LHD Wipers Fitted to RHD Car

[monkeyhanger]

Sounds like a minor safety issue they almost certainly won't do anything about.

[Deleted User 192]

Resurrecting an old thread...

If you have concerns about the LHD nature of the front wiper position and sequence such that the passenger in a RHD car gets a better view in wet weather than the driver, please report it to your dealer - with video evidence if you have it.

I spoke to the VW UK Executive Office about it for the second time today, that's what they've advised.

[MotMot]

Having had the car since Thursday - I did wonder if the wipers were set up correctly for rhd. Seems to sweep the left first then right etc…

Is there a central vw email address we could send a complaint/issue too rather than our (sometimes beleaguered) dealers?

[Deleted User 192]

Is there a central vw email address we could send a complaint/issue too rather than our (sometimes beleaguered) dealers?

That's exactly what I did this morning, only for the VW UK Executive Office to refer me to the dealer.

If you want to do the same, it's executive.office@volkswagen.co.uk

I have since spoken to my dealer, they are now also talking to the Executive Office, and a technical query has been raised - as my dealer said it's a design/build issue, not something they can magically resolve themselves.

[Philapousis]

If it been approved then it must be safe!! Why aren't they taking us seriously!!!

[monkeyhanger]

All feedback provided to the factory, to be filed in the bin!

[G43FAN]

If it been approved then it must be safe!! Why aren't they taking us seriously!!!

They have taken it seriously, they have replied which means they took time over your enquiry.
The wipers have been approved for use in the UK, if your not happy with that then you should be approaching the Vehicle certification agency not VW. I've never understood people's issue with it, both sides of the screen are swept,

I believe a number of other marques do the same and have for a few years certainly BMW and MB, albeit they are also German.

[gailjon]

If it been approved then it must be safe!! Why aren't they taking us seriously!!!

They have taken it seriously, they have replied which means they took time over your enquiry.
The wipers have been approved for use in the UK, if your not happy with that then you should be approaching the Vehicle certification agency not VW. I've never understood people's issue with it, both sides of the screen are swept,

I believe a number of other marques do the same and have for a few years certainly BMW and MB, albeit they are also German.

I find the wipers very poor when the rain gets herder. The rain is flicked across the screen to be left on the driver's side for the seconds until the wiper moves it, then it is flicked onto the screen again. If the wipers are fine, then why are they different for driving on the right? The wiper was designed to be effective and safe for that market so should be reversed for LHD markets.

[Deleted User 1733]

If it been approved then it must be safe!! Why aren't they taking us seriously!!!

They have taken it seriously, they have replied which means they took time over your enquiry.
The wipers have been approved for use in the UK, if your not happy with that then you should be approaching the Vehicle certification agency not VW. I've never understood people's issue with it, both sides of the screen are swept,

I believe a number of other marques do the same and have for a few years certainly BMW and MB, albeit they are also German.

I find the wipers very poor when the rain gets herder. The rain is flicked across the screen to be left on the driver's side for the seconds until the wiper moves it, then it is flicked onto the screen again. If the wipers are fine, then why are they different for driving on the right? The wiper was designed to be effective and safe for that market so should be reversed for LHD markets.

The entire wipe process is done in under 1.5 seconds on intermittent wipe, that goes down to a fraction over 1 second when on continuous slow speed as the left wiper remains slightly higher, and under 1 second when in high speed, However the factory fit wiper blades never seem to be up to much and that's from years of owning various brands.

[Big277wave]

I think my biggest gripe on this one is when going around a sharp right bend when it's raining heavily. As the screen is steeply raked the blind spot from the A pillar is already large, the wiper doesn't go anywhere near to the edge of the screen on the drivers side then drags the water back over the edge of the screen on it's way back down leaving a substantial blind spot.

Yes the drops flicked off the end of the wiper blades are annoying but they don't really block much of your view, but still it would be better if they could modify the design for right hand drive cars.

[rikimaru]

Not sure how wipers work but say VW did want to do something about it, how would they fix this?

[Big277wave]

It's probably unlikely to be fixed on existing cars, but could be redesigned to reverse the motor/ gearing and moulding for the wipers for Right hand drive cars. Really it should have been done in the early design stage then they could ensure that there is enough space allocated and mounting points etc are provided for both configurations.

[G43FAN]

Doesn't look like they have done it on the Born even though they moved the Light Switch panel. I suspect given the amount of retooling it would require on the production line that is an update for a long way ahead in the future, if at all. As I said prevuiosly MB and BMW have cars where it hasn't been reversed for the UK market and if the cars are getting approval for sale in UK why would they bother, I think it's something we'll see more of.

[ItshardtobuyId3]

If anyone finds out a way of reporting this somewhere that will have any sort of impact I’ll join in. They are seriously dangerous and if they have been accepted in a test somewhere the test is wrong.

I was driving down the M5 in a storm yesterday night and could hardly see a thing in my direct line of sight because of all the water being splashed directly into it by the wipers going the wrong direction. I could only see where I was going by leaning into the middle of the car or near the door.

If there was a stone chip in that region of the windscreen it would fail an MOT. Last night it was like that region had been hit by a shotgun!!! It looks to me like the pivot points of the wipers are in the same place so it isn’t impossible to fix with existing cars. Reverse the wiper design and which motor is activated first. Even if it isn’t possible then at least VW can be forced to stop the Frenchification of there cars and trying to save money by not properly implementing RHD.

[ItshardtobuyId3]

If it been approved then it must be safe!! Why aren't they taking us seriously!!!

They have taken it seriously, they have replied which means they took time over your enquiry.
The wipers have been approved for use in the UK, if your not happy with that then you should be approaching the Vehicle certification agency not VW. I've never understood people's issue with it, both sides of the screen are swept,

I believe a number of other marques do the same and have for a few years certainly BMW and MB, albeit they are also German.

I’ve sent them this message:

Hello,

I would like to report a serious safety flaw in the ID.3 that only affects RHD models that are sold in countries like the U.K. and Ireland.

It would appear that in an effort to save money, the wipers on all ID.3 models work in the same direction. Under most rain conditions this is unpleasant with RHD drive cars as the wipers draw a line into the drivers line of sight. However, under certain circumstances it extremely dangerous. If there is heavy rain the wipers throw water directly into the line of sight of the driver. The only way to see where you are going is to lean into the middle or out side of the car.

If there was a stone chip in that zone on any car in the U.K. then that car would fail an MOT. Last night in a storm it was more like that zone had been hit by a shotgun!!

I hope you will be able to fix this issue as soon as possible?

If you do not consider this a serious safety issue then please direct me to appropriate regulatory contact in the U.K. that considered this safe. Then I can alert them to the danger directly.

[sidehaas]

I think the regulator for type approvals in the UK is the vehicle certification agency.
enquiries@vca.gov.uk

https://www.vehicle-certification-agency.gov.uk/

There is a complaints link. It may be worth seeing if they have published anything relevant on their website, for example they may publish guidance on what is expected in terms of windscreen wipers. If there is nothing in of interest already published, you could try FOIing documents related to their approval of the ID3, or their guidance on windscreen wipers. If doing an FOI request you need to be specific about what you want to see. Might be of interest but I doubt it would lead to anything.

Have to say it hasn't really bothered me so far, but I probably haven't driven in a real deluge yet.

[ItshardtobuyId3]

I think the regulator for type approvals in the UK is the vehicle certification agency.
enquiries@vca.gov.uk

https://www.vehicle-certification-agency.gov.uk/

There is a complaints link. It may be worth seeing if they have published anything relevant on their website, for example they may publish guidance on what is expected in terms of windscreen wipers. If there is nothing in of interest already published, you could try FOIing documents related to their approval of the ID3, or their guidance on windscreen wipers. If doing an FOI request you need to be specific about what you want to see. Might be of interest but I doubt it would lead to anything.

Have to say it hasn't really bothered me so far, but I probably haven't driven in a real deluge yet.

Thanks, I’ll see what they say first. At night when it’s raining heavily it really is dangerous. The main part of the windscreen in-front of you might as well be a frosted window.

[monkeyhanger]

I suppose it's difficult to differentiate between visibility on the ID3 and a car with RHD optimised wiper linkage during a storm with a deluge of rain water - in that weather, its going to ge hard to see much either way, with the RHS optimised wipers likely only marginally better. Worst rain I was ever in was "Thunder Thursday" in Newcastle in 2012, where 6" of rain fell in 2 hours, couldn't see a thing, had to get off the road and wait it out. Wipers aren't meant to deal with rainfall like that.

[G43FAN]

I suppose it's difficult to differentiate between visibility on the ID3 and a car with RHD optimised wiper linkage during a storm with a deluge of rain water - in that weather, its going to ge hard to see much either way, with the RHS optimised wipers likely only marginally better. Worst rain I was ever in was "Thunder Thursday" in Newcastle in 2012, where 6" of rain fell in 2 hours, couldn't see a thing, had to get off the road and wait it out. Wipers aren't meant to deal with rainfall like that.

Maybe I am willfully interpretting your reply as a more polite version of "Drive to the conditions, if it's raining that hard slow down, the issue is not your windscreen wipers".

Summer thunderstorms in the Black Forest.. Wow that rain is something else, I was on the '5' Autobahn just South of Baden-Baden one year and we were doing 15mph it was like a hosepipe was aimed at the screen, then the following year dropping down into the town we stay in we ended up pulling into a farm entrance as it was just too ridiculous to continue driving, we were quickly joined by two motorcyclists trying to find cover.

[the.kes]

Rainex?