Automatic Wipers...

[Stealthy]

Anyone know about this?
Usually my automatic wipers work whenever there's rain but today they didn't. I had to manually control them (I almost forgot where and what to do!).
At first when the rain was moderate I put the wipers on intermediate. Occasionally the wipers would go continuous and then resume intermediate.
Any ideas please?

[coastie]

Some times they just need a reminder that they are automatic, the IR sensor may be a little dirty or have road grime over it so that when the rain is light it doesn't pick it up. Try adjusting the sensitivity switch when it does start to rain and then adjust it back to a lower setting. Another solution is to turn the wipers off completely and then reset to automatic to see if they start working again.

[Greg Roles]

If the wipers are switching themselves between full and intermediate as you describe, it sounds to me like that position on the stalk IS automatic. Perhaps it had been knocked down into off, hence no auto start, and what you thought was the next click up, intermediate, was in fact auto???

[Paul_OH]

I've experienced the same however turning them off & adjusting the sensitivity normally fixes it. I've also been told to not use glass cleaner where the sensor is as they can leave behind a thin film which diffuses the sensor's reading.

[Stealthy]

Thanks guys.
They seem to be working again now.
How does one adjust the sensitivity?

[vw poster]

Thanks guys.
They seem to be working again now.
How does one adjust the sensitivity?

The information is clearly explained in your car user Guide.

[spiff]

Thanks guys.
They seem to be working again now.
How does one adjust the sensitivity?

I get the same problem too sometimes.

To adjust, it's on page 70 of booklet 3.1.

Basically, the positions from Top to Bottom are:
- Fast
- Slow
- Interval (the rain sensor is part of this)
- Off
- Brief

To control the sensitivity of the rain sensor. You move the stalk/lever to the Interval position then use the interval pause control to adjust the sensitivity. My manual is screwed though. It says "Switch to the right - high sensitivity. Switch to the right - low sensitivity". I'll have to try out to figure which direction is for high/low sensitivity. But, you get the idea.

To turn your rain sensor off, just move the stalk/lever to the Off position.

edit: By the way, the manual also gives a list of reasons why the rain sensor may malfunction. Damaged wiper blades, Insects on the windscreen, Salt deposits, Soiling, Cracks on windscreen. But there's a paragraph which solved 'my' problem (I get into the car when it's raining. Turn on the engine and wait for the sensor to detect all the rain on the screen and to wipe but it doesn't) about when it works. It has to be in the interval position AND the vehicle is travelling at speeds higher than 16 kmh. (my vehicle was stationary.. haha). I just moved the interval length control/sensitivity adjuster and it works again.

[coastie]

On my Golf the least sensitive setting is closest to the steering column and the (faster setting) more sensitive is closest to the drivers door. The movement of vehicle at 16km/h does explain a lot of peoples problems, mine included you can sit in driveway in pouring rain and they don't work but drive down the road on a misty day and they fire up straight away.

[soogs]

So pardon my ignorance, how do you activate the wipers when u r stationary at the lights and it's pissing with rain when u r on auto setting?

[Grover]

What is the go with the passenger side windscreen wiper on my Golf mk6?

It won't stay where it is meant to... :(

Basically it moves up the windscreen by just enough (a cm or so) so that the top of the wiper blade joint protrudes into view instead of being nicely folded out of sight.

This is very annoying (for me anyway) as this happens all by itself without me touching the wipers. It just creeps up over time by itself.

Wierd... think I'll superglue it to the windscreen on the weekend.

:comphit: :bangheadwall: :furious:

[ope126]

If you refer to your owners manual it will give you an explanation! :banana:

It does this when you turn the ignition off, to help preserve the blade / rubber it moves / settles in different positions...

[Grover]

Well I'll be a dead chook!... Thanks for the info. Put away superglue... read owner's manual more thoroughly!

[Grover]

I do believe you (as it does make perfect sense) but I could not find this anywhere in the owner's manual. I read the windscreen wiper section a couple of times and could only see the bit about the "service position" which of course is a different thing.

[Yevvy]

smthing to do with aerodynamics as well i think...mk5s got the same

[Ozram]

Don't know if its related but when I use my washers on my 05 Caddy it wipes 3 times and then waits for 20 seconds or so and then wipes once more. In between the two wiping actions the N/S wiper sits higher on the screen and then returns to the proper rest position once the last wipe is finished.

[gregozedobe]

No, that's a different function again. IIRC its called "tear drop wipe" or somesuch, and it is designed to clear up those last few drops remaining from the washers.

[SLA14h]

Is it so that a parking cop can slip a ticket under that wiper without causing damage to the bonnet?

[jausho]

As everyone has said ... It does it little movement thing every time you switch it off to preserve the wiper blades.

However - when the car's switched on and in motion, I've noticed that if you have the wipers switched to OFF then they'll sit higher on the windscreen, being visible (until you're at freeway speeds) than if you have them switched to AUTO. In the AUTO position they'll always tuck themselves away out of view when not in use.

[J-Tim]

No, that's a different function again. IIRC its called "tear drop wipe" or somesuch, and it is designed to clear up those last few drops remaining from the washers.

Yeah, we've had that on our old 10yo SAAB. It's very useful.

[cme2c]

Is it so that a parking cop can slip a ticket under that wiper without causing damage to the bonnet?

I had a Skyline new in 1986. It had a little ramp that lifted the wipers off the screen when parked. never got a ticket......

['fatboy']

I'm about to lose it with the automatic wipe function on my Golf. Having read the manual (maybe i just dont get it), I cannot work out how to disengage the auto wipe function (or rain sensor?).

I get that moving the stalk up once activites the intermittent wipe function, but I can't adjust the speed of the wipers regardless of which direction i move the slider... it has a mind of it's own.

I appreciate any tips on this

Thanks!

[darkfriend]

I've just accepted that the automatic wipers can appear a little psychotic at times.... I kind of like it.

[Pana]

I'm about to lose it with the automatic wipe function on my Golf. Having read the manual (maybe i just dont get it), I cannot work out how to disengage the auto wipe function (or rain sensor?).

I get that moving the stalk up once activites the intermittent wipe function, but I can't adjust the speed of the wipers regardless of which direction i move the slider... it has a mind of it's own.

I appreciate any tips on this

Thanks!

I'm assuming the Golf has the same auto wiper function as the Passat and your slider (which on the Passat is a little thumbwheel) adjusts the sensitivity of the sensor, not the speed of the actual wipers. Mine will sometimes wipe slowly, and sometimes scare the sh*t out of me and wipe very quickly all of a sudden - I found they are actually quite good when you get stuck behind a truck throwing a lot of spray up behind it on the freeway - they will clear the screen quickly.

[Olaf the Golaf]

i believe you can push the stalk up 3 times. once for auto (and the little knob thing on the top is your sensitivity as Pana said), twice for regular, and thrice for monsoon regular. and of course dipping it down is a one off wipe.

i only have it on if it's raining and i always have the sensor at the lowest, even then it's... twitchy at times, can't imagine why you'd have it at the highest sensitivity!

[Karlosovic]

The first day with mine it kept going off for no apparent reason, so I switched it off.
I swiitched it back on maybe two days later and have left it on since. So far it's only triggered on a phantom a couple of times. I guess I feel the same way Darkfriend does - it's an endearing quirk.
My only other complaint is that sometimes it's a bit slow to wake up initially, but once it's had that first wipe during a drive, it usually controls the water / visibility very well on the middle setting

['fatboy']

looks like there is no way around the auto wipers especially if you want to use an intermittant mode... flicking up the stalk twice sometimes is too fast for the level of rain / spray around.

And yes, i too have had the occassional frantic wipe for no apparent reason.

I wish they could just be turned off and allowed to function manually

[GTICam]

I leave my wipers in the "off" position to avoid phantom wipes. This also allows me to easily use the momentary one wipe downward flick of the wiper switch to clear the occasional drip that wouldn't trigger the auto wipers.
The intermittent/auto function works seems to work well once it is raining, but I find if the wipers stop because of a short dry spell then I often need to move the sensitivity switch one notch (more sensitive), then back to get them going again.
I think they're a good thing overall, but sometimes a little too "clever" for their own good. IMO

[Corey_R]

I don't have a MK6 yet, but I never had issues on the MKV GTI. Not a single phantom wipe in 4 months. I always had a clean front windscreen though, and I cleaned it with Meguiars Glass Cleaner and a Meguiars microfibre cloth. Not sure what other peoples cleaning process etc but if the windscreen sensor is not clean, issues can occur.

[BBP]

Coreying is right, keeping the sensor clean and clear is a must on cars with auto wipers.

[kik128]

I too am fed up with the auto function of the wipers.
They sometimes work and sometimes don't.

Phantom wipes happend regularly in night or day.

They are unreliable and I for one am getting this checked.

Car is only 4 weeks old

[Treza360]

Have a search in the MkV section (I believe it's also been covered in the Passat and MkIV as well). But the type of window cleaner you use can also have an effect on the automatic wipers. Seems the residue left behind may trigger them as well. Also mentions in places the relay part number you can get to replace the automatic and just go back to a conventional intermittent problem.

The easiest way I find is to use automatic only when it is properly raining and then adjust sensitivity as necessary. If all of a sudden they go crazy on lowest sensitivity, flicking it up to maximum and then back down to minimum normally sorts it out for a while.

And yes they are a long way from perfect and have never really have been on any specific VW model.

Cheers,
Trent

[elephino]

It's possible there's a faulty sensor. I had that on my MkV. It was usually show itself by having the headlights on in bright sunshine as well when on auto (not so easy to tell if you have bi-xenons on the MkVI).

[Karlosovic]

I leave my wipers in the "off" position ... allows me to easily use the momentary one wipe downward flick of the wiper switch
I've found that a light pull back on the wiper switch (the motion to use the washers) will result in one action of the wipers without the washer pump spooling up enough to spray water

[dopey]

I've found that they misbehave if the car hasn't been washed in a while. If the windscreen glass is nice and clean and free of excessive residue the automatic wipers function quite well (I prefer the sensitivity set to about middle) but the dirtier it gets the more it seems to act up, presumably because the dirt makes it harder for the sensor to read accurately.

[ryano]

I never had a single problem with my MKV Rain sensor (dirty whildshield or not), but on my Mk6 it was just crap, I managed to convince the dealer to replace it and have had the occaisional 'phantom' wipe since, but not nearly as many.

[mzm]

It's possible there's a faulty sensor. I had that on my MkV. It was usually show itself by having the headlights on in bright sunshine as well when on auto (not so easy to tell if you have bi-xenons on the MkVI).

If that's the case, I believe I got a faulty sensor on my MK6. I have noticed twice the headlights was on in the morning after I started up the car under blue sky. And more annoyingly, the automatic wipers are crap. They seem too sensitive, a tiny bit of rain will make them run continuously, the next sensitivity level up will make them run continuously at full speed.

In addition, the driver side wiper make noise when change direction in vertical position. And passenger side wipe make noise and a jump when going down close to the end. I have tried to clean the windscreen with glass polish, rainX, clay bar and iso-propyl alcohol, but non of them helps. This problem only happens if the glass is wet with rain or plain water. I don't know if replace the blades can fix it or not, but what my wife and I are doing now is turn up the music to cover the noise. Does anyone else have this problem?

[elephino]

If that's the case, I believe I got a faulty sensor on my MK6. I have noticed twice the headlights was on in the morning after I started up the car under blue sky. And more annoyingly, the automatic wipers are crap. They seem too sensitive, a tiny bit of rain will make them run continuously, the next sensitivity level up will make them run continuously at full speed.

In addition, the driver side wiper make noise when change direction in vertical position. And passenger side wipe make noise and a jump when going down close to the end. I have tried to clean the windscreen with glass polish, rainX, clay bar and iso-propyl alcohol, but non of them helps. This problem only happens if the glass is wet with rain or plain water. I don't know if replace the blades can fix it or not, but what my wife and I are doing now is turn up the music to cover the noise. Does anyone else have this problem?

It would depend on what the noise is. Often it's just the blade moving on the change of direction.

For the sensor, I'd definitely suggest taking it to the dealer to change it.

[cameronp]

If that's the case, I believe I got a faulty sensor on my MK6. I have noticed twice the headlights was on in the morning after I started up the car under blue sky.

You realise that the Golf has daytime driving lights as well as headlights, right? I've found the automatic headlights on mine to be pretty much spot on, although the only way you can tell whether they're on seems to be looking at the radio and seeing if it has its blue backlight on. Might be worth taking yours to the dealer to get the sensor checked out.


And more annoyingly, the automatic wipers are crap. They seem too sensitive, a tiny bit of rain will make them run continuously, the next sensitivity level up will make them run continuously at full speed.

The automatic wipers on mine are also a bit crap.

[paulcito]

What also gets me is that the rear wiper engages on reverse gear if the rear screen is slightly wet

[Corey_R]

What is it that gets you about that?

[ryano]

What is it that gets you about that?

Can be a pain if you have just used the washer to clean the front windscreen and not the rear, but since there may be a bit of water on the senser it sets off the rear wiper when you go into reverse, has happened to me a couple of times, not that big a deal though

ED: hmm didn't read his post correctly, the sensor doesn't go off if the rear screen is wet?

[mzm]

You realise that the Golf has daytime driving lights as well as headlights, right? I've found the automatic headlights on mine to be pretty much spot on, although the only way you can tell whether they're on seems to be looking at the radio and seeing if it has its blue backlight on. Might be worth taking yours to the dealer to get the sensor checked out.


Yes, I have the DRL activated. I could tell the headlights were on according to the indicator around the headlight switch. I also had a look at the headlights and made sure they were on.

I only noticed it happened in the morning (maybe cold morning only?). I am not sure if there is something to do with the dew on the car.

[Cuppa]

WARNING TO THOSE WHO ARE NOT USED TO AUTO WIPERS. - CAUTIONARY TALE.

While washing my brand new GTI MK6 for the very first time I finished hosing it down and moved the car under cover into the shade and left the ignition on to listen to the radio like i've done with previous cars in the past. Next I was wiping down the windscreen with a chamois when suddenly the wipers burst to life across the windscreen hitting my hand and snapping off in the process. Fearful that the metal arm would scratch the windscreen I then grabbed it with my hand and lifted it away from the windscreen thinking this would save the situation only to discover that the base of the wipers are restricted by the bonnet preventing the wiper arm from moving more than a few degrees off the windscreen so all I managed to do was cause a nasty scratch to the edge of the bonnet! :-(

I'd only had the car a week and wasn't aware that the wipers were set to auto which left me frustrated and angry. So I now know where the VW parts department is located and also know NEVER leave the car on when wiping the windows!!

[Tux]

That's a trap for young players! That might've saved some grief for me.. thanks mate.

I got to use the auto wipers on my second day of ownership and found they were all over the shop. I played with the sensitivity settings and couldn't find a happy medium. When they first came on I told the wife about them being auto. Not too long after we could hardly see through the screen when she asked why they hadn't come on.

[Corey_R]

WARNING TO THOSE WHO ARE NOT USED TO AUTO WIPERS. - CAUTIONARY TALE.
I think that this is the best case yet for the "Read The Flippin' Manual" cause. If you had, you would see that there is a "service position" for the windscreen wipers which you should use when washing the car or cleaning the windscreen/wipers. It places the wipers in the extended position (pointing up the windscreen) so that they are accessible, won't trigger from water, and can be safely lifted without impacting with the bonnet

Sorry to hear you have had this issue, but it's clearly explained in the manual.

[FJ Steve]

^^^ beat me to it^^^

also, that was part of the 2.5 hr pre-delivery introduction we had with the .:R32. It was VERY comprehensive.

[Maverick]

WARNING TO THOSE WHO ARE NOT USED TO AUTO WIPERS. - CAUTIONARY TALE.

While washing my brand new GTI MK6 for the very first time I finished hosing it down and moved the car under cover into the shade and left the ignition on to listen to the radio like i've done with previous cars in the past. Next I was wiping down the windscreen with a chamois when suddenly the wipers burst to life across the windscreen hitting my hand and snapping off in the process. Fearful that the metal arm would scratch the windscreen I then grabbed it with my hand and lifted it away from the windscreen thinking this would save the situation only to discover that the base of the wipers are restricted by the bonnet preventing the wiper arm from moving more than a few degrees off the windscreen so all I managed to do was cause a nasty scratch to the edge of the bonnet! :-(

I'd only had the car a week and wasn't aware that the wipers were set to auto which left me frustrated and angry. So I now know where the VW parts department is located and also know NEVER leave the car on when wiping the windows!!

As coreying said reading the manual has benefits.

To add to his post the radio can be operated with the ignition off, press the power button and it will fire up (also in the manual).

Touch up paint in both a pair of small bottles (color and clear) or spray paint is also available from the spare parts department to touch up the bonnet. Around $20 for the bottles.

[GTI mk6]

What also gets me is that the rear wiper engages on reverse gear if the rear screen is slightly wet

I was told by the dealership that if you have the wipers on auto/rain sensor mode, "everytime
you engage reverse gear", the rear wiper engages (think just one sweep), even if the window is completely dry?
Cant test this out right now as my car is currently over at dealership for the next week.

Personally I dont like this idea, particularly having it sweep a dry window, so would then need to
keep wipers in the "off" position to prevent this happening.
Can anyone confirm this?
Must remember to try this once i get my car back

[FJ Steve]

this is not the case on a MK5. The rear wiper won't sweep unless:

1. Reverse gear is selected, AND
2. The rain sensor prism on the front screen actually detects water.

The only other way the wiper should operate, is if you manually select it yourself.

Sounds like your dealership is not quite up to speed with the vehicle. Same as a well known dealer here in Perth, who tried to tell me that the new Golf R is a turbocharged/supercharged engine. Huh?

[Karlosovic]

My parking spot at home is in an underground garage, so the car is always dry when i get in and reverse out
I have left my wipers in auto mode for several weeks now and have never seen the rear wiper sweep while reversing

[Brian]

I was told by the dealership that if you have the wipers on auto/rain sensor mode, "everytime
you engage reverse gear", the rear wiper engages (think just one sweep), even if the window is completely dry?
Cant test this out right now as my car is currently over at dealership for the next week.

Personally I dont like this idea, particularly having it sweep a dry window, so would then need to
keep wipers in the "off" position to prevent this happening.
Can anyone confirm this?
Must remember to try this once i get my car back

Because I was bored, I just tried this on my MK6 TSi.
1/ Turn on ignition
2/Turn on auto wipe function - result - front wipers do a sweep
3/Put DSG in Reverse - result - rear wiper does a sweep

The car has been in the garage for 2 days so definitely no water anywhere.
I personally leave the auto wipers OFF, as the erratic behavior annoys me. I prefer to hit the single sweep when its needed rather than scraping the blades on dry glass
Regards,
Brian

[GTI mk6]

Because I was bored, I just tried this on my MK6 TSi.
1/ Turn on ignition
2/Turn on auto wipe function - result - front wipers do a sweep
3/Put DSG in Reverse - result - rear wiper does a sweep

The car has been in the garage for 2 days so definitely no water anywhere.
I personally leave the auto wipers OFF, as the erratic behavior annoys me. I prefer to hit the single sweep when its needed rather than scraping the blades on dry glass
Regards,
Brian

Hey Brian,
thanks for confirming what they said, yep I am with you on this.....what a dumb idea having the rear wiper automatically
come on everytime you hit reverse (if keeping the wiper stick in the rain sensor position)
On my last car, I pretty much always kept it in this position and that was a hatch also, so it had a rear wiper that didnt activate
unless I wanted it to.
Think I will just manually hit the single sweep in intermittent rain, otherwise I will forget to turn the wipers off when arriving home
and it will irk me next morning when engaging reverse, then having wiper sweep a dry window after car is garaged overnight.
What were they thinking?

[FJ Steve]

Trade it in on a MKV.


Seriously...I would be going back to the dealership and getting this "issue" sorted. I have driven a MKVI GTI for numerous days...and NEVER had that problem. Yes..the wipers were set to "Auto"

[sillygogo]

I would say check if the winscreen is clean on the sensor area. There were a few phantom wipes for me too..however, issue resolved when the sensor area is clean. Pull down for a quick 3 wipes, OFF, Auto(in auto play around with the sensitivity, little tricky at first but you will find the correct settings). And if it comes on too late from a few spray, then either flick it to quick wipe. Although, it is on auto, its not perfect every time, hey this keep us active too.

Second on the DRL, it comes standard on the golf IV. I do wish they have an dash indicator to let you know when the Low beam is on. I guess just look for the purple radio light for now will do .

[mtj007]

We've had/have a Passat, 2 Mk V Golfs and a Mk VI Golf... all of them equipped with auto wipers, always set to auto. None of them (Mk VI included) wipe the rear window when reverse is engaged unless there is water on the front windscreen which has triggered the front wipers. None of our cars have had any issues and the wipers have worked as you'd expect, yes there have been phantom wipes but usually only if the windscreen is minging.
I suggest you pay your dealer a visit if your car wipes every time reverse is selected.

The other thing is if the car has been parked in the rain but it isn't actually raining when you start the car the rain sensor doesn't seem to detect the water sitting on the screen, I don't know for sure but I assume each time you start the car the sensor 'resets' and because it works off light refracting it doesn't detect the sitting water until it moves around on the sensor. I just flick the sensitivity switch up a notch and back down and it wipes and is back to normal



Second on the DRL, it comes standard on the golf IV. I do wish they have an dash indicator to let you know when the Low beam is on. I guess just look for the purple radio light for now will do .

Not exactly the most convenient spot but the colour of the "AUTO" on the headlight switch changes colour. From memory it's green when the DRLs are on/low beam off and changes to red when the low beam is on... it might be the other way around. North Americans have a "DRL" light in the instrument cluster, don't know why we don't get it.

[GTI mk6]

We've had/have a Passat, 2 Mk V Golfs and a Mk VI Golf... all of them equipped with auto wipers, always set to auto. None of them (Mk VI included) wipe the rear window when reverse is engaged unless there is water on the front windscreen which has triggered the front wipers. None of our cars have had any issues and the wipers have worked as you'd expect, yes there have been phantom wipes but usually only if the windscreen is minging.
I suggest you pay your dealer a visit if your car wipes every time reverse is selected.

Okay, once I get my car back, I will test it out.
No, actually better still I will test it BEFORE leaving dealership (good thinking 99) just in case.
So will make sure windscreen is dry and clean first.
Wondering why the salesman said this to me then, maybe I miss -understood what he meant?
I did have the setting on the least sensitive and do understand that phantom things can trigger the front wipers
and maybe the rear one only does a sweep if the front one activated first then.......sure hope this is the case

Thanks for your input everyone

[sillygogo]

Not exactly the most convenient spot but the colour of the "AUTO" on the headlight switch changes colour. From memory it's green when the DRLs are on/low beam off and changes to red when the low beam is on... it might be the other way around. North Americans have a "DRL" light in the instrument cluster, don't know why we don't get it.

Sweet..will try it out..however, i think on mine, the lights remain the same.

[Maverick]

Okay, once I get my car back, I will test it out.
No, actually better still I will test it BEFORE leaving dealership (good thinking 99) just in case.
So will make sure windscreen is dry and clean first.
Wondering why the salesman said this to me then, maybe I miss -understood what he meant?
I did have the setting on the least sensitive and do understand that phantom things can trigger the front wipers
and maybe the rear one only does a sweep if the front one activated first then.......sure hope this is the case

Thanks for your input everyone

RTFM and you will get the same answer others have said above. The rear wiper will only operate automatically if you have the wipers on auto AND rain is detected AND you select reverse gear.

[sillygogo]

RTFM and you will get the same answer others have said above. The rear wiper will only operate automatically if you have the wipers on auto AND rain is detected AND you select reverse gear.

Thats great..i was wondering about that.why the wiper was auto on the rear when reversing and not when going forward. thats good design.

[GTI mk6]

RTFM and you will get the same answer others have said above. The rear wiper will only operate automatically if you have the wipers on auto AND rain is detected AND you select reverse gear.

What does RTFM mean please? Nothing nasty is it?
As I said, I will try it out myself BEFORE leaving the dealership, (also just in case it is faulty).

[ConR]

What does RTFM mean please? Nothing nasty is it?
As I said, I will try it out myself BEFORE leaving the dealership, (also just in case it is faulty).

read the manual...with another word thrown in between 'the' and 'manual'....I don't know what it is though :icon_shrug:

[sillygogo]

Sweet..will try it out..however, i think on mine, the lights remain the same.

Well..you know what? The light behind the headlight dial do lights up when the low beam is on.

[GTI mk6]

read the manual...with another word thrown in between 'the' and 'manual'....I don't know what it is though :icon_shrug:

Oh okay, totally get it including the "uncalled for" missing word.
I DID read the "Fabulous" manual actually, was still a little unsure so actually thought this forum
was for anyone to ask questions on???
Funny after reading many posts and mud slinging, I was reluctant to even ask this in the first place.
Wouldnt it be boring if we were all wired the same way.

Thanks for your hilarious response to my query ktrianta, so not need for Maverick to expand it
further, great intro to a newbie though.

[FJ Steve]

RTFM = Read The F***ing Manual

(Maverick said it......)

[GTI mk6]

rtfm = read the f***ing manual

(maverick said it......)
i got it the first time thank you

[FJ Steve]

i got it the first time thank yousorry...my screen didn't refresh and I wasn't quick enough. Apologies

[Maverick]

RTFM = Read The F***ing Manual

(Maverick said it......)

I said Read The Fahrzeug Manual, just because there is another version of the acronym doesn't mean I was using it!

[ConR]

Thanks for your hilarious response to my query ktrianta, so not need for Maverick to expand it
further, great intro to a newbie though.

Sorry dude, in no way was I trying to be rude with my post...think you've misinterpreted, and slightly over reacted to it as well.

[Karlosovic]

Maverick? Over react to an innocent question ?? No waaaayyy !

[manyoo]

I'm not sure if I'm having a problem on the passenger side wiper which quite annoys me.

When the auto wiper option is enabled, SOMETIMES the wiper does not move down completely before it moves up again. As the auto option is enabled and when the sensor does not detect any rain, it just stayed there and until I manually wipe the screen. Then it will come down completely and I'll not see the wiper from my driver seat position. The problem seems to be never happen when I manually wipe the screen.

I think it may be the dirt on the wiper or on the screen causing the issue. Does anyone see similar problem?

Thanks for any feedback.

[FJ Steve]

The wiper will return to a different position each time. It is designed this way so that the life of the blade is extended etc etc.

Maverick did write something up about this sometime ago...and it is a great feature on the VWs. Maybe there is something in the manual, or even if you do a search on this site for +Maverick +wiper

[manyoo]

Thanks FJ Steve.

I'll look at the manual again. I searched on this site and I do not manage to find the thread you mentioned. I'll keep searching.

One thing I would like to mention is sometimes when it does not complete moving down, it stays there for a few seconds and may move down completely and moves up again. Does this relate to the feature as well?

[FJ Steve]

yep...pretty sure that is what you are seeing.

[manyoo]

Thanks again :)

[FJ Steve]

a post from Maverick (albeit on another forum...but you will get the idea)



Every second time you turn the car off the car moves the arms up a little so the blade is bent in the opposite direction so that the blade wears out evenly on each side. A normal car leaves the blade in the one position all the time and the blade deforms over time and has to be replaced a lot earlier.

[GTI mk6]

I'm not sure if I'm having a problem on the passenger side wiper which quite annoys me.

When the auto wiper option is enabled, SOMETIMES the wiper does not move down completely before it moves up again. As the auto option is enabled and when the sensor does not detect any rain, it just stayed there and until I manually wipe the screen. Then it will come down completely and I'll not see the wiper from my driver seat position. The problem seems to be never happen when I manually wipe the screen.

I think it may be the dirt on the wiper or on the screen causing the issue. Does anyone see similar problem?

Thanks for any feedback.
Hi Manyoo,
I also noticed the same thing, only happens when its in the rain sensor mode.
Most times it will sit a bit above its normal resting spot (almost like its deciding whether it needs to go another sweep or not)
then if it doesnt do another sweep most times it will then drop back down to the resting position after approx 1 second....but not always.
I had the car over at the service dept to replace broken interior trim and asked about this.
The service manager made enquiries and apparently this is "normal". It may go back to the normal resting spot 19 times out of 20,
but on the 20th time it may sit up a littler higher to prevent baldes wearing out too soon (thats what they have told me).
Sometimes mine will stay up a little from the full resting place till I use it next, and like you I notice it from the drivers seat then too, but
if it goes right back down I dont see it either.
Didnt see anything in the owners manual on this and car had to go to VW anyway so was easier to ask service dept
Hope this helps :-)

[manyoo]

Hi GTI mk6,

Thanks for your feedback. Your description is much better than mine. This is exactly what I experienced.

I can see your explanation can be part of the feature FJ Steve mentioned. So I don't need to worried about it as this is normal :)

[GTI mk6]

Hi GTI mk6,

Thanks for your feedback. Your description is much better than mine. This is exactly what I experienced.

I can see your explanation can be part of the feature FJ Steve mentioned. So I don't need to worried about it as this is normal :)

No worries Manyoo.
Oh I didnt even see the other responses as I opened this thread from my email, then just signed in and responded.
I now see you already had the answers...hehe,

[slipshot]

For what it is worth, and at the risk of sounding like I have some knowledge, I was always under the impression there is a distinct difference between the Auto lights and the Wipers - the latter not actually being Auto but using the rain sensor.

Auto lights will come on when it gets dark, so you don't have to turn the switch. Simple.

However, the first stage of the wiper is not so much an Auto mode as one which either uses the top switch to change the frequency OR the top switch to change the sensitivity of the rain sensing wiper mode. So, to my mind this wiper arm is ALWAYS off unless it starts to rain.

Then if it does, I put it to the first position and adjust the rain sensor sensitivity so it only sweeps when there is x amount of water on the screen. Thus if it changes intensity, the wipers keep up. If I had a manual (non-rain sensor car) then it would sweep with the same frequency every time regardless of the amount of rain.

Thus the rain sensor was not intended to be an automatic position, but one that changed the frequency of the wiper sweeps depending on the amount of rain. Thus if it was not raining, the wiper arm should be turned off.

Thus in my book it would always be better to have the wipers off until needed to avoid any issues, and not consider them an 'Auto' position...

[Corey_R]

... or you can just adjust what you're cleaning your windscreen with and leave it in Auto for the wipers like I did for the entire ownership of my MKV GTI...

[slipshot]

... or you can just adjust what you're cleaning your windscreen with and leave it in Auto for the wipers like I did for the entire ownership of my MKV GTI...

or there is that too:biggrin:

[Maverick]

For what it is worth, and at the risk of sounding like I have some knowledge, I was always under the impression there is a distinct difference between the Auto lights and the Wipers - the latter not actually being Auto but using the rain sensor.

???? How are the lights auto and the wipers not?

The lights use a sensor to determine when they turn on and off.
The wipers use a sensor to determine when they turn on and off and the speed of operation mode.


Auto lights will come on when it gets dark, so you don't have to turn the switch. Simple.

However, the first stage of the wiper is not so much an Auto mode as one which either uses the top switch to change the frequency OR the top switch to change the sensitivity of the rain sensing wiper mode. So, to my mind this wiper arm is ALWAYS off unless it starts to rain.

The same arm is used on cars with and without the rain sensor.


Then if it does, I put it to the first position and adjust the rain sensor sensitivity so it only sweeps when there is x amount of water on the screen. Thus if it changes intensity, the wipers keep up. If I had a manual (non-rain sensor car) then it would sweep with the same frequency every time regardless of the amount of rain.

Thus the rain sensor was not intended to be an automatic position, but one that changed the frequency of the wiper sweeps depending on the amount of rain. Thus if it was not raining, the wiper arm should be turned off.

I have no idea how you get to that conclusion when everything says you leave it in the auto position.

What about the auto window up and sunroof closing? This requires the switch to be in the auto position.


Thus in my book it would always be better to have the wipers off until needed to avoid any issues, and not consider them an 'Auto' position...

That's all very well and fine but completely pointless for the others that actually want to have automatic wipers and have that benefits that they offer.

[Mk6 GTI]

I've just accepted that the automatic wipers can appear a little psychotic at times.... I kind of like it.

LOL! They totally are!