e90 windscreen auto wiper confusion

[Havoc]

Hi All.

I am confused with my auto wiper system on my e90 2011 model. From what i have read and seen you have to depress the switch on the side of the leaver. After that the little green light comes on.

After that i have know idea what the wipers are doing. Accourding to the book it would wipe faster and slower accourding to density of rain fall. Mine goes from super fast to super slow even if the rain stays the same.:argh:It slows down in a full downpour driving a constant 120km/h My wife thinks it's the funniest thing in the world and started playing games to predict when it is going to slow down and when it is going to speed up again. It apparently has a sensitivity setting with the little toggle moving on the front of the leaver, but moving it i still can figure out if bottom is sensitive and top less sensitive? Sometimes the window gets so full of rain i have to push the leaver for a manual wipe.

Can someone please explain this to me or if there might be a problem with the sensor?

Thanks for the help

 

[Philip Foglar]

Mine doesn't have rain sensors, but my Wife's car does, on her car there is a rotary switch which changes the sensitivity of the rain sensor. So I would think that would be the same on your E90. On mine, you push the button to turn the wipers on to intermittent, then up if you want continuous and then again for faster. In intermittent the rotary switch changes the intermittent speed. To turn off the wipers push the button again - took me some time to get used to it. Also, when the car is stopped the wipers automatically go to a slower setting or if in intermittent stay off until the car is moving again. Funny thing about automatic wipers, you actually have to turn it on each time.

 

[ASH M]

The little toggle level pushed to the upper most level is for the highest sensitivity. I suggest you keep it in that position for now and test it out for a few days. If its still acting up then you know its isn't the setting you have it on but hardware or software related. If so then you have to have the car booked in at BMW.

 

[andrewbuch]

My moms 2010 E90 also has a problem with the auto wipers.. they dont work

Looked at the sensor in the windscreen by the rear view mirror & its all bubbled etc inside there, not smooth like the E60...

So I think it has something to do with that for us..

Might be similar to you?? I dont know

 

[Philip Foglar]

Let motorplan sort this out!?

 

[ASH M]

Defiantly motorplan, these things can get costly to repair. Even the windscreen could be at fault. Cars with non- rain sensors pre-lci had a different windscreen to ones fitted with rain sensor. Trust me, i'm having mine on the 330 replaced by my insurance and when i called BMW for a quote originally the guy in the parts explained the difference in windscreens.

 

[AshG108]

My moms 2010 E90 also has a problem with the auto wipers.. they dont work

Looked at the sensor in the windscreen by the rear view mirror & its all bubbled etc inside there, not smooth like the E60...

So I think it has something to do with that for us..

Might be similar to you?? I dont know

the bubble means it isnt a rain sensor, it is a motion sensor for the semi-automated wipers.:thumbs:

 

[FaSTandFurious]

Funny thing about automatic wipers, you actually have to turn it on each time.

I mean even on my Focus St and GTI you never needed to switch on a button to set it to automatic. Whats so auto about it anyway ?

 

[ASH M]

Problem with vehicles having them on permanently is that you have a clean car and after its been parked somewhere for a few hours and a few leaves happen fall onto the car. Now normally these leaves and slight build up of dust on the windscreen clears as you drive off. But since your wipers where set to auto they come on once you start the car. Then you forced to use the washers to clean out the streaks they cause, making your car dirty again. I don't know about how sensitive all cars are but my cuz keeps his off on his Merc for the same reasons.

 

[andrewbuch]

My moms 2010 E90 also has a problem with the auto wipers.. they dont work

Looked at the sensor in the windscreen by the rear view mirror & its all bubbled etc inside there, not smooth like the E60...

So I think it has something to do with that for us..

Might be similar to you?? I dont know

the bubble means it isnt a rain sensor, it is a motion sensor for the semi-automated wipers.:thumbs:

This is what I meant with the bubbles...


E90 320i with bubbles, see the dark areas

and E60 525i with no bubbles, no dark bubbly areas

 

[Philip Foglar]

Motorplan is your friend - looks like something has gone wrong there with the lens to glass bond.

 

[andrewbuch]

Motorplan is your friend - looks like something has gone wrong there with the lens to glass bond.

Thats exactly what I feel has happened..

But the problem I see is that the windscreen is a "universe" one... & we bought this car from a BMW dealer, with 15K Km's on it.. So they must have had to replace it but did not even use a BMW one

 

[Philip Foglar]

Motorplan is your friend - looks like something has gone wrong there with the lens to glass bond.

Thats exactly what I feel has happened..

But the problem I see is that the windscreen is a "universe" one... & we bought this car from a BMW dealer, with 15K Km's on it.. So they must have had to replace it but did not even use a BMW one

All the more reason to let them sort it out - they should have picked up on that before selling the car. Well I would think so. Been thinking of retro fitting rain sensors on my car, but this means changing the windscreen as well as the rain sensor and other electric bits, so not really a cost effective idea, plus I am now used to the mad logic of the manual wipers...

 

[AshG108]

Motorplan is your friend - looks like something has gone wrong there with the lens to glass bond.

Thats exactly what I feel has happened..

But the problem I see is that the windscreen is a "universe" one... & we bought this car from a BMW dealer, with 15K Km's on it.. So they must have had to replace it but did not even use a BMW one

Yep, i agree with the above, my bad about tehd escription, i refer to the little "sensor" thingy on there as a bubble ha ha:thumbs: