Auto Wipers

[Coops Mk1]

Mine seem to be not working

I need to get this straight in my head too, if the auto lights are on, the auto wipers are also on and will work when the stalk is set to first click ('intermittent') and look after themselves

if I turn off the auto lights, this turns off the auto wipers and means they work as intermittent on the first click of the stalk and you can use the slider to adjust the pause between wipes?

all correct so far??

mine currently has auto lights on and working fine, but the wipers work on the first click on a set pause intermittent wipe only and the slider adjustments does nothing either? am I to take it this means the sensor is fubar and the car is clever enough to know this and put the wipers on set pause intermittent. but not clever enough to allow me to have the slider adjustment function with the auto light still set to on?

is there a nack to fitting the sensor to the windscreen too, does it need to be pressed right up against the glass?

sorry for the ramble, just pouring my thoughts out as they come

cheers

Ben

 

[SC03OTT]

I don't think the first part is correct. They - lights and wipers - work independently of each other. So one being off shouldn't affect the other.

 

[ThomasBrentnall]

As Scott says, Auto lights being off does not affect the wipers

 

[mark123]

You can't turn auto wipers off (by this I mean you can't make the position 1 of the stalk act like intermittent wipers).

The slider adjusts the sensitivity of the auto wipers, it is not always immediately obvious that it does anything.

 

[muckyman]

as previously mentioned, there is no connection between auto lights and auto wiper function.
However, you do have to enable the auto wiper function every time you start the car up.
The manual says the following....
'The rain sensor is deactivated every time the ignition is switched off.
To reactivate the sensor, return to stop position A, then move to rain sensor position B.
This causes the wipers to sweep once'

Also, the speed of the auto wipers is dependant on if the car is moving or stopped....
'If a wiping speed is selected when driving, the wiping speed is reduced to a lower speed when the vehicle stops'

 

[Coops Mk1]

right so its a straight cut case, my auto wipers are fubar then as the first click just puts them on a permanent set pause wipe sequence even if there's not a cloud in the sky

its all one sensor isn't it? is it just a case of swapping it or does it need to be sealed to the screen somehow for the sensor to work? I have no idea what sort of sensor it is, pressure or what?

 

[SC03OTT]

If I was you, I'd leave them as they are. A variable wipe setting is better than an automatic one IMO. I can never set mine right. Couldn't in my last car either. If I could spec without them, I would.

 

[Coops Mk1]

disagree, they worked fine for a year, just recently given up and I really miss them, when they worked they only had the occasional spazzy moment where they went onto 'furious w**k', usually when the rain stopped!lol!

 

[Ade182]

I read on here that the dial on the wiper stalk is for how big the rain drops are. The thinner line for light spray and thicker for heavy rain. Since I've used that theory I don't have much trouble with mine now, however they do get over-eager when it's lashing it down.

Also, Rain-X wil push water onto the sensor area which helped when mine never wiped enough for the amount of rain.

 

[Waitey]

Rob

 

[JonNZ]

Sorry to dredge up an old thread but these exact symptoms are happening with my wife's Ph2 Clio 172, after a replacement windscreen under insurance. Gone is the nice original purple tinted UV windscreen, as well as the auto wipers function. This is the newest and most expensive car my wife's owned, so she wants everything working like it did when it went to get a new screen.

So, auto lights work fine. The auto wipers don't work and switching to their position on the stalk, the wipers work in a conventional intermittent mode, which they never used to do. We've had at least 5 trips back to the windscreen company and it's just not getting sorted. Last time, they apparently replaced the rain sensor unit for a new one from Renault and this is the first time it's been fitted to the screen without the gel pack being opaque, so I'd hoped it'd be sorted.

I'm currently in negotiations with the insurers to get a second opinion from another approved fitter but they can't just write off the expense from the first fitters, when they've not fixed the problem. So they want me to go back, yet again. Currently dealing with my annoyed wife, insurance company that won't listen, windscreen company secretary that calls me despite admitting to not understanding the job or the details being relayed, first fitter who's on holiday and second fitter who's an apprentice and is away on training.

 

[JonNZ]

So, over a month later and we get to try another branch of the same windscreen company. Fortunately, my wife works in two different towns, so she can drop it off quite easily. This branch seemed more positive and are in a larger town, so had more of a clue about rain sensing wipers etc. as the average age of cars in New Zealand is older than most other countries, so rain sensing wipers are still quite uncommon.

Anyway, once again, it couldn't be fixed! According to them, the rain sensor needs to be connected to Renault diagnostics equipment, for re-calibration. Despite the nice persona, I think this is a kindly way of fobbing us off, as I've no idea how you'd connect any part of the module up to diagnostic equipment!

So, I thought I'd call a Renault dealer for a quick chat and the service guy I spoke to confirmed my suspicions that he's never heard of a rain sensor needing calibration. He mentioned a few things to try, which we did but still no joy. Only thing is, on inspection, there's a bubble in the gel pack that wasn't there before. It's probably 5mm across and is to the left of the sensor as you look at it, so is there a chance that could be the issue?

It's a good job I haven't got rid of the 205 GTI this replaced, as I reckon stuff like this is only going to become more of a problem down the line!