BMW Auto Wipers
Discussion
I was after peoples thoughts on the auto wipers on their BMWs and how they get on with them.
I have a 2015 4 Series Gran Coupe and I just find them incredibly frustrating. I came from an A3 where on day 1, I flicked the wiper stalk up to auto and left it there and it worked almost perfectly in that they wiped the window when it started raining and the wiper speed seemed consistent with the amount of rain hitting the window.
On my BMW (and I assume most others with auto wipers), you press a button on the end of the stalk to switch on the auto wipers which is fine but then the speed of the wipers seems all over the place. They wipe the window far more than is needed and I am constantly having to turn the auto wipers off then back on again to control the speed but inevitably, after about 5 minutes, they are back to constantly wiping the window when not required so it is back to switching them off and back on.
Can the sensitivity be changed? Is this a common BMW thing? Or am I just being fussy (probably!)?
I appreciate it really isn't an end of the world problem and I can put them on manually and change the speed myself but when a car has a feature, it would be nice for it to work as it should without the fear of unnecessarily damaging the wiper blades.
I have a 2015 4 Series Gran Coupe and I just find them incredibly frustrating. I came from an A3 where on day 1, I flicked the wiper stalk up to auto and left it there and it worked almost perfectly in that they wiped the window when it started raining and the wiper speed seemed consistent with the amount of rain hitting the window.
On my BMW (and I assume most others with auto wipers), you press a button on the end of the stalk to switch on the auto wipers which is fine but then the speed of the wipers seems all over the place. They wipe the window far more than is needed and I am constantly having to turn the auto wipers off then back on again to control the speed but inevitably, after about 5 minutes, they are back to constantly wiping the window when not required so it is back to switching them off and back on.
Can the sensitivity be changed? Is this a common BMW thing? Or am I just being fussy (probably!)?
I appreciate it really isn't an end of the world problem and I can put them on manually and change the speed myself but when a car has a feature, it would be nice for it to work as it should without the fear of unnecessarily damaging the wiper blades.
2018 m240i - an irritating bit of kit, sometimes it doesn't activate and I sit there willing it to just give one poxy little wipe, other times a light drizzle will send it into some sort of fit and it tries to erase the window. Now treat the 'sensitivity' wheel as purely as a manual control of variable wipe interval.
My experience of Mazda, Porsche & BMW is that this is a solution in search of a problem, none have worked correctly or at least as promised and end up just controlling it manually.
My experience of Mazda, Porsche & BMW is that this is a solution in search of a problem, none have worked correctly or at least as promised and end up just controlling it manually.
Same in 07' 330i. doing 3 mph in light drizzle with the wipers trying to set fire to themselves or no wipe at all when I can't see.
The a3 I have access to is so much better. No auto sensor, just intermittent with a sensitivity wheel so I can set how frequently it wipes, simplistic and effective. BMW just because you can it doesn't mean you should!
The a3 I have access to is so much better. No auto sensor, just intermittent with a sensitivity wheel so I can set how frequently it wipes, simplistic and effective. BMW just because you can it doesn't mean you should!
I'm completely fine with the auto sensing wipers on the '14 X3. I think if your wipers are clean and I suppose of a good enough quality then they'll cope with most scenarios.
I'm still terrified of the auto high/dipped beam feature though. The thought of blinding people means I'm hovering over the button most of the time just in case!
I'm still terrified of the auto high/dipped beam feature though. The thought of blinding people means I'm hovering over the button most of the time just in case!
I find them pretty awful too. The auto setting, even with the adjustment, are either rabidly sweeping in a mad way, or leaving a soaked windscreen which is difficult to see through.
An old VW we had had a system so perfect that you didn’t notice it. I only noticed it after having the BMW!
Strange how this doesn’t crop up in the massive amounts of testing big manufacturers do? Unless the way the test drivers use their wipers is so different from mine.
An old VW we had had a system so perfect that you didn’t notice it. I only noticed it after having the BMW!
Strange how this doesn’t crop up in the massive amounts of testing big manufacturers do? Unless the way the test drivers use their wipers is so different from mine.
I think they have taken a real step backwards - the ones on my old E46 worked perfectly but the new ones are either far too sensitive or don't do anything. Even more baffling is that they removed the intermittent function altogether on the new models, wonder what the reasoning behind that one was.
Mave said:
On the e46 I think it reverts to intermittent if it loses the rain sensor signal. I'm going to try pulling the fuse on mine to see if it works...
Just tried it, pulled fuse 15 and I've now got basic intermittent settings instead of auto wipe :-) Let's see how long it is before I decide to revert to auto...I find mine fine on the 6, I keep it on the most sensitive.
What does send it barmy in my experience is when the screen is on a incline then it does start wiping like a lunatic once back on flatter areas it is fine.
The biggest annoyance for me with the new G cars unlike the older F series models as with the changes of stalk (which on F series cars when back to a neutral position with the indicator on and drives me insane) is that the G series is auto upwards and you cannot do a single additional wipe without taking it out of auto.
On F series cars with the auto on the end of the stalk you can just pull it down for a single additional wipe over an auto one. The G series won't allow it.
What does send it barmy in my experience is when the screen is on a incline then it does start wiping like a lunatic once back on flatter areas it is fine.
The biggest annoyance for me with the new G cars unlike the older F series models as with the changes of stalk (which on F series cars when back to a neutral position with the indicator on and drives me insane) is that the G series is auto upwards and you cannot do a single additional wipe without taking it out of auto.
On F series cars with the auto on the end of the stalk you can just pull it down for a single additional wipe over an auto one. The G series won't allow it.
Ninja59 said:
I find mine fine on the 6, I keep it on the most sensitive.
What does send it barmy in my experience is when the screen is on a incline then it does start wiping like a lunatic once back on flatter areas it is fine.
The biggest annoyance for me with the new G cars unlike the older F series models as with the changes of stalk (which on F series cars when back to a neutral position with the indicator on and drives me insane) is that the G series is auto upwards and you cannot do a single additional wipe without taking it out of auto.
On F series cars with the auto on the end of the stalk you can just pull it down for a single additional wipe over an auto one. The G series won't allow it.
That is a retro grade step then on the G series. The F series has the ability to flick wipe, because the wiper stalk stays in the neutral (original) position.What does send it barmy in my experience is when the screen is on a incline then it does start wiping like a lunatic once back on flatter areas it is fine.
The biggest annoyance for me with the new G cars unlike the older F series models as with the changes of stalk (which on F series cars when back to a neutral position with the indicator on and drives me insane) is that the G series is auto upwards and you cannot do a single additional wipe without taking it out of auto.
On F series cars with the auto on the end of the stalk you can just pull it down for a single additional wipe over an auto one. The G series won't allow it.
The indicator stalk does the same too, return to neutral position. It may be confusing at first, but I have got used to it, and prefer it. You just have to lightly tap it (in any direction) to cancel it before self-cancelling does. That works well for an overtake when you want more than three flashes of indicators, the stalk is there in a neutral position.
Pica-Pica said:
Ninja59 said:
I find mine fine on the 6, I keep it on the most sensitive.
What does send it barmy in my experience is when the screen is on a incline then it does start wiping like a lunatic once back on flatter areas it is fine.
The biggest annoyance for me with the new G cars unlike the older F series models as with the changes of stalk (which on F series cars when back to a neutral position with the indicator on and drives me insane) is that the G series is auto upwards and you cannot do a single additional wipe without taking it out of auto.
On F series cars with the auto on the end of the stalk you can just pull it down for a single additional wipe over an auto one. The G series won't allow it.
That is a retro grade step then on the G series. The F series has the ability to flick wipe, because the wiper stalk stays in the neutral (original) position.What does send it barmy in my experience is when the screen is on a incline then it does start wiping like a lunatic once back on flatter areas it is fine.
The biggest annoyance for me with the new G cars unlike the older F series models as with the changes of stalk (which on F series cars when back to a neutral position with the indicator on and drives me insane) is that the G series is auto upwards and you cannot do a single additional wipe without taking it out of auto.
On F series cars with the auto on the end of the stalk you can just pull it down for a single additional wipe over an auto one. The G series won't allow it.
The indicator stalk does the same too, return to neutral position. It may be confusing at first, but I have got used to it, and prefer it. You just have to lightly tap it (in any direction) to cancel it before self-cancelling does. That works well for an overtake when you want more than three flashes of indicators, the stalk is there in a neutral position.
It felt really rather odd!
Pica-Pica said:
That is a retro grade step then on the G series. The F series has the ability to flick wipe, because the wiper stalk stays in the neutral (original) position.
The indicator stalk does the same too, return to neutral position. It may be confusing at first, but I have got used to it, and prefer it. You just have to lightly tap it (in any direction) to cancel it before self-cancelling does. That works well for an overtake when you want more than three flashes of indicators, the stalk is there in a neutral position.
I have had my moments where I am heavy handed I admit and it can be annoying sometimes, but over time I like have got over it but it is annoying if you have driven another car for a bit.The indicator stalk does the same too, return to neutral position. It may be confusing at first, but I have got used to it, and prefer it. You just have to lightly tap it (in any direction) to cancel it before self-cancelling does. That works well for an overtake when you want more than three flashes of indicators, the stalk is there in a neutral position.
Still seems odd as said above that the F series generation some cars had this and some cars got the "traditional" in position ones.
I will admit on the G series models as well the stalks felt absolutely cheap as anything with cheap hard shiny plastic.
Finally don't start me on the cruise control which has no "standby" mode, granted activating cruise is a two stage process in the F cars. It did seem generally at times like a step back in terms of driving
Edited by Ninja59 on Thursday 6th December 17:23
Ninja59 said:
Finally don't start me on the cruise control which has no "standby" mode, granted activating cruise is a two stage process in the F cars. It did seem generally at times like a step back in terms of driving
Are you saying there is no ‘resume’ mode, and the speed previously held is not indicated with an orange marker (green when active)?I've no problem with them on my 2011 F11, other than sometimes tweaking the sensitivity - usually when going from urban speeds to joining the motorway.
Certainly no worse than other brands of car that I've had previously.
I do prefer the Mercedes way however, whereby once you've twisted the stalk to auto its always on, rather than pressing the end of the stalk every time you turn the car on in the BMW.
The same can be said of the cruise control functionality but hey that's a whole different topic.
cheers
Chris
Certainly no worse than other brands of car that I've had previously.
I do prefer the Mercedes way however, whereby once you've twisted the stalk to auto its always on, rather than pressing the end of the stalk every time you turn the car on in the BMW.
The same can be said of the cruise control functionality but hey that's a whole different topic.
cheers
Chris
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