Windscreen wipers

[markfranklin]

Waiting for my FR TDI to be built, I have been looking on the net at various exterior pictures of the Mk 2 Leon.

I noticed in one of them, with the wipers in operation, that they were hinged at the outer edges (ie they operate in symetrical arcs as opposed to the more conventional types which both arc left to right).

Is this true or was I looking at a non-UK spec?

Thank you,

 

[JonoUK]

That's right, they kind of hide at the edge of the windscreen almost inside the A pillar.

 

[Leigh15]

and leave a trail of water right in front of the drivers eyes......

bloody european spec wipers!!!

 

[markfranklin]

Great, thanks for that. I can imagine that with the wipers coming to a rest in the vertical position it will lead to some dripping....

 

[Glovepup]

I love how the wipers work on the Mk2, when they are not being used they sit deeper in the frame of the car. When in use they stick out slightly.

 

[AR-CoolC]

The wipers are a complete revelation, and I expect to see others copying it soon.

The amount of the vision area that is cleaned is way beyond conventional set ups, the only part of the screen not cleaned is the bit behind the rear view mirror.

 

[rob2005]

The wipers are a complete revelation, and I expect to see others copying it soon.

The amount of the vision area that is cleaned is way beyond conventional set ups, the only part of the screen not cleaned is the bit behind the rear view mirror.

very true!

look much cooler than normal wipers too lol

 

[jon1]

I like how the bonnet is so smooth looking without the wipers there, i can definatly see it catching on!

 

[belgarion]

Shame about the plastic look between the windscreen and bonnet paint though..

 

[JonoUK]

Shame about the plastic look between the windscreen and bonnet paint though..

More noticable on non-black/zenith grey cars though?

 

[Snarks]

I noticed the other day that the wipers switch to intermittent wipe when you stop and then return to normal speed when you set off again. Since I was queueing during heavy rain, this meant that every time I stopped I could only see out of the window once every few seconds until I set off again.

It would be nice if the arc of water they leave behind could be made to be on the passenger side.

 

[JonoUK]

Not having the car yet so a bad assumption:
I guess the arc of water happens on the passenger side on LHD models? Since they're both hinged from the sides/A pillars at the bottom, and no as you'd normally get on most other cars at the bottom of the windscreen... Is there any difference in the length of each wiper blade/arm?

I guess that it's impossible to simply switch them over, otherwise it would be done when the car's built.

 

[Snarks]

The issue I think is related to the order in which the wipers operate : the passenger wiper must end up underneath the driver wiper when going down so it's the last to come back up. If the driver wiper was underneath, the arc would be on the passenger side for RHD cars.

The rear wiper doesn't clear much of the screen although it does come on when you select reverse and the front wipers are on. This was something I missed from my Mk1 having had it on previous Rovers.

 

[markfranklin]

I made a terrible mistake with the order and somehow I missed off the Convenience Pack option, now I cannot change the order as the car is in build.

So I will have "manual" operation of my wipers! By the sounds of things though, maybe that's a better policy given the issue of the wipers slowing speed when stationary in traffic.

Most of the comments here do actually seem to be very positive about the performance and look of the wipers - I am looking forward to trying them out (not that I wish it to rain in August).

 

[neilandbob]

dont open your window either it seems the wipers push the water inside lol

 

[belgarion]

So I will have "manual" operation of my wipers! By the sounds of things though, maybe that's a better policy given the issue of the wipers slowing speed when stationary in traffic.

Mine are manual too, but when on full speed, they slow down when stationary as above. I like it. I normally get annoyed with my wipers moving when I'm not, and turn them off, so this feature is great.

 

[chippenhamwilts]

you'll find a lot of new cars do the slowing down wipers bit, my renault clio did it, the ford fcuked-us (focus) I have now does as does my touran.

 

[Michael B]

dont open your window either it seems the wipers push the water inside lol

One thing which irritates me about the leon is when its been raining and water has gathered on your roof and your drive off and brake it comes straight in your window, ive been soaked several times cause of it..