adman0468

I have a 2004 RX330 that came with rain-sensing wipers. The windshield had to be replaced due to a flying rock and I apparently didn't get the right kind of windshield. Now, the rain-sensing wipers will come on sometimes when it's dry and vary greatly in speed when it's raining (not in relation to the rain).

From reading other forums, I know that I got the wrong replacement windshield. Is there an aftermarket solution? A piece of material that can go over the area to make it work properly? Or something else?

Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

rxdriver

I don't know if it's the glass or not... it might be the way the sensor was reinstalled.

The sensor works by bouncing infrared light beams off the glass. Raindrops will change the way the light is reflected, and that's how the sensor decides how much water is present.

I'm sure that if the sensor isn't properly attached to the glass (for example, if there are air bubbles underneath it), it won't work properly.

Are the people that did the work familiar with the Lexus rain sensor?

BobsGX

Assuming the rain sensor installation is correct, I believe the only way the sensor can work properly is with the proper windshield. It has something to do with the way light gets transmitted through the raindrops for the sensor to work properly. You may have to have the proper windshield installed if you want the auto rain sensing feature to work the way it was designed.

rxdriver

Just found this... here's a TSIB that explains how the rain sensor works, and how replacement glass might affect it.

RXSF

Why would you risk getting a non OEM windshield on a 40K+ car?

well anyway, take it to the dealer and have them look at it. Probably the tape as to be removed. It would really really suck if you had to replace the windshield again...

i got a rock chip in my windshield, but i had to close up professionally. Now i see only a small white dot and i dont have to spend a few grand to fix it.

jfelbab

Take it back to whoever did the replacement and make them correct this issue. If your insurance paid for this let them know the work was not done properly and you want it fixed right.

Grumpa72

Or, you could just turn your wipers on and off as needed. Call me old school but I think the rain sensing wipers are a PITA. I would rather be the one that adjusts them as necessary. Yeah, I know it is a $45000 car but it's just like the auto on headlights. My wife likes them - I don't use them. My lights get turned on automatically (by me) every time it gets dark!

Gary
05 330

RXSF

i think i will call you old fashioned

i personally think both of those options are some of the best things invented in cars. the way they just turn on auto are perfect, not too fast, not too slow.

tfischer

The rain sensing wipers are a nice touch, but hardly necessary. However, if the sensor is not working, resorting to manual control means that there is no intermittent control, only slow and fast. The "auto" spot on the rain-sensing cars replaces the familiar old intermittent control. The adjustment dial that usually controls the time between the wipes controls the sensitivity to water on the windshield.

I agree: the best move now is to go back to the installer; after looking over the TSB, my guess is that the aftermarket installer had no idea of how to deal with the rain sensor, and I'm sure he did not have the correct tape, which "must be replaced." It's time they learned how to deal with this accessory, which is becoming more common, despite its decadence.

Grumpa72

Well, my wife likes them both, and she is the primary driver. This is the first car we have had that has these options and for some unexplainable reason, this is also the first car that she has driven that she has failed to turn on the headlights when it is dark.

Yeah, I like that old fashioned title .

Gary

tfischer

I tried the auto headlights for a while, but they did not come on early enough for my taste. Then I read here that leaving on the "auto" headlight switch can drain the battery if the car is not used a lot, which mine is not, for various reasons, so I do not use the auto headlight feature on either of my Lexuses.

My daughter has an IS, however, which she drives every day, and she just leaves the headlights on auto all the time, and has no problems at all. It seems the lights also turn off when you lock the doors with the remote button, which is a nice touch.

adman0468

Thanks for all your help. I had gotten an estimate from Lexus and the cost was over $1,000. When another auto glass place said a price half that, I didn't think there would be a problem with the auto. wipers not working. When they didn't work properly, I went to the Lexus dealer who told me the problem was the windshield. They didn't offer a solution of removing the sensor and replacing tape. I may try that.

Booyah

I doubt thats going to work! Go back and get the CORRECT windshield installed! You only paid the deductable and the insurance paid the rest--I hope, so make them do it correctly--dont go for a half azz fix

msdoogie

I just had my windshield replaced and the auto rain sensing wipers wouldn't work. When I put them on 'auto' it just did the intermittent wiper thing. So I read the link above from rxdriver and was able to take the cap part off the rain sensor box and clean the 'rain sensor tape' with some rubbing alcohol. Then I cleaned the glass part that it sticks to on the windshield. It worked! I knew if I took it back to the body shop (that the insurance said I had to use and they don't know a thing about a Lexus vehicle) that they wouldn't know how to fix it. Hope this helps.

lexus114

I know what you mean re;the auto headlights, I dont use the auto setting because I dont want my ballast`s to wear out prematurely. I park in my garage, so I figure if it`s set to auto, those lights will be coming on every time I pull in/out of the garage. The rain sensing wipers work okay, but I prefer the interval option more. I noticed here where I live, if it`s real misty out, not really raining, just that misty crap, it takes a long time for them to come on. I have to flip them manually, or just put them on the regular setting. What impressed me about my wipers is, if I have them on the regular wipe setting, when I come to a stop, they will run intermittently until I start driving again. Then they resume the regular wiping. I thought that was pretty cool.