My wifes 05 MCS has the headlight washers but we cant figure out how they work. We have been through the owners manual twice and while it mentions them in a few places there is nothing that tells you how to activate them or how they work. We had no clue this car even had them until we opened the hood and saw a washer bottle for headlights on the driver side. We both bought mini`s within a few months of each other and they our our first ones, so we dont know too much about them yet. My 06 MCS does not have this feature. Why would there not be anything in the owners manual about these washers?

 

turn on the headlights, and go pull the wiper stalk thing inwards as if you were spraying washer fluid on your windshield, run to the front of the car and youll see the headlight washers pop out and squirt washer fluid on the headlights

 

Thanks, I will go check that out. I still think its odd our owners manual does not mention this.

 

How do headlight washers work?

Not all that well, I am afraid. Since there is no wiper, the stream of water does not do much. But, in a pinch, when the lights are filthy, they help.

Be advised that they over spray and will send wiper fluid all over your bonnet. So, if you car is nice and clean, you might not want to use them.

Dean,

 

i agree, i never use them, and i hate when i have to use it if a bug hits the glass at night or something, and then at the same time, the washer fluids gets all over the hood/bumper

 

The headlight washers work when you have the headlights on and activate the windshield washers. They are pretty neat looking when you activate them, they come straight out from the car, squirt a couple of times, and then retract back in. Very James Bond.

There is no seperate button for the headlight washers and the windshield washers though.

It seems like your wife's '05 MCS has xenon headlights while yours doesn't. I take it that the headlights on your car and the headlights on her car look quite different right?

-Chase

 

she got the better lights

 

Note that the headlight washers don't work EVERY time - IIRC, it's every 3rd time or so (after the initial pull/wash.)

For my '04 it's on page 51, under Washer/Wiper System

"...When the vehicle lighting is on, the headlamps are also cleaned at appropriate intervals."

 

My mom loves my headlight washers. It's like they put on a little light/water show; very entertaining...

It helps to hold down the wiper stick thing for a little longer than usual in order to activate the headlight washers.

 

the pressure of the water extends the piston, then when it's at max extension, the pressure builds a bit more to spray. Very short squirts of the washers don't run long enough to get it to go.

I think they suck. Before I converted the car over to water injection using the resevoir, I'd removed the wheel well liner on the driver side and disconnected the connector to the pump.

Matt

 

Are you using the resevoir for water injection for your intercooler?

 

it's not for a sprayer. It's for water injection after the IC. If I were to do it over again, I think I'd do a progressive system pre-IC.

I've got other plans for sprayers....

Matt

 

I hate mine. I can only get them to activate once per drive cycle, even on long trips (several hours long). I've nearly drained the washer fluid reservoir trying to get the stupid headlight washers to activate more than once. No cigar here - it doesn't do it after the 3rd wash cycle, even if I wait over an hour between windshield wash cycles. It can get really muddy on the road around here, especially during winter breakup. It would be nice if I could get the headlight washers to activate more often.

I can cheat: shut the vehicle off, then restart...and get another headlight wash cycle that way. But I really don't like having to cycle my Xenon headlights on/off any more than I have to.

I much prefer the system on my (newly acquired project) Land Rover: activate headlight washers every time you wash the windshield if you hold the washers on long enough. Why the heck didn't MINI do this??

 

The windsheild washers really are for the build up of snow and Ice, or if the road is extremely dirty. Dont expect them to remove dried film. I love mine they really melt away the snow and ice.

 

Headlight washers are a requirement in Europe for cars with Xenon lights. The light is so intense that they are worried about debris on the lens causing light to be deflected, distracting drivers of oncoming cars.

That's the same reason Xenon's have an auto-leveling feature.

 

Too bad I can't get mine to spray more than once. I've got pics of my headlights just clogged with snow - which would have been prevented if MINI designed the headlight washer system "properly".

LOL, sorry if I sound angry - the headlight washer system is one of my biggest gripes about my car!

 

Check out post 1185:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...rs#post2128312

 

My biggest issue is the dirty hood. I have to turn my lights off to keep it from spraying, Mine sprays water everytime I push the button (w/ lights on of course)
It just dawned on me........I should let you know I drive a R56S, they did fix it so it works everytime now.

 

Or if you want some music with your video check this out.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=146614

 

if you're still under warranty, let them know so they can fix it.

Matt

 

The headlight washer problem was among a list of complaints I had when my car was shipped to NW MINI for its final warranty service last year. And like a couple of the items on my list of complaints - they considered the headlight washer operation "normal". "Why would you need to wash the headlights more than once per trip anyway?"

They said that about the door lock problem as well, despite me mentioning a TSB for the exact problem. The problem: if you unlock the driver's door w/ the remote, then try to unlock the passenger door with the console switch - the doors will not unlock unless you first lock the doors again. NW MINI insisted that this was normal behavior as well, and pretty much disregarded the TSB showing that a BCM replacement was needed to fix this problem.

 

Hi,

I have an 08 MCS but hate that the headlight washers go on every time I spray the windshield. Is there a way not to have the headlights sprayed when I clean off the windshield?

 

Not sure how it works on the R56's, but on my R53, the headlights do not get washed if they aren't on.

And if you have them on, giving the washers quick little spurts will often keep the headlight washers from activating as well.

I wish there was a way to adjust the frequency of the headlight washers. Around here at this time of year, I'd actually want them to work every time I sprayed the windshield - but definitely not in the summer.

 

Although many complain about the headlight washers, they're no worse than windshield washers. The runoff from the windshield washers is far more noticeable and annoying than the headlight washers whereas in my car fluid doesn't run across the bonnet but off to the sides and over the wheel arch. I have PPG Aquapel on the windshield and clean the windshield regularly and I can't remember the last time I used the windshield washers. If it's bad enough where I need to use the windshield washers, than the I'm sure the headlights are going to need a cleaning as well. I really only use the washers in snow and otherwise keep the windshield clean.

 

My washers come out but nothing sprays! The res is full. Can any one elaborate on this issue?