Headlight "pissers"

mac · 07-30-2003, 10:41 AM

A question to those who have their car. It appears that the headlight "pissers" are activated at every 5 passes of the windshield wiper. That seems very odd to me. I would have thought that it would have been a push lever for headlight pull for windshield. If it actually sprays every 5 wipes the d@mn wiper fluid will be emptied every time it rains.

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OrangeBingo · 07-30-2003, 10:44 AM

I would have to believe that they are only activated when one is spraying the windshield, not when the wipers are simply turned on.

Smoker · 07-30-2003, 10:45 AM

What ? that can't be, could be five passes of spraying the windsheid or something ,,,,,,,,,,, but even that is stupid. Can some one please confirm whether you have a separate control for the pisser by themselves ?

mac · 07-30-2003, 10:50 AM

When I went to the dealer to look at the car, I asked the dealer how it worked. He didn't know so he looked it up in the owner's manual. We both read the passage several times and it appears to say that it sprays every 5 passes. If it means that it sprays at every 5 squirt, then that is almost just as bad (squirt 5 times just to clean your headlight

). It did say something about pulling the lever twice but we couldn't figure out if that was to deactivate it or what. Clear as mud

Edit: Could someone please scan or quote (since it is a very short passage) the owner's manual in regards to the pissers?

Gord96BRG · 07-30-2003, 10:52 AM

The owners manual indicates that the headlight washers will be activated every 5th time the windshield washers are used, or they can be activated separately by activating the washer function twice quickly.

I agree that the "every 5th time" is a bit stupid - Audi's current headlight washer implementation is that they only spray when the headlights are on, and then only if the windshield washer is held on for more than 2 seconds. Much better...

Regards,
Gordon

Smoker · 07-30-2003, 11:09 AM

thanks Gord..... (geez, you have been the Man with the Answers for most of my posts for the last two days :D )

I suppose if you can just spray the head lights separately then it isn't so bad. Just gotta practice that double-tap action down so you can do it whenever you need to.

Redshift · 07-30-2003, 11:13 AM

Bah, they are evil. Just pull the fuse for them and be done with it like I did.

They just spray washer fluid all over the car.
Besides, who here as ever had an urgent need to spray washer fluid on their headlights? Seriously.
In all my years of driving I have NEVER felt the need to specifically wash off my headlights.

Gord96BRG · 07-30-2003, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Redshift
Besides, who here as ever had an urgent need to spray washer fluid on their headlights? Seriously.
In all my years of driving I have NEVER felt the need to specifically wash off my headlights.

Me. Often! (In winter) Driving in the mountains when there's a lot of snow and slush on the highway, the front of a car gets coated with brown slush pretty quickly. When you go skiing every weekend (Calgary to Lake Louise, about 175 km one way), it can get pretty annoying. I've had drives where I had to pull over at half-distance and stop to rub snow on the headlights to clear them since the crud was so thick on them that they weren't putting out any meaningful light!

(So we'll see if those little pop-up washers can still pop-up when the bumper is covered in frozen slush...)

Regards,
Gordon

mac · 07-30-2003, 11:20 AM

You've obviously never spent a winter in Ottawa

We get so much road spray that my dark green car can look totally white in a matter of days during the winter (I plan to drive it in the winter).

I would have thought that Halifax would have slushy conditions as often as Ottawa.

Jasper_the_2nd · 07-30-2003, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Gord96BRG
The owners manual indicates that the headlight washers will be activated every 5th time the windshield washers are used, or they can be activated separately by activating the washer function twice quickly.

I agree that the "every 5th time" is a bit stupid - Audi's current headlight washer implementation is that they only spray when the headlights are on, and then only if the windshield washer is held on for more than 2 seconds. Much better...

Regards,
Gordon

Just a note. I don't know if it says in the manual, but I was playing with them this weekend and I could only get them to work of the headlights were turned on, so at least they won't be spraying the car all day.
I'm not really sure how well the "double tap" will work; I couldn't get it working at all.

And yeah, I can see a use for them out here in N.S. I've had the salt coat my headlights so badly that they were almost useless.

Of course, I'm not planning to drive my 8 in the winter, so they won't really help much...

Redshift · 07-30-2003, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mac
You've obviously never spent a winter in Ottawa We get so much road spray that my dark green car can look totally white in a matter of days during the winter (I plan to drive it in the winter).

I would have thought that Halifax would have slushy conditions as often as Ottawa.

We do.. but then, I also wash my car every 2-3 days (at least) in the winter since I can't stand a dirty car... and the salt all over it just makes me ill.

I guess that's why I never got to the point where headlight washers made sense to me.

Smoker · 07-30-2003, 12:32 PM

for me, driving in Toronto Winter requires me to pour some windshield washer over the head lights and then give them a good scrub every night after I have driven the car. Otherwise, it feels like you just have the day time running light on at night.

I'm hoping that if I can spray the headlights once in a while I can avoid the scrubbing part.

Quick_lude · 07-30-2003, 01:57 PM

But is there a way to turn it off? Or will the pissers go on everytime it's raining and my wipers are on?

Jasper_the_2nd · 07-30-2003, 02:11 PM

Only if you use your windshield washers, and your lights are on.
It's every 5 pulls on the washer lever, so if you just have your wipers on all day, they won't do a thing.

Quick_lude · 07-30-2003, 05:51 PM

Oh I see.. I understood that as every time the regular wipers do five cycles the washers go on.. In that case I like them, good idea for the winter time when my headlights are always dirty with road salt.

Deep Blue · 07-31-2003, 09:38 PM

My BMW had the washers on it, and let me tell you...despite driving in the last two winters with it...I HATED THE HEADLIGHT WASH. It burns up SOOO much washer fluid it is ridiculous. There needs to be a separate button to activate it to make it truly useful. I found my ultra annoying, and shut them off in the internal computer at the dealer.

Let me know where that fuse is that I can yank out, I'll do the same when I get my RX-8!

Redshift · 08-01-2003, 04:23 AM

Pretty straight forward.
In the underhood fuse box there is a fuse marked HL/Washers.
Pull it, and you're done.

Evolv · 08-02-2003, 12:12 AM

I like to treat my windshield to Rain-X. This way I only need to use my wipers and washers when I'm down to slow city speeds or stopped at lights.

Here's What I am Planning

Rain-X the windshield, add rain-x windshield fluid in the tank.

Then >>>>

A Follow the wiring diagram until the wire that activates the sensor on 5 pulls is found and then "SNIP" This way the washer only works on the double pull. If that doesn't work, then see plan B below.

B Pull the damn fuse. My 8's never gona see the snow, unless I go skiing :D :D

Pete · 08-06-2003, 12:53 AM

My 8's not touching the snow. I don't really have to worry about the HL/washers.

I do find them to be a great idea anyway. I live in toronto, and the weather can get pretty nasty at times.

wakeech · 08-06-2003, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Evolv
Follow the wiring diagram until the wire that activates the sensor on 5 pulls is found and then "SNIP" This way the washer only works on the double pull. If that doesn't work, then see plan B below.

hey Evolv, this would be a great DIY mod. i'd be thrilled if you, or someone else, could get this figured out for the Tech Section (or the DIY section we're suppost to be forming...??)