BMW 5-series - Malfunction of windshield wipers | HELLA
BMW
5-series (E39)
All models with rain sensor built up to 01.2000
If a customer complains about the above problem, this could be caused by a defective relay or an error in the software.
The disturbances may manifest themselves as follows.
1. No control of the wipers by the rain sensor.
2. Despite low rainfall, the wipers run continuously.
3. Delayed activation of the wipers when switching from stage 2 or 3 back to stage 1 (rain sensor control).
4. Uncontrolled activation of the wipers when the lighting conditions change from dark to bright
5. The response of the rain sensor is not adjustable.
These faults can be caused by a software error in the rain sensor.
Other problems may include:
- The control fails after a few wiper movements in stage 1 (rain sensor active).
- The windshield wipers do not remain in the final position, but move another 10° - 15° up, before they stop.
In these cases, the wiper relay is defective.
If you suspect a software error, the fault memory should be read out. For the complaints 1 to 4, check software version. If the version is 1.3 or below, a new rain sensor must be installed.
For complaint 5 ("Adaptation to windshield not possible" stored in fault memory'), the rain sensor must be reprogrammed. In some circumstances, the problem cannot be fixed by reprogramming. Then a new rain sensor must be installed.