What on earth does he mean you're thinking. I've just been looking at photos of the snowstorm in the US, on the BBC web site and all of the parked cars have their windscreen wipers lifted, as you would if you were cleaning the screen. What's that for? It'll stop them freezing to the screen but by the time you've cleared the snow off the heater would have sorted that out. Odd.
JH
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Also common in alpine areas of Europe, as you say it stops damage to the blades and makes it easier to remove deep snow from the car. In seriously cold climates I assure you the car heater will not clear ice from the screen by the time you have removed the snow.
Edited by Old Navy on 06/02/2010 at 20:00
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During the recent mini ice-age, the car suffered a few partial thaws which left some very hard ice on the wiper blades. It was stuck on firmly and needed removing by hand. Presumably by having the wipers vertical, snow wouldn't accumulate, so avoiding the ice.
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If you also forget to turn auto wipers off they make a funny noise when turn ignition on.-
I know !!
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If I leave my rain sensing wipers on, they don't work after an engine restart. Have to switch them off and on again. I know why now.
FTF
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Normally this is how they work. My wifes car you are supposed to move the lever down to activate them and they reset themselves to off when the ignition is turned off.
BUT....last week I was clearing the screen and they switched themselves on when I cleared the sensor area without any manual intervention happening inside the car.
Edited by gmac on 06/02/2010 at 22:31
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As ON says, the heater will not get rid of the ice in a deep freeze and also, modern cars have wiper sensors which are easily confused, activating the wipers as you clear the screen. Result ripped wiper rubbers.
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activating the wipers as you clear the screen. Result ripped wiper rubbers.
Or worse like a burned out motor.
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Despite having told myself not to I managed to leave my wipers on their auto setting overnight the other week. Next morning they were frozen to the glass but trying desperately to free themselves. Fortunately, I noticed before they damaged themselves. I hate auto wipers. I much prefer the variable intermittent / standard / fast, manually selectable setup. On the Qashqai if you want intermittent you have to select auto and it never does what you would have personally chosen. Despicable things.
My other grouse with the setup on that car is that it unilaterally decides to wipe the back window when you select reverse if the auto function for the front wipers is switched on. All very well unless you have a bike rack on the back. Another stupid idea.
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A couple of years ago I turned off the ignition with the wipers on - and next time I drove the car there was 4" of snow on the screen. Result was a burned out wiper motor. Luckily it was only a £20 fix, but a real nuisance, as I could not drive the car until fixed, as the slush/salt mix made the screen opaque in seconds...
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Fortunately I noticed before they damaged themselves. I hate auto wipers.
Have you passed a magic birthday or something Hump...welcome to The Luddite Club..;)
Actually we're not true Luddites just bemused and underwhelmed by much of this silly gadgetry destined to go faulty at some point.
The frozen wiper problem is a nightmare for people doing my job..there's no standardised wiper controls at all or indeed how they work in 'transport' mode..very often even if not turned on they cover one wipe every time you switch on.
On many vehicles you can't lift the wipers because the bonnet gets in the way when parked and trying to stop them at halfway point to enable lifting isn't possible on many cars.
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somebody i know came to see me this week and he had started his car with the wipers stuck to the screen
he scratched the screen
he smashed the wipers
he twisted the arms beyond repair
ive never seen anything like it and the spindles didnt bust
it was a rattle type mobile
take it easy out there folks parts is dear these days............
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It'll stop them freezing to the screen but by the time you've cleared the snow off the heater would have sorted that out. Odd. JH
Not on the C8. The hot air is aimed squarely at the top two-thirds of the screen leaving the parked wipers potentially frozen. I've had to clear caked snow from under the wipers manually.
And I thought I was the only one in the universe lifting the wipers on our cars. During the freeze-thaw cycles I have parked the wipers vertically on the C8 because the arms don't stay lifted. I don't like the idea of snow resting on the arms and blades as it sits on the screen. Too much leverage as BB found out.
I once started the engine on my Fiat 128 with snow burying the wipers and blew the fuse.
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Not on the C8. The hot air is aimed squarely at the top two-thirds of the screen leaving the parked wipers potentially frozen.
Daughter's Mitsubishi Colt is the same - and only has a pretty pathetic single vent about 6" long in the centre of the dash. You can warm and thoroughly de-ice the car and the wipers will still be frozen solid.
With the main wiper being like something off a bus at 26" long it's surely not a good idea to put it under any kind of strain.
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Lifting the wipers to avoid them freezing to the screen seems a very sensible idea. However, in our chav ridden country it doesn't take much imagination to see what would happen to a street full of cars parked thus...
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>>However in our chav ridden country it doesn't take much imagination to see what wouldhappen to a street full of cars parked thus...
Too true, a town I visit in Austria sits alongside a lake. Along the shore there is a footpath, then a cycle track, railway line and road running parallel to each other. The only restriction to access are level crossing gates where side roads cross the railway, no fences at all. There are never any problems, the Austrians are obviously far brighter than us and realise that a train will kill you, and the local kids realise that if they obstruct the track and a train derails it will take out a big chunk of the town. In winter almost every car in the town has its wiper blades lifted, there is no graffiti or vandalism, or even litter. I despair for our country, I think Austrian laws must be enforced, and they have pride in their town.
Edited by Old Navy on 07/02/2010 at 13:20
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Yunno, there are times when living in this country makes me feel sad.
FTF
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I always raise all 3 wiper blades whenever there is the smallest hint of frost. Returning from holiday in early Jan I had a ripped blade when collected from the airport car parking people.
They obviously did not raise then during the 14 day stay. Not very professional in my opinion and I told them so.
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Lifting the wipers to avoid them freezing to the screen seems a very sensible idea. However in our chav ridden country it doesn't take much imagination to see what would happen to a street full of cars parked thus...
That's what I initially read the word "lifted" to mean :)
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