Windscreen wiper control

[warrenpfo]

On my drive to and from the North yesterday I had some time to think what it is that I would change if I could and one thing that really does bother me is my wiper control.

I have the rain sensitive wipers which in my opinion are ok if you drive through a puddle whilst off roading or at speed and they auto clean so you are not fussing around to wipe the window but can rather focus on driving BUT the frequency at which it wipes it not great.

I always find that they are far too sensitive and no matter how clean the sensor is by the rear view mirror or where I have the sensor control on the stork it wipes too often.

Also if I want to manually use the wipers to clean the window I can’t just bump them up to wipe once but rather have to pull the wiper stork down to the auto position and then push it back up again which is my real bug bear.

What I want to know is if it is possible to fit an aftermarket wiper stork that gives me the option to push it up to wipe just once as and when I want but not lock into a wipe mode or if I could mod my current wiper stork so that when I push the button on the end which currently washes the lights which I never have a use for I could make it wipe the window just once??

Anyone every given this any thought??

...i had lots of time to think

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

Doesn't pulling the stalk towards you make the wipers work? The A8 I have has auto wipers and if I want an extra wipe I just blip the stalk towards me, too quick for any water to squirt but I get the extra wipe I wanted.

 

[warrenpfo]

At the moment this is what I have.

all the way up is off
down one is auto
down too is continuous
down three is continuous but faster

Blip toward me at and time only squirts water on the screen and also wipes it twice then pauses for 20sec then wipes a third to catch any drips.

Blip the end button squirts the lights with water and rotate the colar on the stork adjust the sensativity of the auto wipers and right at the end you can rotate to control the rear wiper and squirters.

That is what i have.

My situation is such that i am driving down the road and i hit hit heavy mist for example. the auto wipers wipe to fast to the point that they streak on the screen and i dont have the need to squirt washer fluid on the screen each time i want to wipe it.

I wouldlove to be able to blip the stork up like i can in my rav and just get one wipe.

 

[Gary Stockton]

Your 100 has the same controls as the 120 - bit if a pain (the 120 doesn't have the auto sensor though). I usually pull down to the intermittent setting then flick it up again. No biggy really. SWMBOs Yaris has the 'push up - one sweep' setting which is pretty useful I guess - like on the RAV. Suspect the spiral switch wouldn't know what to do with that setting if you put in the RAV or Yaris switch ..,

 

[uHu]

Yes. This needs sorting.
Stupid idiotic system. What where "they" thinking?
I have the same as you, Warren. Very impractical. My previous 100, the 2000, had normal interval, and that I found barely acceptable. This auto-thingy that doesn't work is a pain to use.
When off, and I need one wipe, I have to move two steps down, and up again!!! For ONE wipe!!! What the bliiip!

Take my 1997 Mondeo: One down = one wipe, auto return (momentary switch). One up=interval. Two-three up=continous. Sensible system. Easy to use. Easy to grasp the logic. Easy to push down for one stroke.

The auto-wipe function does not work when:
1 Under zero C (erratic: wipes when shouldn't, don't when it should)
2 Cold mornings or evenings - dew condition (wipes all the time) Also in tunnels.
3 In very light drizzle (wipes too much)
4 If the wipers are not new. (erratic)
This means, for me, that for half of the year the auto is useless.

I would like to have another two positions on the stalk. One for interval and one for momentary/one stroke. Please.

Been thinking that it must be possible to add a little microswitch, or maybe a touch-switch, on the stalk for one wipe. Or at the base of the stalk so that there is a momentary position upwards (or maybe forwards, so that it can be used when in auto as well).

Who is trying this out? There is a prize for the winner.

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

If you knew how the rain sensor is letting the wiper ECU know how much rain there is you'd probably be able to patch a simple circuit into that and fake the rain sensor signals to give you intermittent instead of auto so one click down and back would probably get you a wipe as well.

 

[warrenpfo]

I will ask Karl if he has a 100 series windscreen wiper stork I could buy off him to have a play with.