Automatic Wipers...

[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).