Maybe everyone else knows about this feature-- but if you're driving in a heavy rain and have your wipers on the high speed and then stop for a light, the wipers automatically go to slow speed while you are stationary, and speed up as your speed increases.
I never realised this. I was driving tonight in heavy rain with the wipers on high, on local highway with lights every few miles. At this first light, the wipers slowed down, and I thought there must be a problem with the wiper motor; the next light, I thought it must be the wiper switch or relay, by the third light I thought 'did I miss my Zoloft today?', by the fourth light I thought 'I should definately up the dose'--- well by the fifth light I was bent over, yelling under my dashboard, 'this isn't funny now; is there someone in the glovebox?, I want my teddy (as in bear, that is, although I wouldn't have refused the woman in the car next to me in a teddy, but that's a another story-- believe me, the way she was looking at me, she was much more interested in how quickly the light would turn green), by the last light, I was perched on my sunroof, watching the damn wipers and saying 'i'll be darned, you puppies do slow down when I do, wherecha learn to do that-- well the family in the car next to me definately did not want to stay and talk about it-- either in or out of a teddy....

Well some of the good news is that the traffic became unusually light around me for the rest of the drive home, it was almost like people were clearing a path for me...go figure. When I got home, I looked in the owners manual, and sure enough, the wipers slow down when the car does.

This car is too cool. Have others noticed this feature? Maybe it's been on cars for awhile and i've not seen it before. Maybe others haven't noticed this feature on the mini. Maybe it's only my mini. Maybe it was just my imagination....

Later,
Steve

 

>This car is too cool. Have others noticed this feature? Maybe it's been on cars for awhile and i've not seen it before. Maybe others haven't noticed this feature on the mini.

BMW has done this since at least '96 - the '96 BMW 328is I had did it. The 328is also had 'infinately adjustable' intermitent between 1 and 30 seconds. Basically you would turn on the wiper once and turn it off and then the next time you turned on the wiper within 30 seconds set the amount of time between wipes. Whenever you stopped at a light it doubled your set interval.

I guess it was too comlex for most people or something - they went back to a clicky type of intermitent on later models.

 

That is a great feature of the Cooper and it's supposed to happen. And, you're lucky. My dealer at first didn't know that this could be set and then didn't have the software to program it into the Vehicle Memory. Mine is not the default.

Love the Rain!

 

Yeah, there seems to be some lack of clarity (hummmm, go figure, there seems to be a lot of that going around at MINI dealers/service ) about whether this is a feature that can or cannot be programmed. I DON'T have it, but would love to...and I did see it mentioned on the list of things that your dealer can program (but likely doesn't know that they can program ).

 

Is this the same option that adjusts the wiper speed with the amount of rainfall? (Stopping would cause it to think the rain had lightened up).

It is used to be part of the Cold Package, but now it is bundled with the auto dimming rear view mirror.

We ordered it, but our dealer put in a note that the factory may not offer it for 2003 models. I hope so. That's one of the toys I was looking forward to.



_________________
MINI Cooper S: Indi Blue with black roof and stripes. Ordered 9/9/02

 

>>Yeah, there seems to be some lack of clarity (hummmm, go figure, there seems to be a lot of that going around at MINI dealers/service :smile:

 

My Dealer Baron in Kansas, did not have the ability to program these options last time I was there. I am hoping to get a list of all the programmable options, and have it done next time I am down there 200 miles. They said they would do it once for free so I want to make sure I don't miss anything. Or better yet anyone know how to hook up a lap to and do it yourself???

 

Rataha:
My advice, read up in the owners manual and know what you're asking for. The wiper adjustments are real and they can be made but before you make the drive to your dealer, phone ahead and make certain that they have the software and that they'll program these for you.

I'm not down on MINI dealers, in fact, I've been happy with mine here in SF. But know what you want, know that it's possible and then stick to your guns. In some cases, MINI owners are educating the new dealers about stuff like this.

 

Just what is this "rain" stuff?

 

>>>>Yeah, there seems to be some lack of clarity (hummmm, go figure, there seems to be a lot of that going around at MINI dealers/service :smile:

Now if you turn your wipers on high while at highway speeds and then slow down to a stop, are you saying that your wipers stay at the high speed??? Have others tried this to see?

I tested it again today, and the wipers slow down when I first stop, and then speed up some at 20 or so mph, and about 30 go back to high. I didn't think this is a progammable feature. It is described in the owners manual. I thought it was the default.

If it is programmable, I didn't have it programmed. I did have the auto door locks over 8 mph, and the key opening the windows and sunroof programmed-- maybe the wiper feature came with it-- i never noticed the wipers changing speed before (but it had only rained once). Maybe there are additional features that are activated when the basic ones are programmed by the dealer. I noticed that I now have the courtesy lights when I turn off the engine.
Interesting...

 

>>Is this the same option that adjusts the wiper speed with the amount of rainfall? (Stopping would cause it to think the rain had lightened up).
>>
>>It is used to be part of the Cold Package, but now it is bundled with the auto dimming rear view mirror.
>>
>>We ordered it, but our dealer put in a note that the factory may not offer it for 2003 models. I hope so. That's one of the toys I was looking forward to.
>>
>>
No, No, NO NO! They are talking about SPEED-Sensitive wipers NOT Rain-Sensitive Wipers... Two completely different things!

 

Speed sensitive wipers can be programed in by the dealer, if they are not already. But rain sensitive wipers require a special sensor that detects the amount of water on the windshield and a few extra bucks. :smile: