed

Under Standard Equipment -> Exterior it lists

Heated front washer nozzles

Hope this helps

Chris...
 
You're right Chris - wish they would make all there info consistent... price list deffo doesn't list it as standard, but web site specs does!

Cheers
 
hi , my 2007 a3 sportback has def got heated washer jets as standard ... i used them this morning when the car was still frozen , after few mins of engine being on they were fine...
 
Don't have any problems with the wipers or jets on mine. Both seem to work fine and I'm still on my original wiper blades after 2 years.

J.
 
When I was speccing my car up I selected folding mirrors:
Here's the brochure:
http://www.audi.co.uk/etc/medialib/c....0010.File.pdf

Page 39 it reads:
Door mirrors - electically folding, including heated washer jets
Click to expand...

Heated washer jets have always been standard on UK A3s. Even my fist A3 1.8T Sport back in 1998 had them. It has always been a source of amusement with dealers etc than the were mentioned in the options together with folding mirrors. The two are in no way connected. Something got lost in the translation of the brochure to English I think.

I must say that I have no complaints with either my wipers or the washers. They both work as the should and do their job OK. I do like the way the last wipe when you've used the washers is slower to help to remove any water left on the screen.
 
h5djr said:
I must say that I have no complaints with either my wipers or the washers. They both work as the should and do their job OK. I do like the way the last wipe when you've used the washers is slower to help to remove any water left on the screen.
Click to expand...

So you don't get great big chunks of the passenger side left dirty,when the driver's side is clean ?
Funny,but every A3 I've driven does it.
My A4 did too.
I'll post photos of how it looks later.
 
I prefer the old golfs washer jets they used to cover the whole screen with spray. I was expecting these on the A3 but.... would have been nice.

Can't really complain tho the A3 wipers are great compared to the Vectra's (A hire car) I just had!
 
So you don't get great big chunks of the passenger side left dirty,when the driver's side is clean ?
Click to expand...

Not enough to bother me. Only the area at the top of the screen where that the wipers done cover. Otherwise, generally it cleans the whole wiped area. Perhaps my washer jets are better adjusted.
 
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