Headlight wipers: given up on them yet? POLL

[nitehawk55]

I'll wait to fix mine .

I use Rain-X on my windshield and also put it on headlights and it helps winter slop roll off like the water beads off on the windshield . Another thing I find is ice scrapes off a lot easier even the nasty ice storm stuff .

If the arms are removed has anyone come up with a cap of sorts to cover the hole where the shaft is ?

[RaymanSean]

I don't see wipers on any new models of any brand these days. I think it was a 90s thing that held on into the 2000s.

Maybe someone reading knows: do the mid- and high-end cars have high pressure/heated spray nozzles? Or is the concept of cleaning headlights simply gone?

I am pretty sure that most European cars have them, BMW offered them at least as early as 82 in their e28s. The XC90s have them still (although you could argue about that modernness of the design). The gl320 I was looking at had them too. It seems in the newer vehicles they are good at hiding them. The ones on the XC90s look like blanks, but they flip up and spray, my wife called them cute.

[matthew1]

My headlight wiper mast. They don't look this bad in "real life".

Where I capped the T valve. Just pull the tubing out, it'll come.

[dearborn]

Yeah, I fixed 'em! Once they "parked" in correct position I disconnected them! I live in Michigan and they were way more trouble than they are worth.

[configsys]

They work great in Alaska, especially during spring break-up (that's what we call when the snow starts to melt and mixes with the sand/dirt they spray on the roads.

[benrk]

I don't see wipers on any new models of any brand these days. I think it was a 90s thing that held on into the 2000s.

Maybe someone reading knows: do the mid- and high-end cars have high pressure/heated spray nozzles? Or is the concept of cleaning headlights simply gone?

The concept is nowhere near gone, headlight washers are extremely useful in muddy winter weather & are mandatory for all new vehicles in Sweden & for HID equipped vehicles in Germany.
The wipers are mostly phased out in favor of pressure washers since the advent of plastic headlight lenses, the wipers would scratch them blind in 1 or 2 seasons.

Here in CDN headlight washers are part of the buying decision for me & it's beyond me why they aren't mandatory as we have equal weather as Sweden. I very much intend to have the non functional 1 on the XC fixed before the winter & will retrofit washer nozzles to the new truck (no washers available oem from VTNA )

Greetz, Ben

[cptkosmos]

I fixed mine with putting in a great amount of time and effort. I combined one from two bad motors from junk yard and took it off many times after disappointment but now they're finally working. You have to make sure that the small white gear and the red one is exactly in the right position or u have to remove it and take the motor apart again. I did it like 4 times but now i'm happy with them. Ofc if u can afford it you can just buy a new motor and install it, passenger side is a little tricky to put in but the drivers side is easy. I don't remember when i have cursed so much as i did with this job.

[abscate]

Shameless plug..I harvested two off my 1999 parts car for sale in the Parts Forum