The rear wiper control needs improvement

This sunny morning I was in traffic behind a Nissan Rogue. The Rogue is a fine vehicle for people who have given up on life generally don’t care too much about their cars. The Rogue is boring dull completely fine vehicle for daily driving. But what irked me about this Rogue is that on this sunny, if slightly chilly morning its rear wiper kept swiping every ten seconds. The rubber dragging across the desert dry rear window was like nails on the chalkboard for me.

This intermittently swiping wiper reminded me that for a long time I’ve had an issue with how the rear wipers are controlled. And it’s not not just one issue, it’s several issues that combine for the poor overall control of the rear wiper. And the issue isn’t limited to just the controls but also to the people controlling, or rather not-controlling the wipers. I’d bet that many of us have witnessed people who had their wipers on hyper-speed setting during a spring drizzle.

The Problem:

The front wipers typically have four settings: off, intermittent, low, and high. The intermittent setting typically has a swipe-frequency adjustment. There are also controls for a sprayer and a single quick swipe. Many new cars have automatic wipers, where the setting previously used for intermittent swipe-frequency adjustment became a fine tuning adjustment to rain sensor. Except for the mentioned hyper-speed-wiper-loving-people, those controls are typically sufficient.

The rear wiper control is much less sophisticated. As seen on the above pictured typical wiper stalk, the rear wiper has three modes: off, intermittent, and on. There is also a sprayer which typically swipes the wiper once or twice and smudges the wet dirt all around the window. And this is where I think people’s problems start.

I haven’t seen a vehicle yet where the rear wiper had any kind of automated control – it’s all strictly manual control. People either use it or they don’t. Or they accidentally put it on the intermittent setting and never notice it randomly swiping on a sunny day because why the hell would anyone care what is behind them when they’re driving, am I right?

From my observation, as someone who is competent and capable of controlling the rear wiper manually, those settings are not great. Even in the intermittent mode, that wiper seems to swipe too frequently for most typical rainy conditions and there is no way to adjust its swiping frequency like the front wipers. In the on position, it is just entirely too fast. I think only once in my life I intentionally left the rear wiper in full on and it was in some kind of a crazy monsoon that flooded the whole region.

The Solution:

Here is my suggestion of this horrible problem can be solved:

  • In vehicles that have automated wipers there is a sensor in the windshield and swipe-frequency adjustment. Why not relay the output of that sensor and adjustment setting to the rear wiper? But then we would need to slow it down perhaps by two-thirds – one rear swipe for three front swipes. To get it perfectly dialed in, design engineers could adjust the ratio of the rear-to-front swipes based on the size and angle of the rear window.
  • In vehicles with manual wipers, when the rear wiper is in the on position, it should correspond to the swipe frequency of the front wipers but at a similarly reduced rate. I’d still keep the on/off mode because there may be times when you simply just don’t want the rear wiper on.
  • And let’s not call it on, let’s call it… active. Active Rear Wipers, or ARW. Marketing people love stuff like that.
  • The rear sprayer/smudger feature could remain as is but that too could be improved. My old BMW had high-pressure headlights spray washers. Those sprayers would come on every third (or there about) windshield spray. Why not have the rear sprayer come on after three consecutive sprays of the front windshield sprayer? This would only happen when the rear wiper in active position.

Doing this in either type of vehicle would reduce the rear wiper control stalk only to off on and active positions. It would eliminate much of the guess work on part of those who are smart-stupid, thereby stopping people from driving with the rear wiper on when it’s not needed. And it would relax those of us who are OCD about their wiper speeds.

I am, of course, open to other suggestions.

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29 responses to “The rear wiper control needs improvement”

  1. crank_case Avatar
    crank_case

    Living in a country where it rains sideways on a regular basis, even the front wipers on some cars don’t have enough speeds.

  2. Smaglik Avatar
    Smaglik

    The Rouge? Is that related to the Nissan Moulin?

    1. mdharrell Avatar

      Given that the article is about inappropriate behavior in automated systems, I just assume Kamil’s spell checker has gone rogue.

      1. Kamil K Avatar

        I guess…

    2. 0A5599 Avatar
      0A5599

      You red it here first!

  3. SlowJoeCrow Avatar
    SlowJoeCrow

    The modern rear wiper control is still a step up from the rear wiper on my old Scirocco, which was push forward to get wash/wipe and that’s it. My modern Mazda actually has a 4th position on the rear wiper to activate the washers while the wiper is in the “on” position for more effective cleaning.

    As you point out in the beginning, the big problem is that like fog lights the average driver of the average beige mobile doesn’t know how to properly use it. The downside of your ARW proposal is it will still be misused and personally I don’t like automated stuff, since I’m fully behind the old Citroen philosophy that the driver has to be in charge of the car, which is why old Citroens didn’t have self cancelling turn signals,.

    1. Tiller188 Avatar
      Tiller188

      I didn’t know that was Citroen’s approach. I like Citroen that much more now.

  4. Sjalabais Avatar
    Sjalabais

    That article about smart stupid people was really interesting. Let me just blørt out, confidently, Who needs rear wipers?
    https://i.ibb.co/G3xVrWK/IMG-20190410-191509.jpg
    A kid broke mine and I carry a handheld wiper intended for bathroom mirrors. Never fixed this, as the motor was broken, too, and I couldn’t be bothered.

    Living in a place with 220+ days of precipitation per year, the broken wiper is sorely missed. But I agree that, even here, I have rarely had a rear wiper on permanent on. What I have noticed though is the hundreds of cars around me that have an undisturbed, pristine layer of dirt on their rear window. It is quite possible that manufacturers have found out that any development cost on this end would go unnoticed and is easily cut.

    1. 0A5599 Avatar
      0A5599

      Well, you used to be able to do without a rear wiper by using a spoiler to deflect airflow to clear the glass.

      I think CAFE placing more importance on aerodynamics put an end to that. Or maybe motorists got tired of the dad jokes.

      https://www.neatorama.com/images/2014-08/movie-spoiler-on-car.jpg

      1. Tiller188 Avatar
        Tiller188

        What you did there? I see it.

    2. SlowJoeCrow Avatar
      SlowJoeCrow

      It depends on the car’s design, when I drove things with trunks, or pseudo trunks (Ford Escort hatchback with the bustle back) the rear window stayed clear enough on its own. When I started driving van/crossover shaped things with near vertical rear windows close to the bumper the rear wiper became essential.

        1. Rover 1 Avatar
          Rover 1

          But then you have to drive more smoothly, and avoid bouncy roads.

  5. smalleyxb122 Avatar
    smalleyxb122

    IMHO, the controls are fine. They would be soooo much better if they synched to a wipe of the front, though. I like your 1:3, but it would need an override. A single dew-clearing wipe in the morning shouldn’t be tied to use of the front wipers.

    When I have the rear wiper on I want it to match the speed, but not necessarily the frequency, of the front. The wiper in my rear view mirror out of sync with the wipers in my forward vision irks me.

    1. Rover 1 Avatar
      Rover 1

      Rover 800 Fastbacks have a rear wiper that comes on automatically when you engage reverse, (manual or auto trans), when you have the windscreen wipers on. And like all aerodynamic cars, the rear wiper is not needed at speeds above 40ish mph. The airflow clears the screen..

      1. dead_elvis, inc. Avatar
        dead_elvis, inc.

        Volvo wagons of certain years do that, too (‘02 V70, specifically, in my experience but I imagine this was not a single-year quirk).

        I hate it.

        1. Rover 1 Avatar
          Rover 1

          Not as good on wagons, that vertical glass builds up a dirt film, wash is needed nearly every time you wipe. On a sloping tailgate you want to wipe off the standing raindrops after being parked in the rain.

          1. dead_elvis, inc. Avatar
            dead_elvis, inc.

            “wash is needed nearly every time you wipe”

            Good hygiene demands it every time, not merely most.

            Wait, what were we talking about?

  6. Batshitbox Avatar
    Batshitbox

    Open to other solutions?
    Remove the rear wiper. The thing is just a psychic burden. Just because it’s there, you feel a need to pay attention to it. It’s dragging you down into a funk of anxiety. Aleister Crowley taught that “If the barking of a dog disturbs your meditation, it is simplest to shoot the dog, and think no more about it.”

    I’ve been on the road since the Reagan administration and I’ve never felt the need for a rear window wiper. I have nearly crashed a couple cars I was driving that had them, because I was futzing with the confounded things. Marie Kondo teaches that if a thing does not spark joy, trash it.

    1. Vairship Avatar
      Vairship

      If I only kept things that sparked joy, I would have nothing left. And I disagree with the Buddha that that is how one achieves happiness.
      My bed does not spark joy, but it is still better than sleeping on the floor (and the floor doesn’t even spark joy either).

      I guess I will never subscribe to Kondo Nast.

    2. Vairship Avatar
      Vairship

      If I only kept things that sparked joy, I would have nothing left. And I disagree with the Buddha that that is how one achieves happiness.
      My bed does not spark joy, but it is still better than sleeping on the floor (and the floor doesn’t even spark joy either).

      I guess I will never subscribe to Kondo Nast.

      1. Batshitbox Avatar
        Batshitbox

        Just so we’re clear, you’re not going to shoot any dogs either, right? Crowley and Kondo have similarly over-simplistic solutions to complex problems. It amused me to place them next to each other, each so smug in their belief they’re informed by ancient wisdom, and know better than you.
        You’re right to disagree with the Buddha; what does he know about happiness, anyway?
        I still would just get rid of the rear wiper, though. Wisdom of the burnt hand.

        1. Vairship Avatar
          Vairship

          The dogs outnumber me and (together) outweigh me, so no. Besides, they do provide joy but don’t count as ‘things’ (at least not out loud) 😉

  7. Troggy Avatar
    Troggy

    I’m in situation where I have three cars, each with different controls. One has standard Japanese style controls (indicators on the right, wipers left, twist it for rear wiper), and the other two are Euro styles, with the indicators on the left, wipers on the right. Naturally, the wiper operation is different between all cars, the rear wiper even more so.

    The first bit of rain hitting usually induces a moment or two of hilarity when the driver flails around trying to find the right lever AND push/pull/twist it in the correct direction/angle/gesture. Queensland rain tends to hit hard and suddenly, so there’s usually not much advance notice to think about it either.

    Rain-sensing wipers are not a bad thing in my situation – except auto wipers don’t know the difference between bugshit and rain water, and smears them disgustingly all over the windscreen. This happened the first time my wife took the ‘new’ car for a drive. I laughed my arse off. She was less impressed.

    Anyway, here’s another option – a lot of newer cars can detect fatigue or inattention by sensing where the driver is looking. It might be as simple as a software change to detect that the driver is checking the the rear view mirror on a rainy day, and give the rear screen a swipe or two.

  8. smokyburnout Avatar
    smokyburnout

    I’m also team “who needs a rear wiper” (particularly now on my Insight, which has a wiper for the-practically-horizontal rear glass instead of the tiny vertical window i actually look back out of), but I’ve also found that the only car I ever had that had an adequate number of front wiper speeds/frequencies was my first, the XJ Cherokee.

  9. Troggy Avatar
    Troggy

    Sorry if this is a double post, Disquss suddenly decided to treat me with suspicion for some reason.

    I’m in situation where I have three cars, each with different controls. One has standard Japanese style controls (indicators on the right, wipers left, twist it for rear wiper), and the other two are Euro styles, with the indicators on the left, wipers on the right. Naturally, the wiper operation is different between all cars, the rear wiper even more so.
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/148e01cfde12ccf2b688468793e2521fc89e5613179f925fc3fb2d34f3ab954f.jpg

    The first bit of rain hitting usually induces a moment or two of hilarity when the driver flails around trying to find the right lever AND push/pull/twist it in the correct direction/angle/gesture. Queensland rain tends to hit hard and suddenly, so there’s usually not much advance notice to think about it either.

    Rain-sensing wipers are not a bad thing in my situation – except auto wipers don’t know the difference between bugshit and rain water, and smears them disgustingly all over the windscreen. This happened the first time my wife took the ‘new’ car for a drive. I laughed my arse off. She was less impressed.

    Anyway, here’s another option – a lot of newer cars can detect fatigue or inattention by sensing where the driver is looking. It might be as simple as a software change to detect that the driver is checking the the rear view mirror on a rainy day, and give the rear screen a swipe or two.

  10. salguod Avatar

    My old Odyssey had a one speed rear wiper and it was full on. Made it useless, frankly.

    I searched for a solution and even considered a JC Whitney add on intermittent control. I eventually found, and bought, a device called Smart Screen made for old British sports cars. It was a module that you added to your wipers and it sensed when you hit the single wipe function. Hit it to clear the glass and hit it again when the glass needed cleared again. The device would remember the interval until you hit the switch again.

    I got as far as pulling the trim off the hatch and tracing some wires but that was it. It’s still in the garage in a cabinet.

    1. Vairship Avatar
      Vairship

      My PT Cruiser only has an on/off switch for the rear wiper. I don’t believe I have ever left it on continuous operation, I just wait until the first wipe is done and turn it off again. Once you’re driving you don’t end up with much rain on the rear window anyway.