Windscreen wipers - exciting thread ahoy!

[mikeyr]

This is probably the dumbest question but I'm sat at work at the mo having used the windscreen washer jets for the first time in ages (thanks Sahara!).

My wipers stop when the washers are firing out the fluid - e.g. they'll be halfway through their motion and pause there as long as the washer fluid is coming out. Most cars the wipers keep moving across the screen whilst this is happening.

So my dumb question is:
Is this "normal" behaviour for a 996? Or has it always done this and I've not noticed?!

[chriscoates81]

Pull the stick further back, I believe there are 2 states based on how much the stick is moved. Partially pulling it sprays but no wipe. When I do mine I pull it quite a way and it sprays and wipes. Obviously not too much as you don't want to pay Porsche tax on the replacement stick.

[mikeyr]

That I will try - maybe I was weakened by all this air pollution

[rlw]

It stops the wipers scratching the screen by dragging dry dust all over it and gives the wipers something to work with. In the wet, not so much of a problem but in the dry damage is very easily done long term. After 20 odd years of Porsche's any other way of doing it seems weird, not to mention wrong.

[mikeyr]

Begs the question how I've not noticed it before but then it was constantly raining over winter so maybe I never had to bother!!!

[swindorski]

mikeyr said:

My wipers stop when the washers are firing out the fluid - e.g. they'll be halfway through their motion and pause there as long as the washer fluid is coming out.

Mine does exactly that.

[zap mc]

Early models always suffered with a fine haze in the wiper sweep so that is maybe whilst it works in that way