Johnhav430

Yesterday, 2X, the car wipers would not go into low. In the low position, they behaved as if they were in auto. I'm sure of it, that the stalk was physically in the low position.

After duplicating the symptom twice, could not duplicate again. Do the wiper switches go bad?

I have also seen weird behavior washing the windshield, as if the wipers were on auto, not low. Meaning, every other car I've driven, if you wash the windshield, the wipers wipe on low for x cycles, then go off. The LS seemed to stay on auto, with the stalk in off.

My concern is if low doesn't work, and the choices are left as auto, and high. technically, auto on the greatest sensitivity should still put the wipers on low if needed at certain speeds, I believe....just weird!

MikeFoxx

iTrader: (8)

You might just need to replace the gel pack for the rain sensor. It's located inside the black box where the rear view mirror attaches to the windshield. Looking from the outside in you can see the gel pack. I had the same issue as you and replaced mine. Think it was $13 from the dealer. Used mine a lot lately and everything is working as it should with auto and all speeds.

Johnhav430

Interesting....$13 is not the end of the world....I generally feel the auto is working OK. Just odd....again when I washed the windshield, swept 3X, wipers parked, then swept 1 more time....I would have thought after 3X, that's it. And, this is washing with the stalk in the OFF position....thx.

MikeFoxx

iTrader: (8)

Worth a shot... I only say this because when I first bought the car and used them for the first time I had the same 3x speed in all settings... I didn't have anything less than tropical down pour. It was super annoying one light sprinkle days doing the on off thing. Replaced the gel pack and I have all speeds and auto including the time between wipes in all speeds. Now I get it people will read this and say the gel back is just a communication to tell the car we have water on the window... but for whatever reason it also fixed all the above for me.

Johnhav430

Gotcha.....these things have logic behind them so IMHO anything is possible....nice to confirm I'm not nuts.....definitely wipes 3 times washing with stalk in off, then wipes again after a pause. The manual does state if you press the sensor the wipers activate....

Gronemus

According to the manual: If you stop the the vehicle with the wiper switch in the "LO" position, the wiper speed automatically changes from low speed to intermittent operation speed. This function does not work when the interval adjuster is in the "F" position.

Makes me wonder if this is the default setting when you are stopped and first turn on the wipers to LO. If so, this might be what is happening to you. And:

To make the washer squirt, push the button on the end of the lever. If the wiper lever is in the 'OFF" position, the wipers will automatically make 3 wipes and then a single wipe later to sweep the windshield completely.

Apparently, both of these "features" can be disabled by your Lexus dealer.

I would prefer just 2 swipes with the wipers whenever I hit the washers. Usually by the third time the wipers cycle again your just messing up a clean windshield...

JffGRY706

on pg. 59 of my manual it says that the wipers do 3 swipes and then a single swipe depending on vehicle speed. single swipe does not happen over 106 mph.

Johnhav430

Thanks fellas, seeing as I have two copies of the manual, I should have read it! It would seem that the car is behaving exactly as designed.....that's why I always have this sneaking suspicion that behavior can be explained by programming, and even though it's not a new thing, in a way, I go back to the old mechanical days in my thinking. For example, in my 1998 Maxima, the intermittent wipers stopped working, low and high work fine, wash works fine. This would be much simpler to diagnose (relay?).

Other hints that there is computer/programming.....turn on fog lamps on BMW, when vehicle is restarted, always off. What I like with BMW is that often there is no physical switching, even the turn signals. Tap down for left, tap down left to cancel....but can also tap up to cancel (in case people are used to that, which many drivers are). The stalk does not stay up or down, returns to center. Now you need logic to activate something as ordinary as turn signals...