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Post by michael on Nov 1, 2017 10:41:11 GMT
Driving across farmland last night, as you do, and as the headlamps gradually became less effective my mind wandered to headlamp wipers. I assume these died a death thanks in part to pedestrian impact regulations but wondered which car was the last to have them as standard? Probably was a Volvo but they were a 90's staple on many a barge. Headlamp washers just aren't the same:  |
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Post by racingteatray on Nov 1, 2017 10:52:22 GMT
I think it was either the pre-facelift version of the 2000 S60/V70 or the 2002 Range Rover (L322), both of which had them until they were both face-lifted in 2005.
I do recall that when I lived in Moscow where filthy roads and headlights were a real hazard, the only cars with clean headlamps were those with actual wipers such as Rangies, Volvos and 1990s Mercs. The high-pressure jets are pretty useless.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2017 11:06:44 GMT
I think that with all the advances in active headlamp technology, keeping the things clear would be a priority. Pedestrian impact has to be important but Shirley, seeing and avoiding said pedestrian is equally important.
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Post by alf on Nov 1, 2017 13:05:51 GMT
I always wish I could switch the jets off - without wipers they do very little, except waste water and mess up the bodywork!
I remember Saabs and Volvos in particular having very nice little wipers...
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Post by johnc on Nov 1, 2017 13:22:32 GMT
My W124 Merc had wipers.
I know I talk to deaf ears sometimes but a good glass sealant on headlamps makes a massive difference. I do mine every 3 months to keep it topped up and I never have properly dirty headlamps. My washers also keep them very clean because the dirt has nothing to stick to and just washes away. |
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Post by LandieMark on Nov 1, 2017 13:31:50 GMT
My dad’s 55 plate S80 had them. I seem to recall L322 Range Rover having them too. Pop up washers definitely aren’t as good as wipers and I agree with johnc. Seal the lenses and they keep clean longer. |
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Post by PG on Nov 1, 2017 19:22:48 GMT
Wipers were way better than washers.
Is it really pedestrian impact laws that did for them, or that fact that round / sensible shaped headlamps have become very rare?
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Post by Roadrunner on Nov 1, 2017 21:11:29 GMT
Wipers were way better than washers. Is it really pedestrian impact laws that did for them, or that fact that round / sensible shaped headlamps have become very rare? I believe it was the change from glass to polycarbonate lenses that promoted the change; the plastic lenses being less resistant to scratches from the wipers. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2017 23:16:01 GMT
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Post by michael on Nov 2, 2017 10:37:44 GMT
Wipers were way better than washers. Is it really pedestrian impact laws that did for them, or that fact that round / sensible shaped headlamps have become very rare? I was speculating when I suggested that but I doubt it helped. Given the designs of cars these days I doubt they'd be as popular anyway. I think they were cool but they were of their time like pop up headlamps. |
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Post by Tim on Nov 2, 2017 10:38:47 GMT
Wouldn't they have a detrimental effect on aerodynamics for a lot of cars anyway?
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Post by grampa on Nov 2, 2017 11:52:37 GMT
I always wish I could switch the jets off - without wipers they do very little, except waste water and mess up the bodywork! You could remove them - I had to do so when I replaced the number on my daughter's Jag as the replacement bumper didn't have the little holes for them to poke though. If you don't want to remove the bumper, you could probably just block the pipes to them. I don't recall ever having had a car with headlamp washers - probably not posh enough - but with my motoring dirty headlamps have never been problem. |
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Post by michael on Nov 2, 2017 11:57:42 GMT
I always wish I could switch the jets off - without wipers they do very little, except waste water and mess up the bodywork! You probably can. When I had the Compact I had to remove the washer bottle as it had gunked up at the bottom and needed flushing out. There were two pumps on that, one for the windscreen and one for the headlamps - the rear window had a separate washer bottle! The pump for the headlamp washers was at least twice the size of that for the windscreen and had a simple electrical connector that, assuming your Jaguar was set up in a similar way, could simply be disconnected. I don't know if this would generate a fault code on the dashboard, though. |
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Post by PG on Nov 2, 2017 13:12:26 GMT
I always wish I could switch the jets off - without wipers they do very little, except waste water and mess up the bodywork! I remember Saabs and Volvos in particular having very nice little wipers... On the XF the washer tank is in the driver side wing. It does have two pumps, so you can just disconnect the headlight washer pump if you wanted to. |
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Post by Tim on Nov 2, 2017 13:48:36 GMT
When I removed the front bumper on the M5 I forgot to reattach the pipe for the headlamp washers so I just have to remember not to clean the windscreen with the headlights on  |
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Post by Roadrunner on Nov 2, 2017 14:05:18 GMT
I always wish I could switch the jets off - without wipers they do very little, except waste water and mess up the bodywork! I remember Saabs and Volvos in particular having very nice little wipers... On the XF the washer tank is in the driver side wing. It does have two pumps, so you can just disconnect the headlight washer pump if you wanted to. Aren't functioning washers a requirement for Xenon lights, song with auto self levelling? Could be an MOT failure isue if not working when tested. |
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Post by Tim on Nov 2, 2017 14:24:44 GMT
On the XF the washer tank is in the driver side wing. It does have two pumps, so you can just disconnect the headlight washer pump if you wanted to. Aren't functioning washers a requirement for Xenon lights, song with auto self levelling? Could be an MOT failure isue if not working when tested.
I was looking at the MOT history of my old 530d and it failed its last MOT on non-functioning self-levelling of the lights. On E39s it's activated by a hinged plastic clip attached to one of the suspension arms, it really doesn't look particularly sturdy!
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Post by alf on Nov 3, 2017 9:17:26 GMT
Good shout re: the zenons, washer and MOT thing!
It's not the end of the world, but partly because I use screenwash (bluecol 3 in 1 winter - its amazing, if hard to find) with a rain repellent in it, the streaks across the bodywork can look a little interesting if the car is dirty and the washers have been used a lot.
The last time I had the Jaguar MOT'd I had to tell the garage that at my age of car, the TPMS does not have to work (it is regularly on the blink on the summer wheels, and never works with the winters - my MOT is in January). You can bet they would ping you for headlamp washers if they could, they would see that as a nice little earner to fix.
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Post by michael on Nov 3, 2017 9:23:55 GMT
But it’s also an easy fix to plug them back in for the MOT.
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Post by PG on Nov 3, 2017 10:56:00 GMT
But it’s also an easy fix to plug them back in for the MOT. Yes, you do need them for the MOT, but as micheal said, you you could reconnect them each year for one day..... |
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Post by Boxer6 on Nov 3, 2017 11:45:21 GMT
Aren't functioning washers a requirement for Xenon lights, song with auto self levelling? Could be an MOT failure isue if not working when tested.
I was looking at the MOT history of my old 530d and it failed its last MOT on non-functioning self-levelling of the lights. On E39s it's activated by a hinged plastic clip attached to one of the suspension arms, it really doesn't look particularly sturdy!
It's a similar set-up on the Legacy too, only in metal of some sort. Mine broke about a week before the MOT, but as the light pattern was appropriately low for the test, it passed! They didn't seem to test that it did actually self-level, or it would have failed, or so I suppose. They informed me, when I enquired, that Subaru no longer supply the c.£40 part to repair it, you now have to buy the whole thing at well in excess of £200; errm, no thanks, I'll bodge it with some tin and pop rivets as my mate suggested! |
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Post by Tim on Nov 3, 2017 12:12:33 GMT
I actually had a look at the MOTs for a few of my old cars and headlight adjustment is a fairly regular fail issue (the last Stilo appears to have failed every year on that!).
I know that in previous years I've seen the tester simply reach in with a screwdriver and adjust it at the time the test is being done, for older cars its a 2 second job and it seems silly to actually record it as a fail when the fix is so somple.
Obviously that doesn't apply to Xenon equipped cars.
I know the adjustment has failed on the M5, I'm hoping that simply setting the lights at an appropriate height will see it through!
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Post by PG on Nov 3, 2017 16:13:08 GMT
I know the adjustment has failed on the M5, I'm hoping that simply setting the lights at an appropriate height will see it through! I used the Xenon conversion kits to put Xenon bulbs in my X Type and it passed the MOT every year. It had washers and as long as those work and the dipped lights are at the correct level when on, I don't see how they can fail it, as there is no way they can test self levelling headlights are in fact self levelling or not. And in my XF V8 I replaced the standard crappy halogen lights with Xenon units and the self levelling never worked - the lights were just adjusted to the right dipped height as before using the manu.la screws and the washers worked and it passed both MOT's like that. So if you set the M5 lights at a safe dipped level, and the washers work, I reckon you'll be OK. |
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Post by Tim on Nov 3, 2017 16:23:02 GMT
Hmmm the washers didn't work at the last MOT (well, they did its just the workshop floor got wet rather than the lights!) and in theory they could check the self levelling in a couple of ways:- Do the lights do the down/up dance when you switch them on Do they auto adjust as the car is driven up a small slope, such as when the car goes onto the test ramp. Since I know my MOT testers very well I'm hoping they'll be their usual realistic selves |
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Post by michael on Nov 6, 2017 17:04:52 GMT
I know I talk to deaf ears sometimes but a good glass sealant on headlamps makes a massive difference. I do mine every 3 months to keep it topped up and I never have properly dirty headlamps.
I took your advice ages ago and got some sealant, Ginetiq-Q or something? It's brilliant on the paint and plastic. Obviously it'd worn off a bit when the picture at the top of this thread was taken but I re-sealed it at the weekend and the dirt does simply fall off it. |
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