[CP911]

I'm pissed. I was giving the wife's X7 a nice hand wash last week, and as part of my washing routine, I always lift the wipers away from the windshield so I can clean the windshield easily without snagging my washing sponge on the wipers.

Well, I temporarily put the windshield wipers back down against the glass, and the X7 decided to "self adjust" the wipers or something stupid like that while I continued to wash the car. I then lifted the wipers up again to rinse out excess car shampoo from the underside of the wiper. As I lifted them, the wiper arm bumped into the rear edge of the hood and took off a good chunk of paint.

Why is the X7 doing this? I can literally feel the physical connection of the wipers to the servo motor that moves them. If you rotate the wipers in their natural wiping direction, you can feel the "robotic" feel of the servo motor rotating. They are clearly "reindexing" or doing something strange even when I'm not in the car (key is in my pocket while washing).

My M240i does not do this. The wipers stay in one place and I can lift them up and lay them back down as often as I need to while washing the car.

What is going on with this X7? Should I take it back to the dealership and demand they repair the paint damage to my hood?

[TurtleBoy]

Like many BMWs, and other makes, there is a specific procedure that needs to be followed when lifting the wipers away from the windshield. Please take some time to review the manual as it contains a lot of information and will save you some frustration and aggravation.

[CP911]

That you for the help. I must say though, that is totally ridiculous. Why does my 2-series not require this step? What advantage does the X7 have that would warrant this extra step?

So if I'm understanding correctly, I would simply need to perform this "fold away" procedure with the wipers prior to washing it? And can I assume that they will stay in this "folded away" position the entire time I'm washing, even if I accidentally run my wet sponge or finger across the Comfort Access part of the door handle? I am asking because the car was clearly reindexing the wipers automatically even though I had manually rotating them up a little bit before folding them away from the glass... I would hate to have them reindex somehow on accident while they are in the vertical position and folded away.

Thank you again!

[TurtleBoy]

I'm not sure why the 2 doesn't have it but that really doesn't matter. I have heard every BMW must follow this procedure for the wipers and it has been like that for many years but could care less if that is true or not. Just follow the procedure and you will be fine, the wipers will stay there.

[TurtleBoy]

Your 240 does have a procedure for folding the wipers away. Here is the excerpt from the 2018 M240i manual:

[CP911]

I guess, then, the physical dimensions of the 2-series hood do not obstruct the path of the wipers even if this procedure is completely ignored. I washed the car several times without any issue and without doing this procedure first. Too bad the X7 requires it... very obnoxious for something as simple as lifting wipers away from the glass.

Nonetheless, I thank you very much for taking the time to educate and help me!

Cheers!

[Hoosbest]

Originally Posted by CP911

I guess, then, the physical dimensions of the 2-series hood do not obstruct the path of the wipers even if this procedure is completely ignored. I washed the car several times without any issue and without doing this procedure first. Too bad the X7 requires it... very obnoxious for something as simple as lifting wipers away from the glass.

Nonetheless, I thank you very much for taking the time to educate and help me!

Cheers!

Glad I am not the only one... First hand car wash - my top hood edge got scratched a bunch trying to get the wipers up. Only car I have ever owned that requires a strange method of getting the wipers to lift up away from the glass. Silly design.

[TurtleBoy]

You guys may want to try a touch up paint kit from colorndrive. I got one for my X5 when I got a rock chip. The paint matched perfectly. I did not try and do the leveling/fill since it was such a small spot and not very noticeable.

https://colorndrive.com

[gsobol]

Originally Posted by CP911

I guess, then, the physical dimensions of the 2-series hood do not obstruct the path of the wipers even if this procedure is completely ignored. I washed the car several times without any issue and without doing this procedure first. Too bad the X7 requires it... very obnoxious for something as simple as lifting wipers away from the glass.

Nonetheless, I thank you very much for taking the time to educate and help me!

Cheers!

Because of how X7 handles keyfob, locking and unlocking via proximity, it also readies different systems of the car. May I suggest that you unlock the vehicle and leave the keyfob inside while you wash the car, that should prevent unexpected behavior. Not sure it would prevent unintended (by the car) re-positioning of the wipers and subsequent correction, but it will keep the car in more "stable" state.

[Wild Blue]

Thanks for this thread. Unless I read the manual, I wouldn't have thought of a procedure before lifting a wiper.

[MB21]

Originally Posted by CP911

I'm pissed. I was giving the wife's X7 a nice hand wash last week, and as part of my washing routine, I always lift the wipers away from the windshield so I can clean the windshield easily without snagging my washing sponge on the wipers.

Well, I temporarily put the windshield wipers back down against the glass, and the X7 decided to "self adjust" the wipers or something stupid like that while I continued to wash the car. I then lifted the wipers up again to rinse out excess car shampoo from the underside of the wiper. As I lifted them, the wiper arm bumped into the rear edge of the hood and took off a good chunk of paint.

Why is the X7 doing this? I can literally feel the physical connection of the wipers to the servo motor that moves them. If you rotate the wipers in their natural wiping direction, you can feel the "robotic" feel of the servo motor rotating. They are clearly "reindexing" or doing something strange even when I'm not in the car (key is in my pocket while washing).

My M240i does not do this. The wipers stay in one place and I can lift them up and lay them back down as often as I need to while washing the car.

What is going on with this X7? Should I take it back to the dealership and demand they repair the paint damage to my hood?

I wish with wipers as they are and when drying I put microfiber to clean glass at the same time it takes all the dark residue from the wiper itself it helps cleaning both when wiper press agains glass

[Paultattoo]

For all it's worth, my first care wash was a disaster. Funny now because there was no damage but...

So I pull into the car wash. I have on the auto hold and the machine starts pulling my car. But the car won't go with auto hold on and I get lifted and dropped twice. Now I am in the wrong sequence to proceed and the guy has to come out. We force the third pulley to pop under the tire and I am all set. Shut off the auto hold and proceed. As soon as I get in the sprayer gets the car wet and the wipers automatically turn on. When the wiper is up, the brush rips it off of the arm and tossed it to the side.

I was lucky. I finished the wash and went back around and got my wiper and was able to put it back on with no problem.

It was an experience for sure...

[Wanderer73]

Raising my hand ... I did the same thing and took a chunk out of the paint. I never owned a car before that required reading the manual to move the windshield wipers, but whatever. Live and learn.

[MystroX5]

You have to watch even when you are cleaning your windshield with glass cleaner. I had my M2C activate its wipers when I went to clean off a few smashed bugs on the glass. I sprayed the windshield before pulling into my garage and the wipers came to life. I can only imagine what would happen if they did this if pulled back.

[gsobol]

At least you don't have to dig through a system menus to look for a 'wiper change' option.