Tyre fittters!

Great? ;-(

Cheers, T i m

Yes. And those of us with a laptop, comms lead and the right software can then add cruise control by simply changing the indicator stalk (30 seconds to unclip and replace) and telling 3 ECUs that cruise control is present (5 minutes) :)

I wish they'd just design the software to enable things when it detects that they are physically present though. Similarly for the towbar - there should be no need for me to tell it that a lighting module is fitted, when it could easily tell that one has been plugged in.

SteveW

I've not seen that one. I have had two cars that reduce the wipers from continuous to intermittent when you stop.

SteveW

But then switching the car on would be like booting Windows. It would spend too much time looking for changes to installed options instead of starting the engine when someone hits the start button or turns key straight though to crank.

More sensible to switch to intermittent when the car comes to a stop.

BTW, anyone ever had rain sensing wipers that are 100% perfect?

I'm guessing none are, since they all seem to have a sensitivity switch.

No, they're not perfect by any means. If you stop in traffic and the rain increases, when you move off you need them to wipe, but they don't until droplets are hitting the screen hard enough to trigger the sensor.

OTOH, if moving, they will often wipe with a single droplet.

The sensitivity control on my car (Fiesta) appears to do nothing.

Sadly, the auto wipers option removes delay wipe, which if it's variable works rather better IMHO.

Chris

Exactly my experience with two cars fitted with them - but some 10 years apart in age. Did wonder if they were better now. And not sure if they work better with a brand new screen.

Of course intermittent are never at the right speed either. ;-) Even when you can vary it.

Possibly it was the intermittent wipe, left at the slowest setting.

Nick Finnigan submitted this idea :

Mine does high speed to slow, or if on slow intermitant when you come to a stop.

Mine are perfect, but yes it has a sensitivity adjustment - though that seems to make no noticeable difference I could detect.

It's odd that both of mine have also a single wipe feature (by moving the stalk). If the rain sensing was perfect this would never be needed? Obviously you have to enable the rain sensing each time you start the engine. But even when you do, it never seems to work perfectly.

I wouldn't say perfect, but my VW has ones good enough to convince me they're worthwhile.

Dave Plowman (News) laid this down on his screen :

Yes, if I have left the rain sensing on, I have switch it off then back on again to restore operation, otherwise it does nothing. Mine does have a single wipe facility, but I have never needed it at all. I find the auto works fine, I just turn it on when it rains and forget it. It also auto wipes when I use the screen wash, but I have to use at least a couple of seconds of wash, before the wipe begins, then it does 2 maybe 3 wipes when released.

On a vaguely connected topic, the AUTOSTOP on my 3 plate Focus has given up. It was proving to be a pain anyway when I was a millisecond out of sequence in restarting via clutch & accelerator, and looked like an idiot who had stalled and needed someone to sound their horns to assist.

If you do lots of short trips so the battery isn't getting fully charged, and/or the battery is near end of life, it won't stop/start.

Chris

The rain sensors can occassionally be tripped by something else and can then smear a "dry" screen, so it makes sense to leave it off normally. Use a single wipe if you need it (say for clearing dew before you set off), but switch on the auto function where you would normally use intermittent, normal or full and let it handle changes in the rain, your speed, etc.

SteveW