Rear Wiper Logic

[Deep purple]

As it has been a very dry year I haven't really used the rear wipers much. This morning when reversing down my drive I turned them on to see where I was going and they didn't work. As soon as I selected N they worked fine.
Following some investigation I worked out that the fiendish Chinese programmers have built in some weird anomalies, or perhaps didn't think through all the possible options.
This is what happens (I think!):

Front wiper selected to off and rear wiper to on: Rear wiper works on intermittent wipe in any drive mode (R/N/D).

Front wiper selected to auto and rear wiper selected off: When mode selected to R, rear wiper works continuously but only if the auto front wiper is wiping continuously, if front wiper is working intermittently or stopped then rear wiper does not come on when R is selected. This I can live with

Front wiper selected to auto and rear wiper selected on: If the front wiper is wiping intermittently or not wiping and rear wiper is set to on, the rear wiper works intermittently in N/D mode (as usual) but as soon as R is selected the rear wiper stops which is very annoying.

Front wiper manually selected to slow or fast speed : Rear wiper works continuously as soon as R mode is selected even if turned off. If rear wiper is turned on then it works intermittently when in N or D and continuously in R.

As I usually have the wipers in auto I have to select off or slow speed if I want to wipe when in R mode. A pain.

Or is it just my car?

 

[Alb]

Not just your car!

 

[Gomev]

As it has been a very dry year I haven't really used the rear wipers much. This morning when reversing down my drive I turned them on to see where I was going and they didn't work. As soon as I selected N they worked fine.
Following some investigation I worked out that the fiendish Chinese programmers have built in some weird anomalies, or perhaps didn't think through all the possible options.
This is what happens (I think!):

Front wiper selected to off and rear wiper to on: Rear wiper works on intermittent wipe in any drive mode (R/N/D).

Front wiper selected to auto and rear wiper selected off: When mode selected to R, rear wiper works continuously but only if the auto front wiper is wiping continuously, if front wiper is working intermittently or stopped then rear wiper does not come on when R is selected. This I can live with

Front wiper selected to auto and rear wiper selected on: If the front wiper is wiping intermittently or not wiping and rear wiper is set to on, the rear wiper works intermittently in N/D mode (as usual) but as soon as R is selected the rear wiper stops which is very annoying.

Front wiper manually selected to slow or fast speed : Rear wiper works continuously as soon as R mode is selected even if turned off. If rear wiper is turned on then it works intermittently when in N or D and continuously in R.

As I usually have the wipers in auto I have to select off or slow speed if I want to wipe when in R mode. A pain.

Or is it just my car?

Makes sense, if it's raining i.e. wipers are working, the rear wiper will work, or manual activation works if front wipers are off.

 

[Deep purple]

But makes no sense if the wipers are in their usual (for me) auto mode and it is early morning and the car is covered in condensation/dew. Or if it is drizzling so the wipers aren't going continuously. Then, when you select R the rear wiper won't work just when you need it most. But at least once you realise the issue you can just select the front wipers to off or on which solves the problem.
It is just another minor niggle which seems to plague the MG5 which is otherwise a fantastic car for the price.

 

[Gomev]

But makes no sense if the wipers are in their usual (for me) auto mode and it is early morning and the car is covered in condensation/dew. Or if it is drizzling so the wipers aren't going continuously. Then, when you select R the rear wiper won't work just when you need it most. But at least once you realise the issue you can just select the front wipers to off or on which solves the problem.
It is just another minor niggle which seems to plague the MG5 which is otherwise a fantastic car for the price.

Nothing can cater for absolutely every imaginable circumstance. Are you suggesting that the wipers, front and rear, activate in Auto even if it's not raining. ?
If you leave the wipers in Auto but it's not raining why should the car 'think' you need the front or rear wipers to come on.
In your scenario above, car covered in dew, do the front wipers automatically come on when in Auto mode ?

 

[Paulj]

Too much automation being fed to us. Just have a switch to activate when you need it, no matter what mode or direction.

 

[rjb1970]

Rear wiper logic? I don't think there is any. Mine certainly has a mind of its own. As do the auto front wipers. As do the auto lights. And the infotainment screen.

 

[SDP79]

On the subject of wipers. On my MG5 exclusive the front intermittent have a mind of their own. Sometimes they work as expected using the settings that I have made regarding frequency. However they can they start scrubbing a dry screen or just not working when there is a deluge of water and you practically cannot see out and have to resort to manual methods of activation. Also the various settings for the frequency of wipe/sensitivity have little or not difference. Any mention of this to the dealer gets the general response - "We have not heard of that before" followed by "Sorry but we cannot find any problem and the software is up to date"

 

[Kithmo]

When you switch the rear wiper on, it follows whatever the front ones are doing.
With the rear wiper off it will follow the front wiper when you put the car in reverse, otherwise it will stay off.

 

[Deep purple]

Not quite correct, see my original post.
As I said at the start my only real annoyance is that the rear wiper will be working intermittently and then as soon as you select R it stops IF the front wiper is selected to auto but the front wipers are not working continuously.
Having worked out the weird logic I know how to beat it when I need the rear wiper when going backwards. So it isn't a defect, just a quirky niggle. The logic on my Skoda wipers is flawless.

 

[Kithmo]

Not quite correct, see my original post.
As I said at the start my only real annoyance is that the rear wiper will be working intermittently and then as soon as you select R it stops IF the front wiper is selected to auto but the front wipers are not working continuously.
Having worked out the weird logic I know how to beat it when I need the rear wiper when going backwards. So it isn't a defect, just a quirky niggle. The logic on my Skoda wipers is flawless.

While in reverse, don't turn any wipers on and press down for one wipe of the front, the rear will also do one wipe.

 

[Deep purple]

Thanks. Didn’t work that one out!