# touareg issue



## TRegChick (Dec 17, 2003)

hi everyone...
i'm new to this site (as a registered user...have been following the threads for a couple of months now). just bought a v6 touareg last thursday (i LOVE it!!). 
one issue has arisen since then...within just the past couple of days, i've noticed that the front windshield wipers don't work when the car is not moving (e.g., at a stop light). this is regardless of whether they are in rain-sensing mode or whether i activate them manually (by pushing the lever all the way down or by pushing the lever up to full speed), or whether i am washing the windwhield. as soon as the car begins to move past 5 mph, the windshield wipers start to work again. it is very annoying as when i try to wash the windshield while at a stoplight, the fluid sprays on but the wipers don't do anything until i start moving again. oddly enough, this problem has just recently cropped up...when i checked out my car at the dealership before i signed the paperwork, they worked fine when the car wasn't moving.
i've notified my dealership of the issue (for those of you in New England, my experience with Norm Wagner VW in Lunenburg, MA has been nothing less than fabulous!!) and they are going to take a look at it/fix it tomorrow.
just curious to see if anyone else has had this problem (i've done searches and nothing has come up, but maybe someone has had a problem and simply not posted anything about it) and if so, what was the diagnosis/solution?
thanks in advance!


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## mdjak (Aug 13, 2003)

*Re: touareg issue (TRegChick)*

I've been on this forum for quite a while and I have never seen it mentioned. Let us know what the problem is.


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## spockcat (Jun 5, 2003)

*Re: touareg issue (TRegChick)*

Did you try turning the little wheel on the washer control stalk all the way to the top? There is a setting that seems to make the wipers come on full time at regular speed.


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## TRegChick (Dec 17, 2003)

yes, i've tried that. nothing works. i've also noticed that when i'm in stop-and-go traffic with the windshield wipers on (regardless of what position), the wipers automatically shut off whenever i come to a stop, and they don't start up again once i start moving...in order to get them to work again, i actually have to manually put them into the "off" position and then turn them back on once i'm rolling. definitely a pain!


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## Corradodrvrfnd (Feb 15, 2002)

*Re: (TRegChick)*

MAybe the factory installed a speed sensor instead of a rain sensor?


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## wzl (Dec 2, 2003)

I've read about other people with this same "issue"... the consensus was that this is the normal behavior of the Rain Sensing Wiper system.


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## Vdubhondu (Aug 28, 2003)

*Re: (wzl)*

I have the same sensors on my GTI and mine work at all times stopping or going so I would not consider this a "normal" issue. That is definatly something that should be checked out


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## spockcat (Jun 5, 2003)

*Re: (TRegChick)*


_Quote, originally posted by *TRegChick* »_yes, I've tried that. nothing works. I've also noticed that when I'm in stop-and-go traffic with the windshield wipers on (regardless of what position), the wipers automatically shut off whenever i come to a stop, and they don't start up again once i start moving...in order to get them to work again, i actually have to manually put them into the "off" position and then turn them back on once I'm rolling. definitely a pain!

Had a chance to try the wipers on my way home tonight. First, there are three basic positions to the wipers, off, on with the variable rain sensitivity and high speed (not sure if the rain sensor works on this position or not). 
So you have to move the stalk into the first on position when it is raining. When you turn the little wheel on the wiper stalk all the way up and it is raining, you get regular continuous wiping. When you come to a stop and the rain is still coming down steady, I noticed there was a slight delay in the wiping function, so the rain sensor is still working, even with the sensitivity wheel fully up. 
As the rain let up a little while I was stopped, the wipers stopped. When I started moving and more rain hit the windshield, the wipers went back on full regular speed.
If your wipers do not wipe at full regular speed when it is raining steadily, then go to your dealer when it is raining and ask a service adviser to come see if there is something wrong with the wipers. But before you go there, make sure you understand the sensitivity function on the wiper stalk. If it is turned down, you would probably have to be in a downpour to get wiping action.


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## TRegChick (Dec 17, 2003)

*Re: (spockcat)*


_Quote, originally posted by *spockcat* »_
If your wipers do not wipe at full regular speed when it is raining steadily, then go to your dealer when it is raining and ask a service adviser to come see if there is something wrong with the wipers. But before you go there, make sure you understand the sensitivity function on the wiper stalk. If it is turned down, you would probably have to be in a downpour to get wiping action.

hi spockcat,
i fully and completely understand the function of the rain sensitivity feature. i am absolutely positive that the windshield wipers are not functioning properly, irrespective of the rain sensitivity mode. it does not matter what position the wipers are in--when my t-reg is stopped, the wipers simply will not wipe if i try to (1) manually push down the wiper stalk and do the "one-wipe" feature; (2) put the wiper stalk in rain-sensing mode and turn the knob into any one of the three "rain sensitivity" modes; (3) push the wiper stalk all the way up into "fast wiping" mode; or (4) to pull the wiper stalk toward the driver's seat to wash the windshield. If the car is stopped, the wipers don't move. period. if i sat there for 5 minutes in a downpour with the rain-sensitivity on low, medium, or high, (which conveniently today it happened to pour all day) they still don't wipe.
i would speculate that the problem lies in the computer chip for the rain sensitivity feature (assuming there is one specific chip for this feature)...clearly the wipers aren't malfunctioning mechanically, because they work just fine (in any and all modes, various rain-sensitive modes included) as they should when the car is moving.


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## spockcat (Jun 5, 2003)

*Re: (TRegChick)*

I assume that you are testing this under rainy conditions.
As we discovered just this week, there is a code that can turn the rain and light sensor on and off. How about your lights? Do they come on when it is dark out if you have them in the middle position?


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## TRegChick (Dec 17, 2003)

*Re: (spockcat)*


_Quote, originally posted by *spockcat* »_I assume that you are testing this under rainy conditions.


right...as i said before, it poured all day in the boston area today. consequently, it has indeed been thoroughly tested in rainy conditions.
my lights work fine in the "auto" mode (i.e., when the lights switch is at the 12 o'clock position) -- the DRL comes on in the day time and when it is darker outside, the lights come on (tail, front, interior dash).


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## spockcat (Jun 5, 2003)

*Re: (TRegChick)*

Well that shoots the theory about the rain and light sensors not being turned on to hell. Guess you have to go to the dealer. The way your car's wipers are working is not correct.


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## hcw8161 (Oct 10, 2004)

*Re: touareg issue (TRegChick)*

was your wiper issue ever fixed? i have had my touareg for about a month and i have the same exact problem with my wipers. if i am at a complete stop they will not work.


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## miked112 (Jul 8, 2004)

*Re: touareg issue (hcw8161)*

I was just noticing the same thing today in mine....the wipers slow down when stopped in rain sensing mode. Seems like it is normal behavior.


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## garibaldo (Jul 10, 2004)

*Re: (TRegChick)*

There is a definite problem with your wipers if they do not wipe under any on position during a pouring rain while in a stopped position. 
Today it rained steadly and the wipers worked while on the rain sensing first position and stopped at a traffic light.


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## Jeff from Mass (Feb 17, 2004)

*Re: touareg issue (TRegChick)*

The wipers will not work if the engine hood is not all the way down. It may be possible the switch that proves full hood closure may need adjusting or replacement.


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## bwallet (Jun 17, 2004)

Does the rain-sensing mode work for others? Mine seems to be this random thing that works pretty much horribly. I really wish it had a plain old interval wipers. I find myself having to constantly be adjusting the wheel and or turning the wipers off and then back on to keep the wipers working.


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## 12johnny (Oct 28, 2003)

*Re: touareg issue (bwallet)*

Mine work perfectly, more or less as Spock explained some posts above. If it's pouring, they work fast, if it rains a little, they slow down... even at the traffic lights they do what they have to, depending on the intensity of the rain. 
The only thing that we all have noticed is that the first time that we want they to operate we have to manually use the stalk, to prevent (as Spock said some months ago) them to begin by theirselves in a car wash or if someone tries to clean our windshield being stopped in a traffic light.







http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## cybulman (Dec 18, 2003)

*Re: (spockcat)*

Spock all that you say is correct usually








Do you think her 5mph speed sensing auto-doorlocker is somehow interfering?
Cy


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## 12johnny (Oct 28, 2003)

*Re: touareg issue (TRegChick)*

By the way, it's better to open a thread with a clear title about what you wanna say, as "touareg issue" (for example) doesn't help to search for this "issue" in the future... something as "My wiper blades don't work if I'm stopped" or something similar would be better...







http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## anothercar (Dec 20, 2002)

*Re: touareg issue (12johnny)*

umm, guys,...we paid extra for this feature. I prefer sitting at a light and not having my wipers going nutzy koo koo..(a technical term according to my engineer wife) the wipers do come on as needed to keep the windshield clear ...if you dont like it, as suggested , just twist the dial and make them sweep more frequently


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## TregOH (Jul 7, 2004)

*Re: touareg issue (bwallet)*

Mine work very well. I like the feature a lot. I always hated the variable wipers in my Jetta. While the sweep rate was nearly infinitely adjustable it was a PITA to set. The Touareg wipers are terrific in my opinion.


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## cgmb16 (Jul 22, 2003)

It was explained to me that the wipers are supposed to function this way when the full wipe setting is selected. (pushing the stalk as high as it will go) They are supposed to stop wiping when the car is slowed to below 5 mph. When the car has accelerated past 5 mph the wipers will start back up. I think one of the cool features about this is when pulling up to a drive thru window, the wipers will automatically stop so you don't get the people wet. I think this is pretty neat. You wouldn't want to do anything to warrant your food to be spit on would you????


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