Is this a MOT failure?

"Sprinkler"?

You mean screenwash?

No, not an MOT fail at all. A tester might advise it, but probably not.

OK thanks. The 'screenwash' bottle is not easy accessible on my Saab

Is the rest of the car so well maintained?

I'm not sure I'd call a false-positive from a low-screenwash-level sensor particularly ill maintained. It probably just needs the prongs cleaning of a build-up of goop.

Indeed.

That would be more likely to cause a failure in the opposite sense - IOW, the light failing to illuminate when empty.

Many cars don't use a conductivity sensor for screen-wash any more because of its unreliability. An electronic sensor sits in a pocket and 'views' the presence or absence of fluid. The sensor can be removed without draining the container.

If it's a BMW one, sadly it is just as likely to fail however. ;-)

Chris

I am fairly certain that bmw use a float, so they should be pretty reliable, no idea about saab, I have only worked on one in recent years and it was a pile of s**te.

The header tank low-level sensor in our camper certainly got over- paranoid when it needed a clean.

Yebbut we're talking about a Saab 9000.

The header tank low-level sensor in our camper certainly got over- paranoid when it needed a clean.

Yebbut we're talking about a Saab 9000.

E46 uses some sort of electronic sensor. I was trying last weekend to fix one where the light was on all the time. I could pull the sensor out from the bottom of the full container without getting wet!

Interestingly, it's a two-wire device yet open- or short-circuiting the connector still left the light on.

Asking on various forums implied it was a common fault, but I couldn't find a fix. Owner is trading it in, so I gave up.

Chris

Hmm, 1995 9000 2.3T, feels like new, no rattles, very smooth and quiet.