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]

Passenger side windscreen wiper... WTF?

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.

[ope126]

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

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.