Wiper rain sensor too sensitive
03-16-2009, 12:28 PM
#11
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My Ride: 2006 525XI, Jet black on Dakota beige. Premium and winter packages. I consider myself a purist and intend to keep my car absolutely stock and shiny.
2008 328I Convertible, Sapphire black on beige interior. Premium package, NAV, iPod adapter.
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Does it also get offended easily? 
I think that wiper sensitivity is a subjective issue. I actually like the delay times in the E60. I remember that my E36 only had only one setting for wiper delay and it was the setting that the BMW engineers deemed reasonable for a delay. Their thinking was that if you needed it slower, then you could use the single wipe button and if you needed it faster, then you could just turn the wipers on and leave them on. Typical BMW arrogance, but I still love the cars.
Ps. That E36 did not even have cup holders because the engineers believed that people should not drink in their cars but just drive them.
I think that wiper sensitivity is a subjective issue. I actually like the delay times in the E60. I remember that my E36 only had only one setting for wiper delay and it was the setting that the BMW engineers deemed reasonable for a delay. Their thinking was that if you needed it slower, then you could use the single wipe button and if you needed it faster, then you could just turn the wipers on and leave them on. Typical BMW arrogance, but I still love the cars.
Ps. That E36 did not even have cup holders because the engineers believed that people should not drink in their cars but just drive them.
03-16-2009, 12:53 PM
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My Ride: 2007 530i. Purchased 6/28/07. Titanium Silver Metallic, Black Dakota Leather, Dark Poplar Trim, Steptronic, Premium Package, Cold Weather Package, Bluetooth, Adaptive Control Xenons. 10/30/07 Added OEM 124s with 245/40/18 & 275/35/18 Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires. Installed red Cal Covers� from BavAuto. 11/21/07 Added OEM all-weather floor mats (for winter, carpet in summer) and coat rack. 6/26/08 installed M5-style rear spoiler. 6/30/08 put on red reflectors. 8/22/08 Euro turn signal stickers applied. 3/20/09 Installed Shadowline Trim. 3/27/09 Added Matte Black Kidney Grilles from Trinity. 4/03/09 Installed Bimmian Shadow Matte Black 530i Badges. 4/04/09 Installed LED license plate lights from Trinity. 5/01/09 Installed Brabus Interior LED Kit and White Angel Eyes. 5/02/09 Put in Brabus 6K Fogs. 5/14/09 Removed charcoal filter. 5/15/09 Installed light smoke LED side marker lamps from Trinity. 5/21/09 Sprint Booster. 6/12/09 Painted exhaust tips flat black. 6/13/09 Pulled red Cal Covers and painted calipers low gloss black. 6/27/09 RPI Ram Air Scoop from Trinity. 8/15/09 Installed Brabus's silver invisibulbs front and rear. 9/24/09 Installed R-Dash license plate LEDs from Brabaus (John).
Originally Posted by porsche911targa' post='818454' date='Mar 16 2009, 03:28 PM
Does it also get offended easily?
03-16-2009, 01:05 PM
#13
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Originally Posted by ktlocklear' post='818233' date='Mar 16 2009, 06:21 PM
When it is barley drizzling, and i have the rain sensor set on the least sensitive setting.....the wipers will wipe with no pause between, or a really short pause. Is this normal?
The sensor is a 5.1 one
03-17-2009, 03:38 AM
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My Ride: 535d
This is odd cause the automatic rain sensor I had on my E39 was far better then on the E60. I hardly ever needed to fiddle with the knurled wheel for sensitivity. And when the car stopped at the lights, the timing was still accurate for the condition of rain, be in heavy or a drizzle.
Wonder what BMW has changed with the code since. Pity and its another great example of, "if it ain't broke,...."
cheers
Wonder what BMW has changed with the code since. Pity and its another great example of, "if it ain't broke,...."
cheers
03-20-2009, 05:00 AM
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I have similar issues on mine, when the Rain-X is worn off the wipers on practically on all the time. When properly and frequently Rain-X'd the rain eye behind the mirror seems to do OK at best. I'd love to one of these days take the eye off and see [no pun intended] how it's working i.e. variable voltage or resistance and see if something as simple as a small pot or resister in line would do the trick. Someday when I get off my a$$ I'll get on it 
Steve
Steve
03-20-2009, 05:28 AM
#16
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My Ride: 535ixT � On Order: 2010 E61, Ordered 1/05, Est. Birth 3/09, Est. Delivery 4/09, Carbon Black, Cream Beige Dakota Leather, Steptronic, M-Sport Pkg., Type 135 18
Model Year: 2010
I agree that the E60's intermittent wiper settings could very well be engineering overkill.
My temporary car while waiting for my new '10 E61 (April I hope) is a Mazda from Hertz. Its intermittent setting has eight delay options. While I would prefer a few more settings at the slow end, all in all a better solution than my old '06 E61's sophistication.
Re: Rain-X
When I used it 15 years ago, I came to the conclusion that it was causing the rubber from my blades to stick to the windshield at the end of their stroke, leaving a dark streak of rubber at the eleven o'clock position to the driver's left.
From the above positive comments about Rain-X, I gather that either Rain-X has changed its formula or that the 'rubber' used in our wiper blades has changed so that the rubber no longer contaminates the windshield.
Is that so?
My temporary car while waiting for my new '10 E61 (April I hope) is a Mazda from Hertz. Its intermittent setting has eight delay options. While I would prefer a few more settings at the slow end, all in all a better solution than my old '06 E61's sophistication.
Re: Rain-X
When I used it 15 years ago, I came to the conclusion that it was causing the rubber from my blades to stick to the windshield at the end of their stroke, leaving a dark streak of rubber at the eleven o'clock position to the driver's left.
From the above positive comments about Rain-X, I gather that either Rain-X has changed its formula or that the 'rubber' used in our wiper blades has changed so that the rubber no longer contaminates the windshield.
Is that so?
03-20-2009, 07:10 AM
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Originally Posted by ktlocklear' post='818233' date='Mar 16 2009, 05:21 PM
When it is barley drizzling
03-20-2009, 12:50 PM
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My Ride: 2007 530i. Purchased 6/28/07. Titanium Silver Metallic, Black Dakota Leather, Dark Poplar Trim, Steptronic, Premium Package, Cold Weather Package, Bluetooth, Adaptive Control Xenons. 10/30/07 Added OEM 124s with 245/40/18 & 275/35/18 Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires. Installed red Cal Covers� from BavAuto. 11/21/07 Added OEM all-weather floor mats (for winter, carpet in summer) and coat rack. 6/26/08 installed M5-style rear spoiler. 6/30/08 put on red reflectors. 8/22/08 Euro turn signal stickers applied. 3/20/09 Installed Shadowline Trim. 3/27/09 Added Matte Black Kidney Grilles from Trinity. 4/03/09 Installed Bimmian Shadow Matte Black 530i Badges. 4/04/09 Installed LED license plate lights from Trinity. 5/01/09 Installed Brabus Interior LED Kit and White Angel Eyes. 5/02/09 Put in Brabus 6K Fogs. 5/14/09 Removed charcoal filter. 5/15/09 Installed light smoke LED side marker lamps from Trinity. 5/21/09 Sprint Booster. 6/12/09 Painted exhaust tips flat black. 6/13/09 Pulled red Cal Covers and painted calipers low gloss black. 6/27/09 RPI Ram Air Scoop from Trinity. 8/15/09 Installed Brabus's silver invisibulbs front and rear. 9/24/09 Installed R-Dash license plate LEDs from Brabaus (John).
Originally Posted by DD_545i' post='822079' date='Mar 20 2009, 10:10 AM
OMG LMFAO @ myself. I was actually googling "barley drizzling" wondering if that's an americanism that I hadn't heard of before. I was thinking that maybe people that live near barley fields get a special kind of rain or something. Now of course I realize it's a spelling mistake and it should be barely drizzling.
Seriously, though, it does sometime rain cats and dogs!
03-20-2009, 01:21 PM
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Originally Posted by CWS530' post='822428' date='Mar 20 2009, 09:50 PM
HAHAHA! If you drive near Budweiser headquarters here in St. Louis, sometimes you get "hops raining" or "malt raining" as well.
Seriously, though, it does sometime rain cats and dogs!
Seriously, though, it does sometime rain cats and dogs!
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