The wipers suddenly stopped working. What to do?

Imagine that you are returning home during a heavy downpour. Rain splashes against the car windows, almost nothing is visible. And suddenly it gets worse - the wipers refuse to cooperate. You are not going to continue your journey in the dark, so you pull over to the side of the road. You are traveling this route for the second time in your life and you do not know the area at all. There are no buildings on the horizon, and you have no one to turn to for help. It remains to call a tow truck or, if the breakdown is minor - figure it out yourself. As? We advise!

Shortly speaking

Driving a car with defective wipers is punishable by a fine and withholding of the registration certificate until they are replaced. Regardless of the weather! If it's raining and the wipers stop working, pull over and place a warning triangle behind your vehicle. The cause of failure can be a blown fuse - you can replace it yourself, sometimes it is also useful to spray the wiper switch contacts with a special spray. Also check if there is anything stuck under the feathers that is blocking them. Other breakdowns require the intervention of a mechanic. If the engine, lever, switch or relay is damaged, it remains to call a tow truck, because driving the car in the rain without working wipers can lead to an accident.

Driving without proper wipers doesn't pay off!

If our black script works and surprises you with complete desolation - it's raining and the wipers suddenly stop working - you will have to pull over to the side of the road. Or park in another safe place. When parking the vehicle outside of a parking lot, secure it securely. Turn on hazard lights and set a warning triangle.:

• in the settlement - directly behind the car;
• outside buildings - 30-50 m behind the car;
• on the highway and on the motorway - 100 m behind it.

When the vehicle is correctly marked and visible to other road users, seek help or start working on your own.

Driving in the rain for a long time without wipers working can be more than just dangerous. In the event of a roadside check make the police officer leave registration certificatewhich could classify it as being in a vehicle that threatens traffic order. The basis for the withdrawal of the registration certificate and the imposition of a monetary fine is Art. 96 § 1 par. 5 of the Minor Offenses Code and Art. 132 § 1 paragraph 1b.

They read the following:

• “The owner, owner, user or driver of a vehicle who allows the vehicle to move on a public road, in a residential area or in a traffic area, despite the fact that the vehicle is not properly equipped with the necessary devices and devices, or despite the fact that that they are not suitable for their intended use … subject to a fine.”
• "The policeman or border guard will keep the registration document (temporary permit) in case of detection or reasonable suspicion that the vehicle poses a threat to the traffic order."

The most common reasons for the failure of wipers

Fuse

During heavy rain, the wipers have to work more intensively, and this is when they most often fail. If the restart attempts are unsuccessful, the fuse responsible for their operation is probably blown. Having a spare part in the car, you can solve the problem in the shortest possible time. All you have to do is replace the burnt one with a new one, and you can keep driving! However, in order for the exchange to be successful, you need to know where the fuse box is in your car... Depending on the model, it can be located in the trunk, under the hood, in the steering column or behind the glove compartment. So to avoid the stress of finding this chest, practice swapping places at your leisure.

Wiper rods and motor

In addition to not responding, it bothers you. suspicious smell or sound? The first symptom indicates a burnout of the wiper motor located in the pit. All you have to do is call a tow truck. You can't do anything with it in the field. To replace it, you will have to disassemble the wipers and carry a spare engine with you, or rather, no one keeps all the parts for repairing the car in the trunk ... strange noises and barely vibrating wipers may indicate the need to replace their tendons.

Wiper switch

If the wiper switch fails, contact a mechanic immediately as it cannot be repaired. Sometimes emergency help he lightly taps on it (for example, with a screwdriver), but only when the special brush that transmits voltage to the rotor stops working - the vibrations caused can hang it. It is also possible that a lot of dirt has accumulated on the contacts and it is enough to spray them. with a dedicated contact person – KONTAKT SPRAY by K2 is ideal for this. Before doing this, you will need to remove the steering wheel elbow cover.

Wiper lock

The wipers also may not work for another, more prosaic reason. Perhaps some trifle got under the wipers, which is blocking their movement. Fold the feathers up and make sure there is no leaf or twig debris underneath. Making the wipers work despite blocking them you grab the engine.

Relay

Have you ruled out each of the reasons we listed why the wipers are still not working? The steering wheel relay is likely to be damaged. A symptom of this defect is that the wiper arm does not respond to throttle movements... Repair requires the participation of an electrician.

Monitor the condition of the wipers

As you already know, problems with wipers often arise during their hard work. because check their condition before continuing the tour... It may be worth replacing the blades ahead of time so that there is no problem when driving on a highway away from home without being able to rely on a friend's mechanic or not knowing where the nearest car service is.

Need to replace the wipers or components that enable them, such as the motor or switch? Trust avtotachki.com - we have everything you are looking for at attractive prices!

Do the wipers wear out quickly? Check out our other articles in the series on this subject:

How Do I Pick a Good Wiper Blade?

How do you know when it's time to replace the wipers?

How to prolong the life of car wipers?

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