Rain Sensor
 

Hi everyone,
one of the things I would like to get working again on my car (which seems to be possessed by the worst of car demons) is the rain-sensing wipers, therefore, I would like some help diagnosing as to which part is at fault. When I bought the car they weren't working but one day out of blue they started working and after a few days they stopped again. so from what I've been told so far, the 2 main corporates are either the sensor itself or wiper stalk. So the way they behave now is pretty much like standard intermittent but when you turn them on they do the "check" thing of one wipe and pause for a little and then they operate like standard intermittent Additionally if you turn them on before turning the ignition on there is no wipe but a long pause and then they revert to standard intermittent. also from what I know, the wipers should perform one wipe every time you alter the sensitivity on the stalk mine do that only when increasing the sensitivity (shortening the time cycle on intermittent) but they don't do that when you decrease it. I also read on BMW forums some people got their wipers working again by unplugging the rain sensor fuse and plugging it back in, I tried that and clicked the stalk 1 up for intermittent the wipers came straight on continues wiping I turned them off and back on again from the stalk and once again one wipe pause and standard intermittent was back on.
Any ideas? also, do rain-sensing wipers use a different stalk from the standard ones because visually at least I can't see any difference.
Regards,
Thanos

In my owner's handbook(MG ZT T) it says that the rain sensor only works when the stalk is set to intermittent and then it only changes the delay according to the amount of rain it "sees"


Malc

yeah I do know that my rain sensor isn't working at all my wipers simply work like non rain-sensing ones

Have they ever worked during your ownership? Rather than guessing I'd get the car checked on a T4 (Lates600 over in Rugby?), TOAF might help but someone with a knowledge of TOAF would have to advise on that.

Yes they have but only for a few days I reckoned it'll need a T4 session but I bought a new sensor anyway it was only £9

Mine used to 'do their own thing' so I disconnected the sensor and they have reverted back to manual intermittent operation.

Also bear in mind that the 'sensitivity' of the rain sensor is set by twisting the end of the right hand stalk.

Variable Delay
 

Hi, my CDTI Contemporary has rain sensors. According to its manual rotating the end of the stalk varies the delay between wipes if I understand it correctly. Cheers Bill

My rain sensors were fine until I had the windscreen replaced. The guy asked about the rain sensor and I told him there was one. Leaving work that eveningall was good. It started to drizzle and on came the wipers.


It stopped - they stopped.


Next day - nothing. Just standard operation and no sensor based activity.


So I'm watching this thread with interest despite having more important matters, like getting the Tourer running again, to deal with (see my HPFP post).


JohnnyBG

Yeah mine work like standard intermittent now but I want them to work again like auto ones. I do know that you adjust them by the end of the stalk. Well with standard wipers the end of the stalk adjust the intermittent cycle meanwhile on rain sensing ones its supposed to adjust the sensitivity. Is there difference like is it different part the stalk fitted to cars with rain sensing wipers to the cars fitted with standard ones because they look identical?