DMPesso

Nope, once again I’ve had loaners and they’re the same. Simply not fast enough. Cars were driving by me while I had to slow down. You are just lucky enough to have not been in a heavy downpour in the RX. I’ve driven in plenty of storms in different cars and the only time I ever had to stop because I could barely see in front of me was in a loaner RX and my RX. You can visibly see the wipers are simply not that fast on high mode in comparison to another car. They move back and forth too slow.

Cocal

I can guarantee that I have been in heavy downpours and have not found the wipers wanting. The only other car with rain sensitive wiper I've had was my MB E350 and while it was better than the RX350 I don't find the latter deficient. Perhaps it is a question of perception, same for the hesitation, I don't have it unless I drive in eco mode (useless) I was just thinking about this this am as how much the race to MPG has screwed up our cars and why the vehicle should not be as responsive in normal mode. I think that we are comparing mechanical response to electronic response which is not as quick because all the sensors must be in sync before the command is actioned. Another thing that was much better in the Benz was cruise control; it never erred whereas in the RX it allows the vehicle to go well above/below the set speed before it applies correction. I must admit that there are things that I expected to be better under the Lexus brand.

ravenuer

I've been driving cars for 58 years, so I've been in any conceivable kind of weather. Some downpours have been so bad I had to pull off the road and wait it out. No wipers would be fast enough for that.
Again, a matter of perception and my perception is my RX wipers are as fast as any car I've driven. As someone else mentioned, the RX has a big windshield, requiring very long wiper blades, which might affect someone's perception of their speed.
If you think yours are too slow, then I guess select your next car based on its wiper speed.

eddie420

Agreed. Have owned the GS and drove the ES/IS many times, the RX wipers are definitely 'slow' in the auto setting. I typically end up moving the arm to the fast setting which is annoying but it's a minor nuisance for me.

Cocal

There is a little wheel on the stalk that allows to change the speed with which the wipers operate in auto mode, check to see if it is at max speed.

BenPel

Hi guys!

Just bought my 2020 RX450h a week ago and I'm LOVING IT

But I'm wondering if anybody else has an issue of that kind or if I just dont understand how the wipers are supposed to work...

When it's raining/snowing and I use the automatic wipers, sometimes when I pull the lever to send washer on the windshield, the wipers won't operate and the washer just lays on the window and I have to manually start the wipers to spread it. I'm on my 2nd lexus and 3rd car with automatic wipers and it's the first time something like this happens. Usually the wipers operated if I sent washer on the windshield.

And like I said it is not always glitching like that, sometimes the wipers start correctly with the washer being activated. It seems to be happening when there is little rain/snow and the automatic wipers are on a low "frequency" and the system just waits for the wipers to cycle instead of operating them when I use the washer lever.

Thanks in advance!

TechNut

I have not had your experience with the washer. My 2021 RX works as expected when activating the windshield washer. The one observation I have after driving in a couple of storms is how loud the wipers are. The wipers on my 2013 RX were almost stealthy and virtually silent. You can hear the motor and the blades during their sweep, with a light clunk as they reach the end of that sweep on this 2021. Just strikes me odd considering my past two RXs have been whisper quiet and given this vehicle is targeted as a luxury model. I know this is a bit of a nit pick but as they say, "the devil is in the details." I am hoping as the wipers get some use this will improve.

bamalam

Does deep cleaning the windshield and wiper blade, and polishing the windshield, make a difference? A ceramic spray on the glass after cleaning is helpful. I had the same thought as you when I got my 2020 a year ago. In fact, I drove it home 150 miles from the dealership in the rain. The wipers were so loud I thought the driver-side tip was hitting the windshield trim. Cleaning the windshield really well, though, makes them nearly silent. Letting the windshield get dirty, though, causes the noise to return.

TechNut

Yes, I had the same thought. I will have to give that a try. After reading through this thread, I see there are a handful of others that have made the observation regarding loud wipers. Seems like an odd miss for a company like Lexus unless it is purely related to a dirty/rough windshield or inferior blades. I will definitely explore a way to improve this but we don't get enough precipitation here that it will ever become anything more than a minor issue.

Rpickoff

I have noticed on multiple occasions that if I am driving in the rain with the intermittent wipers working perfectly, if I stop for gas let’s say and start the car up again the windshield could be full of rain but the wipers don’t start again for many minutes. I have to do a manual swipe first. Has anybody found this to be true also? I wonder if there is a fix for that or if that is how they are supposed to work.

dibl

This is a known feature of the RX, and other Toyota products. There is another thread somewhere on this forum about it. A single manual restart will resume the intermittent performance after you start your car.

bamalam

Yes, I have the same experience, and do a single manual wipe to get rain-sensing automation rolling again.

ravenuer

My 2017 RX did the same thing. No big deal.

Rpickoff

I can be driving along in the rain with the intermittent wiper function going. It works very well in my experience But if I stop for instance to buy gas and start the car up again the windshield could be completely filled with rain and the intermittent wipers don’t sense them for almost a minute before they start wiping again. Is this normal function?

Cocal

That's the fix, what Dibl wrote, start the cycle manually and Bob's your uncle!