Intermittent wipers stopped working
Thread Starter
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 44
Likes: 3
From: Manitoba
Intermittent wipers stopped working
Looks like my intermittent wipers no longer work on my 2010 ES. They still work in normal and fast settings and pulse as well, but not on intermittent. At any interval. Anyone with similar issues? I imagine it would be costly to repair and since it’s not a great inconvenience to manually wipe the windshield, it may not be a big deal. It seems to have started since I recently had a windshield replaced. It may be a coincidence or could something have happened?
Thread Starter
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 44
Likes: 3
From: Manitoba
This is an older thread I started a while ago. I figured I’d go back to it because the issue is solved.
I recently went to the Lexus dealer for the airbag recall and asked about the intermittent wipers. They said that after a windshield replacement the place I went to forgot to install the gel tape for the rain censoring system. Went back to the glass shop, they ordered the part and after a quick install the intermittent wipers are working again.
This was clearly not the car’s fault. I just want to state that basically in 9 and a half years and 85,000 miles of this car’s life NOTHING has ever broken. Hope this helps anyone to make a purchasing decision when looking for an ES of this vintage.
I recently went to the Lexus dealer for the airbag recall and asked about the intermittent wipers. They said that after a windshield replacement the place I went to forgot to install the gel tape for the rain censoring system. Went back to the glass shop, they ordered the part and after a quick install the intermittent wipers are working again.
This was clearly not the car’s fault. I just want to state that basically in 9 and a half years and 85,000 miles of this car’s life NOTHING has ever broken. Hope this helps anyone to make a purchasing decision when looking for an ES of this vintage.
Intermediate
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 313
Likes: 48
From: CT
Looks like my intermittent wipers no longer work on my 2010 ES. They still work in normal and fast settings and pulse as well, but not on intermittent. At any interval. Anyone with similar issues? I imagine it would be costly to repair and since it’s not a great inconvenience to manually wipe the windshield, it may not be a big deal. It seems to have started since I recently had a windshield replaced. It may be a coincidence or could something have happened?
Sorry, did not see the last post. Glad everything is solved.
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 18
Likes: 3
From: UAE
Hi All,
resurrecting this old thread because I have a similar problem. If I missed a better suited thread please point me to it.
Long story short: I cannot get my wipers to work intermittent or automatic.
My 2012 IS250 has a rain sensor. Mist, Low speed, High speed, washer all works. When switching to Auto mode, wiper goes once and then never again.
I read somewhere that a faulty rain sensor may be to blame and that disconnecting the rain sensor "degrades" the wipers into manual intermittent mode. So, I disconnected the rain sensor, but no change in behavior. Switching from Off or Low speed to Auto makes one wipe then stops.
I doubt that it is the stalk switch since it wipes once when moving it to Auto mode.
Is there a secret setting somewhere? If yes, where or what are the steps? (In the car settings menu I cannot find any entry concerning the wipers. The owner's manual describes the functions but no settings by menu or sequence of button presses or similar.)
I am not sure if the rain sensor works, but since there is no difference in behavior whether the sensor is connected or not, I currently cannot judge it. Anyways, I can live without rain sensor but I would like to have intermittent wiper operation.
Has anybody any suggestion? Where to start with the search?
Any hint appreciated.
Thomas
resurrecting this old thread because I have a similar problem. If I missed a better suited thread please point me to it.
Long story short: I cannot get my wipers to work intermittent or automatic.
My 2012 IS250 has a rain sensor. Mist, Low speed, High speed, washer all works. When switching to Auto mode, wiper goes once and then never again.
I read somewhere that a faulty rain sensor may be to blame and that disconnecting the rain sensor "degrades" the wipers into manual intermittent mode. So, I disconnected the rain sensor, but no change in behavior. Switching from Off or Low speed to Auto makes one wipe then stops.
I doubt that it is the stalk switch since it wipes once when moving it to Auto mode.
Is there a secret setting somewhere? If yes, where or what are the steps? (In the car settings menu I cannot find any entry concerning the wipers. The owner's manual describes the functions but no settings by menu or sequence of button presses or similar.)
I am not sure if the rain sensor works, but since there is no difference in behavior whether the sensor is connected or not, I currently cannot judge it. Anyways, I can live without rain sensor but I would like to have intermittent wiper operation.
Has anybody any suggestion? Where to start with the search?
Any hint appreciated.
Thomas
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Driver School Candidate
Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 18
Likes: 3
From: UAE
Although this car is my daily commuter (approaching 100k now) we have hardly 5 days of rain in a year. And due to lack of opportunity to investigate this further I left it as is. Doesn't bother me much.
CL Community Team
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 7,179
Likes: 1,721
From: VA
This is best diagnosed professionally before spending a lot of money on parts that may not help. There are a few different possible causes besides those mentioned above.
It is possibly caused by a bad relay. Look at the relay/fuse box under the hood. When the top is removed its underside should have a map to the relays. If there is another one inside that is the same spec as the wiper relay try swapping them out to see if they then work. Otherwise, you could easily get one from a Toyota or Lexus at an auto recycling yard (Pick & Pull type) or eBay. The link below to Lexus parts also shows the relay for over $300 and the control module is over $400, but the specific ones in the link are not necessarily for your car, you need to use their menu to find the exact parts for year and model, or enter your VIN, or take it to a shop for diagnosis.
Or a bad wiper control module https://parts.lexus.com/p/Lexus_2012...594033170.html
If the relay or module change does not fix it I would get a used wiper switch on eBay and try that, but you may need a body shop to do the work as the airbag inside the steering wheel is very dangerous unless you know what you are doing to safely work on it.
Or maybe this will help
Or just live with it as it may not be worth the investment to repair this on an old ES
It is possibly caused by a bad relay. Look at the relay/fuse box under the hood. When the top is removed its underside should have a map to the relays. If there is another one inside that is the same spec as the wiper relay try swapping them out to see if they then work. Otherwise, you could easily get one from a Toyota or Lexus at an auto recycling yard (Pick & Pull type) or eBay. The link below to Lexus parts also shows the relay for over $300 and the control module is over $400, but the specific ones in the link are not necessarily for your car, you need to use their menu to find the exact parts for year and model, or enter your VIN, or take it to a shop for diagnosis.
Or a bad wiper control module https://parts.lexus.com/p/Lexus_2012...594033170.html
If the relay or module change does not fix it I would get a used wiper switch on eBay and try that, but you may need a body shop to do the work as the airbag inside the steering wheel is very dangerous unless you know what you are doing to safely work on it.
Or maybe this will help
Or just live with it as it may not be worth the investment to repair this on an old ES
Last edited by Clutchless; May 31, 2022 at 04:41 AM.
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