LHD Wipers Fitted to RHD Car

[pdk42]

It's not a geometry problem, it's a time sequence problem. The sequence now is left up, right up, right down, left down. it should be right up, left up, left down, right down for a RHD car.

The LH wiper also moves closer to the screen edge than the RH one - so for a full and proper RHD setup there is a physical alignment which would be needed as well as any sequence change.

Yes, I'd noticed that too. The motors are independent though and there is no physical difference I can see in their location or in the geometry and size of the the two arms. So, I'm thinking it's plausible that software could fix both of these issues (sequence timing and edge sweep). Whether VW ever will is of course another completely different issue !

[stu-evs]

Soooo...coming back to say I was wrong!!! Not such as easy fix! Spent some time having a good look at this today - and I guess the positive is that VW are absolutely spot on when they say that this car is a 'ground up' new design.....the wipers are certainly a good example of departing the way they've approached things for decades! There are separate motors (sorry to those that already knew this - I'd not looked before posting previously) - I assume that's as the wipers are both pivoted at the wings so a mechanical mechanism would have been more tricky vs. the traditional wipers going the same way.

Anyway - what I found is that it's actually BOTH a mechanical and electronic issue! Yes, the passenger wiper motor does 'set off' a little ahead of the driver side - but the wiper arms are also subtly different - there is a bend in the arm near the pivot (to the left/anti-clockwise) - this enables the wipers the lie parallel when they're parked. So...the fix would be a minor coding change to swap the motor delay from one to the other - but would also require new wiper arms with the bend to the right/clockwise. This would enable the wipers to be 'stacked' the other way around.

Hopefully the coding won't be too difficult when Ross-Tech/the community get under the skin of the new module protection - previous VWs have been easy to code sequences of activity across components. I haven't plugged VCDS in yet - it may already be possible - but I've assumed not based on what I've read elsewhere. And I'm sure that VW outsource the wiper arms to someone like Valeo - so hopefully they also make a version with the alternative 'bend'.....some more digging to do!

[Deleted User 192]

Did you do any digging with the washer jets while you were having a nosey?

[stu-evs]

Did you do any digging with the washer jets while you were having a nosey?

I hadn't done (as mine work fine) - but I've just been out to have a look......and on this point there is no 'ground up' redesign at all - in fact it looks to be exactly the same system (very simple) system as used on the Mk7 Golf etc. - the same typical VW 'fanjet' washer jets - powered by a single motor at the source (i.e. in the washer bottle). There is one tube that feeds both of them - comes up from the passenger side then splits at the first washer & goes to the second (that routing is identical to Mk.7 Golf) - so a well proven design that "shouldn't" cause problems.

There is one dynamic - in that the passenger jet gets the pressure 'first' (i.e. it's closer to the motor) - but that shouldn't be a problem if the non-return valve on the pump motor is working correctly as there should always already be water throughout the entire pipe. Perhaps anyone having real problems should ask VW to check this non-return valve is functioning correctly. The only other problem could be a faulty/blocked or mis-aligned fanjet. These are easy to adjust the alignment of - have a look at the jet from the outside (i.e. with the bonnet down) and you'll see there is a flat 'blade' where the water comes out and a bigger space vertically in the carrier where it has a range that it can sit within - using a flat-bladed screwdriver you can adjust the vertical position by levering the blade of the jet up/down. Both of mine came from the factory set in the middle of the possible range - they spray the screen very equally - both in position & force.

The only other possibility is that some people may be used to 'one touch' operation of the washers in other cars (i.e. you pull and let go of the wiper stalk & the car does the rest for you - spraying until the screen is clear - I also have an I-PACE and that is how it works in that).....it doesn't work this way in the VW - you need to pull and hold the stalk.

Hope this helps!

[Deleted User 192]

Thanks, I’ve driven VAG cars for most of the last 20 years so I’m used to holding the stalk and getting enough water on my side of the screen.

[Jel]

The LH wiper is also positioned above the RH wiper at rest so it will have to be fixed mechanically. I'm surprised that this was such an oversight by VW. Once I finally get a date for the software update it will be on the list of issues I want fixed by the dealer.

[Deleted User 192]

The LH wiper is also posited above the RH wiper at rest so it will have to be fixed mechanically. I'm surprised that this was such an oversight by VW. Once I finally get a date for the software update it will be on the list of issues I want fixed by the dealer.

My car was in the workshop this week, they said it was normal operation and there was nothing they could do - it is the same in my wife's Golf Plus so a "VW thing" more than an "ID3 thing".

I have however queried it with the VW UK Executive Office who are doing some investigation.

[Henry]

I fear the set up has many aspects that make it for LHD: different length blades, order of movement, more washer fluid to left. I think they just saved money by not doing RHD set-up - similar to them not moving the fuse box.

[pdk42]

I sent an IM to VW on their Facebook page about the wipers and got this:

[hwhbev]

I sent an IM to VW on their Facebook page about the wipers and got this:

I wonder if Team VW have ever driven a right-hand-drive ID.3 in the rain.....

[Spiderlag]

Hi went out in the Car today only had it a week and the first thing I notice is a 2-3in wide strip of snow/ice down the drivers side windscreen. The passengers side is clear to the edge the drivers side wiper is clearly not clearing the screen to the edge on the drivers side making visibility to the front right borderline dangerous. To add to this I get a constant thick bead of water in the center of the windscreen where the wipers are not working as described, in other words clearly setup for LHD. Coming from a GTE the wiper stalk is annoying! Switching between 3 cars means I have to remember the ID3 is effectively back to front when it comes to wipers.

[ColinID3]

I fear this is one aspect of the car there is no mileage in complaining about. I was looking at some Mercedes Vito's yesterday, both the old and current models have the same set up as the ID3, ie a single configuration, optimised for LHD but considered 'good enough' for RHD.
At least VW are still supporting RHD markets. Some manufacturers eg GM, in the drive for commonality, are progressively pulling out of RHD completely.

[simonrg]

I fear this is one aspect of the car there is no mileage in complaining about. I was looking at some Mercedes Vito's yesterday, both the old and current models have the same set up as the ID3, ie a single configuration, optimised for LHD but considered 'good enough' for RHD.
At least VW are still supporting RHD markets. Some manufacturers eg GM, in the drive for commonality, are progressively pulling out of RHD completely.

The ID.3's wipers a doubly wrong for RHD:

• Left hand wiper leaves smear across driver's view
  • yesterday driving slowly while snowing this was a white band of snow - from a safety point of view I am not sure obscuring driver's view is 'good enough'
• The lh up, rh up, rh down, lh down
  • leaves driver's side uncleared for a considerable length of time
  • makes intermittent wiping even worse

[ColinID3]

Hi Simon
This is exactly the Mercedes set up, and has been for over 15 years with the same shortcomings.
My thinking is that there are so many things that can fixed on the car, we need to choose our battles, and let the ones lie where there is precedence for market acceptability, even though it is clearly less safe than the LHD set up.
We rely on the good will of those in VW we interface with, either in the dealership or VW UK. If we push on the things that won't get a response in Wolfsburg, we sap the energy in the communication chain for fixing the issues that are addressable such as battery heating whilst charging, KMh/MPH confusions etc.

[russbaum]

I reported this to the VW service desk while complaining about my touchscreen not working, the computer getting stuck in voice mode, the Automatic Lane Assist switching itself on and off and the alarm sounding randomly and the chap shrugged and said "yes, you're not the first. sorry there's nothing I can do".

So I've found a solution.

If I lean over to the right while I'm driving and elongate my neck at the same time I can stop the rain smear appearing in the middle of my field of vision.
Sorted !

NOT.

[Deleted User 192]

The setup is the same in my wife's 2006 Golf Plus, but sadly the end result behaviour is worse in the ID.3

VW UK told me that it won't change - hey ho.

[ColinID3]

Despite my earlier suggestion that it isn't worth pursuing this with VW, I mentioned it to the service adviser yesterday when he was handing over the car after 2.1update (RFT BTW)
I expected to be told 'nothing we can do'. The response however was surprising . He said that he too had experienced "non ideal" visibility on adn ID3 when driving in heavy rain at night.
He told me he had raised it with VW UK and been told this isn't a significant issue coming back from owners, so they can't raise it with VW Germany.
His suggestion to me was to raise it directly with VWUK customer services team. He said if everyone does this then maybe a critical mass of complaints might result in action.
His last comment was that there is a possibility that this might result in a change for future owners, but he doubts we will get a rework scheme for current cars.
Still I think it is worth logging the complaint - probably using the word 'Safety' within any feedback to VW because OEM's ears seem to prick up if something is deemed to be safety related.
My concern now (following other recent posts) is how to contact VWUK and speak to someone who will properly log my feedback.

[monkeyhanger]

Is this definitely the LHD set up to blame and not crap wipers? When getting a new VW (I've had 11), it's become a ritual to have a set of Bosch Aerotwins ready to swap over the crappy Vale ones that always smear on the drivers side downstroke to leave a banana shaped/sized smear on the drivers side.

[digital]

It's the LHD orientation, not the blades.

[ColinID3]

in Heavy rain the LH wiper 'throws' water across the drivers line of vision, at night time the problem is worse because this becomes a 'whiteout' of glare from on coming lights.