Bornidle
Member Since: 15 Aug 2008
Location: Parked Up
Posts: 256
  
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| Auto Windscreen Wiper !!!! |
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Wondering if anyone can shed some light on this?
my wipers tend to please themselves when set in the auto position.
i.e tonight driving home its light rain, wipers would hardly kick in until it was near impossible to see, had to revert to manual flick of the wiper switch , yet on other days it comes on way to early 
is there any way to adjust /set the auto function , as it can be quite a pain in the  doing it manually as the only other option is ON and thats some times to much and the windscreen drys up and ... welll yanno the rest...... Sqeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeck 
i know the setting on the wiper lever is to adjust the rear , so why no front adjustment too????
 I have enough money to last me the rest of my life.Unless i buy something..
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 14th Dec 2008 7:32 pm |
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Hassle
Member Since: 19 Nov 2008
Location: Sleaford
Posts: 723
 
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There is a timer for the rear wiper
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| 14th Dec 2008 7:53 pm |
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Reggieb
Member Since: 13 Sep 2007
Location: Watford, Herts.
Posts: 707
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I believe the adjustment is for the front but it has a mind of its own ..  TDV6 HSE - Light Guards - White Reflective Sticker
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| 14th Dec 2008 8:02 pm |
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hernan1304
Member Since: 28 Feb 2008
Location: Dubai
Posts: 490
  
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I think the adjustment is for the front. As I understand it, in order for the wipers to be on AUTO, you need to select the setting that is a horizontal line. Any of the others is just a regular user-controlled intermittent setting like on any other car. So you can't really adjust the sensitivity of the auto wipers, you can only select whether you'd like them to be in auto mode or not.
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| 14th Dec 2008 10:17 pm |
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D3 1234
Member Since: 03 Nov 2008
Location: Stradbally, Waterford
Posts: 225
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Mine often plays up too, however have noticed by wiping the muck and gunge off the sensor that it works better.
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| 15th Dec 2008 10:51 am |
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simon
Member Since: 11 Jan 2005
Location: Shropshire
Posts: 18296
 
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The adjustment is for sensitivity of the front and regularity of the rear wiper.
Its best to put the wipers to off, then adjust the rotary switch before returning the wipers to auto. This seems to reset the auto wipe system for a while and they behave more as expected.
They are a bit random, but I think a lot of the sensors input is effected by the amount of light entering the sensor as well as refraction caused by the water droplets.
Personally I think they work very well for 80% of the time. Just they get foxed by certain conditions.
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| 15th Dec 2008 10:59 am |
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DiscoDunc
Member Since: 08 May 2006
Location: Bristol
Posts: 16390
 
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Also best to keep the windscreen clean. give it wipe over with meths now and again to remove the grease that collects on the windscreen sensor. a subsequent wipe with that Rainx stuff can also help Duncan
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If I'd known I was going to be so thirsty this morning I'd have drunk more beer last night.
FFRR Autobiography 4.4 SDV8 MY17
D4 HSE MY13 SOLD
FFRR 3.6 Vogue TDV8 SOLD
D4 HSE MY10 SOLD
D4 SE TECH MY15 SOLD
D4 XS MY12 SOLD
D4 HSE MY10 SOLD
D3 HSE MY06 - Re-Cycled Worldwide
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| 15th Dec 2008 11:11 am |
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crews control
Member Since: 18 Mar 2007
Location: Dorset
Posts: 5011
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This has come up before here... http://www.disco3.co.uk/forum/topic23840.html It all got quite heated because on most D3's with rain sensors the manual appears to be wrong! The rain sensing wipers are either on or off and the adjustment dial on the stalk simply changes the frequency of the rear wiper only!!! I've yet to see proof that this dial has any effect on the rain sensitivity of the front wipers and nobody seems able to show me otherwise. Maybe it's changed on newer models? Cleaning the sensor area of the screen usually sorts it on mine, for a while anyway.
DG wrote:what would be the point of having auto rain sensing wipers that need to be variably controlled. My wipers go as fast as the rain does...I don't have to touch them at all
Am I the only one who thinks the design of the wiper stalk is very poor? Even after two years driving, it doesn't seem very intuitive. I still get the front and rear wash pull wrong, and it's way too easy to leave the rear wiper running unintentionally. It all seems the wrong way around to me but then I came from a merc not a ford?
Maybe it's just me...  2005 D3 HSE
2011 D4 Landmark
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| 15th Dec 2008 11:21 am |
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crews control
Member Since: 18 Mar 2007
Location: Dorset
Posts: 5011
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simon wrote:Its best to put the wipers to off, then adjust the rotary switch before returning the wipers to auto. This seems to reset the auto wipe system for a while and they behave more as expected.
Try just turning then off and on again without moving the dial - same reset effect!  2005 D3 HSE
2011 D4 Landmark
2016 D4 HSE Lux
2017 Ford Tourneo VR46
Club Waitomo
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| 15th Dec 2008 11:25 am |
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Hassle
Member Since: 19 Nov 2008
Location: Sleaford
Posts: 723
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I agree, I always clean the rear window first, when I mean to do the front windscreen. I used to have a D2 before and the rear windscreen was a button to operate. I still have a golf and the D3 works totally back to front to that
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| 15th Dec 2008 11:29 am |
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DiscoDunc
Member Since: 08 May 2006
Location: Bristol
Posts: 16390
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Stalk is fine for me 
pull for rear wipe/wash, push in end of stalk for front wash, move lever up/down to operate front.... easy
FWIW, my "dial" only adjusts the frequency of the rear wiper. it has no effect on the front. I spent about 6 months trying to get it to work before i realised it was the rear it effected 
I had a merc E320 before the D3 and my biggest gripe with the controls was having the rear wiper button on the dash below the radio. Duncan
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If I'd known I was going to be so thirsty this morning I'd have drunk more beer last night.
FFRR Autobiography 4.4 SDV8 MY17
D4 HSE MY13 SOLD
FFRR 3.6 Vogue TDV8 SOLD
D4 HSE MY10 SOLD
D4 SE TECH MY15 SOLD
D4 XS MY12 SOLD
D4 HSE MY10 SOLD
D3 HSE MY06 - Re-Cycled Worldwide
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| 15th Dec 2008 11:39 am |
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simon
Member Since: 11 Jan 2005
Location: Shropshire
Posts: 18296
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So when the front is set to auto, twist the dial, my wiper then wipes as soon as you twist it. Its then more frequent in its operation / more sensitive. The different is not huge, but is there.
Especially if its road spray and not actual rain from above.
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| 15th Dec 2008 11:46 am |
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Gareth
Site Moderator
Member Since: 07 Dec 2004
Location: Bramhall
Posts: 26704
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Maybe its an early vehicle thing, but mine seems to only affect the rear wiper. I can't say I have noticed any change in the front wipers no matter where the adjuster is set.
Sometimes, the rear wiper goes constantly in heavy rain, others it does not. There must be some link between the rear wiper and the rain sensor for this to happen.
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| 15th Dec 2008 11:51 am |
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simon
Member Since: 11 Jan 2005
Location: Shropshire
Posts: 18296
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I've noticed that too in heavy rain / spray.
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| 15th Dec 2008 11:53 am |
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stapldm
Member Since: 11 Sep 2006
Location: Swine Town
Posts: 2330
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Would cleaning the inside of the glass in front of the sensor help?
I note that in winter I get a lot more oil (FBH fumes?) that needs to be cleaned off the inside, and the misting up when cold is affected by where I've cleaned (dirty = more misty).
I'm sure I saw a post here about how to remove the rear view mirror from the glass (twist?) but can't find it at the moment, so haven't tried to see if it's possible. Dr. Ian Malcolm:
"Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should."
Transgenic tomato anyone?
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| 15th Dec 2008 1:49 pm |
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