intermittent wiper speed vs rain sensor question

[3liter1]

Yikes!. I searched the forum and read the owners manual, but still can't tell if the following behavior is normal. I don't seem to be able to get intermittent wipes without the rain sensor being activated. Without the rain sensor active, one press up gets me regular (low) speed wipes. I have to press the rain sensor button in, then the single push up activates a rain-sensed intermittent function. Sorry to ask, but I am just coming back into a 2009 1 series, and on my other car, a Volvo, you can activate pre-set intermittent wipe speeds separately from a rain sensing function.

Do I need another software update?

[MightyMouseTech]

Intermittent ONLY uses the sensor, the thumb wheel dial sets the sensitivity of the sensor.

[JimD]

Originally Posted by 3liter1

Yikes!. I searched the forum and read the owners manual, but still can't tell if the following behavior is normal. I don't seem to be able to get intermittent wipes without the rain sensor being activated. Without the rain sensor active, one press up gets me regular (low) speed wipes. I have to press the rain sensor button in, then the single push up activates a rain-sensed intermittent function. Sorry to ask, but I am just coming back into a 2009 1 series, and on my other car, a Volvo, you can activate pre-set intermittent wipe speeds separately from a rain sensing function.

Do I need another software update?

I don't think you can have a fixed rate of intermittent wipes like cars without rain sensors offer. There is a switch on that stalk that can influence the sensitivity of the rain sensor but it has limited impact.

I have two vechicles, one with intermittent wiping and my bimmer with the rain sensor. I far prefer the bimmer. This week I have been forced to drive the SUV by construction on the house pinning my bimmer in the garage. We had rain of varying intensity Monday and Tuesday morning. It was a pain on the SUV constantly changing the rate. The bimmer doesn't always wipe exactly when I want but it requires less "messing" than the SUV.

[3liter1]

At least I know it is a feature, not a bug. Going back and forth from the Volvo to the BMW, I do appreciate the fixed intermittent function in the Volvo. But i must sy the rain sensing function in the BMW works better. Less susceptible to over estimating the rainfall level and going into a high speed frenzy like the Volvo!

[Vigilante375]

I hate the rain sensor wipers. Pouring down rain and it swipes like its misting. Misty type rain and its going as fast as it can wipe. I just put it on a constant wipe and leave it alone.

[ejm3]

This drives me crazy. All I want is regular intermittent wipers that I can control but instead I get the system trying to guess when to swipe and it never seems to get it right.

Its not a just a BMW thing though my Lexus is the same way.

[Sylon]

Originally Posted by ejm3

This drives me crazy. All I want is regular intermittent wipers that I can control but instead I get the system trying to guess when to swipe and it never seems to get it right.

Its not a just a BMW thing though my Lexus is the same way.

I think it's just automatic wipers across the auto industry. These are the first auto-wipers I've had in a car, but I've heard nothing but complaints about them from other car owners.

I tend to swap on and off from using the auto-wipers and just manually tapping the stalk to activate the wipers once myself as I need them.

[lowbudgethero]

I have no gripes about it, the adjustment for the sensitivity works just like an intermittent without wiping when it's dry

[Mach1er]

Ah! So that's what that dial adjusts! Thought it was just a finer speed adjustment for the regular non-sensor wiper settings.

[FIRST1]

My rain-sensing wipers weren't sensitive enough for me (wouldn't wipe enough) until I put new blades on. Works perfect now. Anyone having this issue, if you haven't replaced your wiper blades in a while, replace them and then try the auto sensing wipers again.

[MDRex]

Has anyone figured out how/if you can convert cars with auto-wipers to normal intermittent?

[dannypwr]

wonder if there is coding for this....

[JimD]

I doubt you can code it. The rain sensing system is quite a bit more sophisticated than the simple, cheap, intermittant switch. I don't see a switch that could be used to change the intermittant setting.

I drive a vehicle each way regularly (every week) and I think the bimmer system is far preferable. I have to wipe manually occasionally but I have to constantly switch the intermittant setting in my other car. Much more work to do. I think you guys and/or gals are forgetting the drawback of the intermittant. They will do what you set them at but when the rain intensity changes, you have to change their setting. Maybe you just don't like the car thinking for you. I kind of understand that but I also like help with little things, at least at times.

[Dackelone]

One other thing to add... While I am perfectly happy with my wipers in my 1er... when I first got my e39(5er) the intermittent wipers only worked every six seconds - no matter what the thumb wheel was set to. I talked to my friends at the BMW Zentrum... they said "maybe" the rain sensor was replaced when getting a new windshield. The guys at the dealer did a 30 second "initialization" on their diagnostic pc and my wipers worked like a charm ever since. I was really surprised that it was a SW issue on my e39 and not a hardware one. Just some food for thought.

One way you can confirm that the rain sensor is working correctly is when they are ON and you change the interval on the thumb wheel... the wipers should wipe - each time you change the thumb wheel. On my e39 this did not work, until after I had the rain sensor "initialized" by my dealer.

[lowbudgethero]

I'm all for better technology if it works, the 135i system is better than any timer based intermittent system I've used.

[JimD]

I guess it also might be a function of the rain intensity and it's variation. It seems to change constantly here so the ability of the bimmer to pick up at least most of that variation helps. If the rain was constant but the bimmer couldn't find a good setting, that could be annoying.

[Vigilante375]

I had my dealer do their test a number of months ago and he said it passed. Mine does swipe when I change the setting but nothing helps. It'll even double swipe at times and seems to do it when its a light rain. I just want a regular, choose your own speed wiper but I'll just deal with this system.....

I hate it when companies make something standard when half of their potential customers wouldn't want it.

[RedFive]

Hey all, I'm new to the forum here, and this was the issue that brought me here. The wipers have been making me crazy - they seem to be totally unable to deal with light rain, it sends them into random fits of panic. I would pay to be able to just set them to a regular, intermittent setting, but that seems completely impossible. The thumb wheel seems to have no effect, and the lowest setting is a sort of fast continuous. I end up manually triggering the wipers myself every couple seconds.
I guess the best option is to do the initialization mentioned earlier. We'll see how that works.

[mrvco]

I just bought a 2008 128i with the auto wipers. How well do they work with snow?

[MightyMouseTech]

Same as in the rain?!?