TJW98LS

iTrader: (1)

This has to be t he most common problem on the 2001...maybe I'll pass on getting one of those.

alextv

I read that before and thank you again for pointing it out to me. I have contacted my dealer to see if they are aware of the update. I am out of origional warranty but the cpo warranty is still good. Guess enough people complained about it even though it was stated in the manual that it was normal that they fixed it I hope. A lot of people probably don't leave it on except when they need it so they do not see the problem. I will reply later to what the dealer said.

mink92890

winshield wipers are wear and tear and are not covered on CPO
HOWEVER, this isnt wear and tear and is a software glitch of a very ESSENTIAL piece of a car (without wipers ur screwed)
So i believe if u convince hard enough they will give it 2 u...
BELIEVE ME i had to convince. I was under Factory Warranty and he was like well in the hot u turn it off, and when its rainin turn it on, and it will work... I was like whats the point with these wipers...
He finally agreed



Mink92890

aypues

Yes i have this problem too. It was a light rain in So Cal over the last couple weeks, and the intermittent wipers were non-functional. only worked on constant settings. very annoying since it was a light rain.

I happened to find the entire service history on lexus when I entered my VIN etc, and found that yes, my windshield had been replaced at some point. I wonder how they will fix it? I do remember on a hot day the wipers went off once. Maybe that's the sign that it's malfunctioning and broken.

Griff48

My '04 had a non-OEM windshield when I bought it, and most of the time the rain-sensing wipers sensed nothing. I took the car in to Lexus and had them replace the gel pack. After that, the wipers worked as normal intermittent wipers. I got pi$$ed one day and pressed in REAL hard on the sensor at the same time slightly twisting the thing back and forth at the same time. I wasn't too afraid of breaking it since it didn't work anyway, but they have worked perfectly (rain-sensing-wise) since. Maybe I just got lucky for a change.

BT3100

Guys.. I was going to post a new thread about my wipers but will post here instead.

I just picked up an 02' LS 430 UL.. The dealer changed the Gel pack before I picked up the car but the wipers would turn on every few minutes on their own. I have a good friend who has been in the windshield business for 20 years. He said he has seen this issue a few dozen times with the LS 430's. Here is the issue....
When an aftermarket windshield is used there will be an issue. The small window that is surrounded by black paint that surrounds the gel pack is too large for the gel pack. This over exposes the sensor causing it to "false positive" and turn on the wipers. All the while I am thinking "what"
He says "come back tomorrow and bring lunch and we will fix it.
I get to his shop and he removes the wire on the rain sensor. He flips down the release tab and pulls down and out on the rain sensor. It comes right off.
Only the thin metal mounting bracket is left on the windshield. He points to the opening on the metal bracket (where the gel pack sits) and you can see how much smaller the opening on the metal bracket is compared to the area that sits inside the blacked out area on the windshield. In a nutshell the exposed area on the windshield is larger than the gel pack.
He takes a heat shrink gun heats the metal frame for 10-15 seconds and with a metal putty knife he flips off the metal frame in one stroke. He cleans the adhesive off both the metal frame and windshield with a sharp razor blade. We have a beer and he mixes up some 5 minute epoxy. Coats the metal frame with epoxy using a long q-tip. Here is the fix!!!
He places the metal frame 1/4" above the "normal" mounting spot on the glass. This sets the top rail of the frame right on the top of the exposed "window" inside the black coated area. He takes two thin strips of duct tape and secures the metal frame to the glass so it is tight..
An hour later he carefully pulls the tape and checks the fit.. Perfect...
We have another beer. He takes a small bottle of black touch up paint and coats the area under the metal frame to "close off the extra exposed area...
This now leaves only the metal frame and small opening exposed to clean glass. All other areas are now "blacked out with paint...
He takes the original gel pack, which is a square clear piece of rubberish membrane, and dips it in a cup of water for 5 minutes.
As it is sitting in the cup of water he takes a bottle of gel (Aloe gel) and places some on a clean plate. He took the gel pack out of the water and coated it with gel. Placed the gel pack onto the sensor making sure there were NO air bubbles. Then placed the sensor on the bracket and flipped the clip back up, reconnect the wire and said "all done"
I said "that is not gonna work"....
Guess what? It works perfect!!!!!
Took him less than 2 hours including epoxy drying time. He claims to have done this a few dozen times, and he installs all gel packs for 2 local Lexus dealers. Please post questions if you have any, as I know my description sucks..

mewhee

To the contrary, BT, your description of the fix is very clear and thorough. Will keep this one for future reference as my rain sensor on my '02 about once a month has a 'false wipe'.

Thanks for taking the time to do the write-up. Btw, good friends like your buddy are few and far between. Suggest you leave another six-pack (cold) w/ him next time you see him

glentamur

iTrader: (1)

My rain sensor detached after the tint guy took it off while working on my front windshield. As a result of it hanging there both the gel piece and the eye of the sensor (where the gel touches) have dust and dog hair on them. The post above explains how to clean and refresh the gel piece but does anyone know if I will damage the eye of the sensor if I clean that too? There seems to be a coating on it but I don't know if that is just residue from the gel piece.

Anyone have any experience with or thoughts on this?

Much appreciated! !

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

Just clean it with a soft cloth. If you have issues or want to replace the gel pad.

Aftermarket windshields do you work with the rain sensor. Both of my Pilkington have.

Owczar

I have had similar issue with my rain sensor after windshield replacing. New windshield with gel tape for rain sensor were OEM, but rain sensor hasn`t worked properly.

There were clearance betwen rain sensor assembly and windshield. I took out tab like on photos below:



I made a thickening on the places as in the photo for about half milimeter thick:


When I put tab to the rain sensor it was mounting without any clearance and now is working as it should. You can use glue to make a thickening.

I borrowed photos from https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...end-mount.html

MikeFoxx

iTrader: (8)

Old thread bump in the name of the search feature lol

I'm at the tint shop right now and was explaining why I wanted to wait to do my front windshield. I noticed I don't have an oem windshield so I was waiting for a crack to replace it. Over the last month we've had some rain and the automatic sensor never worked. I assumed it was because my windshield wasn't oem and as I tell my tint guy he looks at me like I'm stupid lol... cause once he explained what the real reason could be my theory was only 1/4 correct.

When the windshield was replaced they used the same sensor but absolutely no gel pack was put back in place. So for mine there is actually a space where the sensor and the glass simply don't communicate. I'm going to find out how much these gel packs go for and then I read a post here on how even that isn't the 100% fix with a non oem window. Might have to just have some beers and follow what he did until I need an oem windshield.

<br > <br >

^^^^^^^
The section between my thumb and pinky is where the gel pack lays.

MikeFoxx

iTrader: (8)

Anyone who needs to order the gel pack the dealership stocks them and they are $24. I'll be installing mine Monday night and will update.