[Big_H]

Wash Wipe Gripe

Since the roads have been much dirtier lately, and the cars in front are kicking up much more dirt, I've noticed a rather irritating characteristic of the wash/wipe feature. On my Cooper, if you just have a quick squirt on the windscreen the wipers dont come on automatically, you need to flick then on. If you give the screen a good hosing, the wipers come on without driver intervention. What gives??

Anybody else noticed this 'hidden feature' or is it just me? Since when does a small amount of washer fluid on the screen not need a wipe! How much squirt sets the washers off??

Other than that my MINI has been almost problem free. (touches wood )

[MiniMan7]

I noticed that the other day while on the Highway. A quick squirt of juice doesn't perpel the wipers.

I didn't really think anything of it. But I definitly did notice it!

-MiniMan7

[oldnell]

Quote:

Originally posted by Big_H
Anybody else noticed this 'hidden feature' or is it just me? Since when does a small amount of washer fluid on the screen not need a wipe! How much squirt sets the washers off??[/b]

I've noticed exactly the same thing. Your comment about a small amount of washer fluid not needing to be wiped sums it up exactly. It's annoying. The magnitude of the squirt required to set the auto-wipe function off is marginally larger than the amount you just squirted on your windscreen at any given time.

Another annoyance is the path that the squirted water takes when you're driving along. The jets on my car squirt some water above the reach of the wipers. This water then creeps around the A pillar and along the top of the side windows, leaving an annoying dirty mess on the windows. Perhaps if I adjusted my washer jets to aim lower this might not happen.

[snoozzuk]

this can be a pain but both my corsa and my clio both did this so it's not just a mini thing!!!! i know this does not make it less of a pain but it is just how these things work!!

[Paul]

The point seems to be you can single squirt (pull towards you), single wipe (push down) or both (pull and hold).

Not sure how useful that 'feature' is though.

[KlausR]

I´m always amazed again how identical the electronic circuits are on all BMW-derived cars. My 316i does exactly the same. I don´t know if it was intended or is just a flaw of the wiper control, but I see a slight advantage of that characteristic. If you just want a small amount of water on the screen to get rid of a little piece of dirt, you would not want the wiper to smear 3 or 4 times over that pattern and make it even worse. So one littel splash of water, one quick maually controlled wipe and the job ist done.

Klaus

[tip]

My biggest pet peeve is the size of the washer fluid bottle. In the winter 2L washer bottle is far to small. I am sure that there is room in the fender to accomdate a 4L bottle. I am in habit of topping up the washer fluid every time I get into the car, just to be safe. It always runs out at 70mph on the freeway and you have no where to pull over. Forcing you to run near a larger vehicle to get the spray on the windscreen to clear the grime.

I has happened to all of us.


Charles

[KenL]

I think this a well thought out feature. You need to hold in the wiper arm for a second or so to get the wipers to start. The reason I think it's good is that if it's cold and your washer jets are frozen there is nothing worse than the wipers starting immediately and smearing all the grime across your screen.

So with MINI you quickly find out if you've got available water before the wipers start.

Anyone agree with me

[tip]

I would say that most of us, at least in Canada we have heated washer jets. So you theory goes out the window, or on the window.

The point is that the washer fluid bottle is to small.

Cheers

Charles

[KenL]

True, the washer bottle is small but then you wouldn't want to add any extra weight to your car would you

[tip]

What would adding more washer fluid to the car weigh. 1-2lbs. I collect more than 2 lbs of ice in the winter on the bottom of the car. So weight in the winter is not an issue for me. If I was racing, then maybe I would fill it half full to shave off the weight.

Cheers

Charles

[MiNiGuY]

If you flick the stalk too quickly, the computer doesn't get the message to operate the wipers. The stalk needs to be held in for a good half second to operate the wipers.
The jets are just good old fashioned hard wired electrics so thats why they squirt at the slightest flick.


This is a common quirk on all mini's.

[Jayomatic]

I really like this feature.

I hate when you only want to get a small amount of grime off your windshield its perfect.

I hate when the wipers go on sometimes because they wipe too many times and end up making streaks when it would have been perfect after the 2nd or 3 wipe cycle.

Its good if you just want that little bit of control. Plus the wipers go really fast when you push down and it makes cleaning a snap.

[Paul]

Quote:

Originally posted by Jayomatic
Plus the wipers go really fast when you push down and it makes cleaning a snap.

That's a cool feature. Quick press down, slow wipe, press and hold, really fast wipe.

The other plus of the way this works is you can squirt, suirt, squirt, squirt etc... until the screen is nice and wet and covered, then wipe. Which reduced the 'drag' and gives you a nice clean screen.

Downside is the water bottle is too damned small!

[ianfretwell]

I can't believe what I'm reading - the water bottle is too small ???

The water bottle is the largest of any car I've ever owned (Classic Mini's, MG Metro, Fiat Seicento). Filled it up for the first time today (after 980 miles) and it wasn't even empty!!!

And I'm fairly sure it's been catching the grime ust like everybody else's..

[Pamlico]

Quote:

Originally posted by ianfretwell
I can't believe what I'm reading - the water bottle is too small ???

The water bottle is the largest of any car I've ever owned (Classic Mini's, MG Metro, Fiat Seicento). Filled it up for the first time today (after 980 miles) and it wasn't even empty!!!....

Believe it.

The washer bottle is fine if you live in an area without snow, etc. If you live in an area where there is a lot of road spray due to snow /salt, etc then you'll find youself filling up the washer bottle quite frequently. One of the main contributors to the demand for lots of fluid is the rear window. The MINI design is such that the mess on the road covers the rear window in less than a minute if the roads are especially messy. In those circumstances the rear window needs to be washed ** very ** frequently.

[Paul]

Quote:

Originally posted by Pamlico
Believe it.

The washer bottle is fine if you live in an area without snow, etc. If you live in an area where there is a lot of road spray due to snow /salt, etc then you'll find youself filling up the washer bottle quite frequently. One of the main contributors to the demand for lots of fluid is the rear window. The MINI design is such that the mess on the road covers the rear window in less than a minute if the roads are especially messy. In those circumstances the rear window needs to be washed ** very ** frequently.

Precisely, I have to fill up much more than I used to in my Peugeot and my classic mini, mostly due to the rear dirt.

Needs more capacity.

Oh, and the fact it's in the a-panel, away from the engine, can be a pain too because it freezes quite easily compared to other cars I've owned too.

[vespa]

The engineers went to great lengths to develop this delayed wipe feature. The intent is to ensure that the windshield is indeed moistened before the wipers kick in. If you haven't used the washer in a while it may take a second or so to prime before any fluid even comes out, then the fluid must be given time to fly and splatter and moisten as much of the windshield as possible. The great side-benefits to the design are that you can repeatedly douse the window before firing the wipers and you can abort the mission if you've run out of fluid. 2L of fluid lasts me about 2 years so I can't sympathize with the bottle-size issue.

[MiNiGuY]

you get about 4 'flicks' of the stalk before the wipers activate anyway.

Also i've found in the past whilst setting the washer jets, that if you flick the stalk let's say 3 times and wait for a while, then flick the stalk again, usually it wipes on the first flick, so there is a cycle pattern of some sorts going on.
It's something I never really bothered to enquire about but the 'pre lube' theory would make sense to a point.

As for taking a while for the water to feed through as vespa points out, this is unlikely on the mini as the car utilises non return valves in the piping for front and rear wash circuits.
Ford cortinas maybe!


p.s,
for people who wish more capacity in the screen tank, why doesn't someone try running a tube from the bottom of the headlight resevoir (through its cap) to the screen resevoir (through its cap). make the screen resevoir is air tight around its cap and around the tubing where it enters the cap and the screen resevoir would then share the lights resevoir. you'd have more capacity as the light washers use far less in comparison to the screen washers but have identical sized resevoires.
For people without light washers, you could purchase a light washer tank or find a suitable sized container and install it in it's place, fix the tube in place like I suggested and you'd have double capacity screen wash.

Maybe someone could try it?? I'd be interested to see the results. It's an idea I had a while back that unfortunately I never got to try out.

[morrisminiminor]

I think this is an excellent feature.
I use it on my current car to provide a little water on the screen. The air against the screen makes the water move up the window. When there is enough water on the screen then I operate the wipers. Stops the wipers scratching the glass on dry areas the skooshers don't normally reach.

morrisminiminor