Intermittent Wipers (rain sensor) dont work
 

Hi,

I have an 02 X5 (3.0i) and the intermittment wipers (rain sensor) do not work. If I switch them on they wipe once and then never again, unless I adjust the knob on the stalk, in which case they wipe only once again.

The wipers work perfectly in normal and fast mode, so I guess it must be my rain sensor not working. I see from searching the net that this is a relatively common problem.

Short of replacing the entire windscreen is there another known fix. I would settle for just a single 'slow' speed, as normal speed is actually too fast sometimes.

Any advice appreciated, it is a shame to drive such a car and not have intermittent wipers working.


Thanks

OK, I had the opposite problem, but I have an inexpensive solution that may help. In my case, the intermittent wipers would go intermittent for one or two passes, then go constant no matter what the speed I was driving or how much moisture was on the glass. So, I installed a new set of wiper blades and dumped a gallon of the windshield wiper fluid with Rain-X into the washer tank. I swear, the wipers work just like a brand new car, clean the glass well, and most importantly, the intermittent wipers work absolutely perfectly. There must have been a buildup of film or gunk the wiper blades and Rain-X removed or modified so that the sensor could "see" the mosture more efficiently. Total cost was about $30, much less than new glass that I was contemplating as well! Give it a try and let us know how it works out! :popcorn:

msammy - thanks but I had already tried cleaning the windscreen area above the sensor with a number of cleaners.

Has anyone managed to have just the rain sensor changed and had their intemittent action restored ?

Thanks

Dear cblx5,

Have you solved the problem yet. I've got the same problem and you may unplug the rain sensor and then you will get the slow intermittent speed back.

bbbngai,

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU !!!!!!!!!!!

I have lived with the problem all this time.

I just unplugged my rain sensor and I get a sweep every 7 secs aprox. I can certainly live with this. Saves me triggering a single sweep with my little finger. I could not face smashing my windscreen!!!.

Also fantastic timing - it has been raining here is the UK for last week or so.


By the way, how did you discover this? Do you know whether the rain sensor is sending a digital signal of is it just a measure of resistance in which case a variable resistor could be used to fool the input.

Thanks again

cblx5

tnx for sharing your idea bbbngai!!! its been almost 2 years that my intermitent wiper wasnt workin, :thumbup: you've just solved my problem.

cblx5,

ive seen rain sensor on ebay for $59.

My pleasure to share with you guys and that's why we need a forum.

I've just posted a thread "BMW rain sensor problem" and you will know more about my problem...

bbbngai,

I just did a road test and did not any notice difference in the sweep rate with speed. (did not go above 40 mph) But I am so happy to have intermittent wiping.

Also, please explain what you mean by the auto light, I have not noticed any lighting changes. Maybe it is an option I do not have.


Franc_x5 - thanks for the tip, but from bbbngai's other posts it is not obvious that the rain sensor is faulty. It may be the adhesion to the windscreen, although I cannot see any air gaps in my screen.

Thanks all

Guys,

I had a similar problem as CBLX5 on my 06' 4.8 when I had the windshield replaced as the installer messed with the sensor by applying silicone to it... The instaler said that the sensor did not worked in the first place.

I made a formal complain with the insurance company so the installer was forced to fix it.

For some reason the new windshield (with correct part number) had no attachment point for sensor, so the stupid guy applied silicone.

A new sensor did not worked, so I sent the X to de "Stealership" for "reprogram"... no luck

3.- Replacing winshield again with one w/correct attachment points and re instaling original sensor (cleaned by me) fixed the problem

So
1. A defective sensor at $140.00usd plus installation (reprograming)
2. Dirt, dew or something between the sensor and winshield
3. A de-programed sensor

Good luck

My rain sensor comes with the light sensor (so it will turn the headlamp on when it is getting dark) I think it is a feature for newer versions.

My wiper speed changes automatically from 6 seconds to 3 seconds interval when I speed up my car. Unfortunately you don't have it.

How did you unplug the rain sensor?
 

How do you unplug the rain sensor? Mine works fine, but I hate the rain sensor feature. I prefer to set the sweep frequency myself. Seems like the rain sensor has a mind of its own. Even in light rain, it rarely runs in intermittent, but goes back and forth between slow and fast. Extremely annoying.
So if unplugging it allows it to operate like normal intermittent wipers, I'll be very happy. And FWIW- the rain sensor in my 528 works much better than the X5.

TowX,

To unplug sensor here is what I did...

1) Carefully prise the sensor cover apart using a medium sized flat screwdriver. The cover is behind the rear view mirror. It is not held together by screws but by plastic lugs (cannot describe this better). It splits down the centre and comes away in 2 halves.

2) The rain sensor plug plugs in at the top of the sensor and it is a simple matter of pulling it out. There was no retaining clip on mine. It was a bit stiff.

3) Replace cover

Hope this helps

Thanks, I'll try it this evening. (at 14 mpg for the X5 adn 19mpg for the 528 you can guess which one I commute in.)

BTW- after you unplugged, did your intermittent work normally, in other words, did it work at the different speeds based on how you set them? My dealer once told me that I'd only have one intermittent speed, not a variable speed.

Thanks again.

TowX,

I have only noticed a single speed sweep (every 6-7secs) upto 40mph, I have not as yet tested beyond that. Intermittent controls do not work anymore.

My X5 (2004) is working well after unplugged and have different speeds on rotating the knob. For the fastest intermittent speed, it will also accelerate (from 7 to 3 seconds) when I am driving....so I am really OK with this.

Have you guys checked out the rain sensor fuse in the glove box? I had to look at a couple fuses last night and saw that the rain sensor has it's own fuse. in mine it's #45. I real like my rain sensor and works great.

mine too:iagree:

I am also suffering from auto rain sensor problems. Not surprisingly the auto light function is similarly afflicted (they use the same sensor area on the screen).

My dealer informed me it is not uncommon and the cause is the actual sensor becoming slightly detached from the glass (you can see this if you look at it from the outside) so the refraction is affected and the sensors misread. I was informed the sensor is not available separately and the screen must be replaced.

So, my questions are:-

- can the sensor alone be replaced?

- has anyone managed to fix the problem, i.e. re-attach the sensor to avoid the 'bubble' that causes the problem?

Yes the sensor alone can be replaced.... I hope posting a link to another forum isn't against the rules I am new here so go easy on me, I am not a member of this site nor am I affiliated with it in any way, just bought my first X5 :-) and learning allot

Replacing a rain sensor - Now with pictures!! =)

Nice link...Thanks for posting:thumbup:
I will also check my rain sensor..