robinlsb Posted April 2, 2006 Share Posted April 2, 2006 Note . You can crack thie windshield using the wiper heater. Happened to me! "Belief does not make truth. Evidence makes truth. And belief does not make evidence." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenzo Posted April 2, 2006 Share Posted April 2, 2006 Note . You can crack thie windshield using the wiper heater. Happened to me! This has happened to me TWICE in my 05 LGT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt Posted April 2, 2006 Author Share Posted April 2, 2006 Did it happen from normal use or from leaving the deicer on for a long time while driving? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robinlsb Posted April 2, 2006 Share Posted April 2, 2006 Normal use. It shuts off after 10-15 minutes by itself. The Subie dealer replaced the windshield under warranty and advised me to use the feature sparingly and never when the windshield is dry. Great!. So much for defosted mirrors! "Belief does not make truth. Evidence makes truth. And belief does not make evidence." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camr Posted April 2, 2006 Share Posted April 2, 2006 I suppose part of the problem with heated wipers not working well is the fact that the wipers are not heated, but rather the windshield is heated. A year or so back, our local paper had an article regarding an actual heated wiper. I seem to remember that it was manufactured in North Dakota or southern Manitoba by a small company, and that they were very expensive. I have never heard of the product again, but I'm sure that if someone could come up with an actual heated wiper at a reasonable price, it would sell well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hondas123 Posted April 2, 2006 Share Posted April 2, 2006 Yeah, looks like only Limiteds. I dunno about the 05 non-limited GTs, but normal and SE 2.5i's definately don't have'em. I would guess that the non-limited GTs don't either. Same with heated side mirrors. Just remember to put your wipers up before it snows and they should be fine. And you can always scrape ice off your side view mirrors yourself, though I'll be the first to admit that it's annoying and heated side mirrors are a very nice convenience. Non-limited GT 05's DO have the heated wipers. It's really deceiving to everyone because it's not heated wipers. It's simply the BAY in which the wipers are resting that is heated. Look at the outside of your window you'll see the heating elements under the wipers. Therefore I only find it effective first thing in the morning when the window is frosted up or after a snowstorm and the wipers are frozen to the windsheild. - The Mortgage Man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt Posted April 2, 2006 Author Share Posted April 2, 2006 I know, though I have to admit I assumed the wipers themselves were heated when I first looked up what that button did. The next time I actually looked at the wipers and the glass under them it was pretty obvious I've read about aftermarket heated wipers where the actual wipers are heated too, so I guess I just expected that Subaru did the same thing. Their solution does seem fine for the intended problem though, the hopefully rare cracked windshield notwithstanding. My questioning whether they could keep snow from accumulating on the wipers hinged on using a slow intermittent setting so they'd rest on the heated glass for a bit between wipes. I've yet to drive through snowfall so heavy I didn't want my wipers on intermittent anyways, so I figured maybe intermittent + the heaters would help. For anyone skipping to the bottom of the thread, the concensus is no and leaving the heaters on that long might be dangerous for the windshield besides. I already ordered a pair Valeo Ultimate aftermarket wipers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hondas123 Posted April 2, 2006 Share Posted April 2, 2006 I've read really good things about the Valeo wipers....I was deceived at first too. I thought the wipers were heated! - The Mortgage Man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gfxdave99 Posted April 2, 2006 Share Posted April 2, 2006 Normal use. It shuts off after 10-15 minutes by itself. The Subie dealer replaced the windshield under warranty and advised me to use the feature sparingly and never when the windshield is dry. Great!. So much for defosted mirrors! Your mirrors are linked to the defroster button on the a/c control not the wiper defroster button. If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough. - Mario Andretti Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gfxdave99 Posted April 2, 2006 Share Posted April 2, 2006 Since were on the subject, i picked up a pair of rain-x wipers at meijer this weekend, upon first cleaning of the window its like night and day.. they work better then the stock wipers did when the car was new. The next few days call for some good amount of rain so i'll report back... Also wondering now that i dont have that extra little aero thing that comes with the stock wiper if im going to have any problems at higher speeds... If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough. - Mario Andretti Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robinlsb Posted April 2, 2006 Share Posted April 2, 2006 Your mirrors are linked to the defroster button on the a/c control not the wiper defroster button. Ayieeeeeeeeeeeee! There I go again listening to the dealer. Geez, next year I won't be outside in below zero weather scraping my mirrors!!!!!!!! "Belief does not make truth. Evidence makes truth. And belief does not make evidence." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gfxdave99 Posted April 2, 2006 Share Posted April 2, 2006 Some interesting info from the manual... The windshield wiper deicer operates only when the ignition switch is in the ON position. Before turning on the windshield wiper deicer, remove any snow from the windshield. To turn on the windshield wiper deicer, push the button. The indicator light located on the button lights up while the windshield wiper deicer is operating. The windshield wiper deicer will automatically shut off after about 15 minutes. If the windshield wiper blades have been deiced completely before that time, push the button to turn it off. It also turns off when the ignition switch is turned to the ACC or LOCK position. If deicing is not complete, you have to push the button to turn the deicer on again. Your SUBARU dealer can set your windshield wiper deicer for continuous operation. Contact your SUBARU dealer for details. Once the windshield wiper deicer has been set for continuous operation, pressing the button results in continuous operation. The windshield wiper deicer automatically stops operating if any one of the following conditions occurs during continuous operation. " The outside temperature becomes 41°F (5°C) or higher. " The vehicle speed remains at 9 mph (15 km/h) or lower for 15 minutes. " The battery voltage decreases below the permissible level. and for reference about the mirrors The outside mirror defogger shares the button with rear window defogger. The outside mirror defogger operates only when the ignition switch is in the ON position. To turn on the outside mirror defogger, push the button. To turn it off, push the button again. The indicator light located on the button lights up while the outside mirror defogger is operating. The defogger will automatically shut off after about 15 minutes. If the mirror clears before that time, push the button to turn it off. It also turns off when the ignition If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough. - Mario Andretti Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenzo Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 Did it happen from normal use or from leaving the deicer on for a long time while driving? Normal use, winter (20-25 deg.) conditions, one cycle only each time. Subaru should warn people that de-icing means that the replacement windshield will be free of ice when installed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praedet Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 ^^^So it happened to two of you, but it must be a bad design on Subarus part I have used this feature a lot, all the way down to -15 F, and had ZERO problems. There are 2 known cases of it causing the windshield to crack... Ted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gfxdave99 Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 Yeah i used it all the time this winter and had no issues. On another note the rainx wipers worked great this morning in the rain, we shall see how they stand up to time however. Also crusing at 80mph no problem with the wiper staying down, so the lil subaru aero extension might not be very useful at all. If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough. - Mario Andretti Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenzo Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 ^^^So it happened to two of you, but it must be a bad design on Subarus part I have used this feature a lot, all the way down to -15 F, and had ZERO problems. There are 2 known cases of it causing the windshield to crack... Ted Well, it happened to me twice, so it must be a coincidence. In both cases the crack started over the driver's wiper heating element. That was also a coincidence. The glass company had to wait almost 2 weeks before Subaru could supply them with a replacement windshield due to "the unusual demand for replacements". Another coincidence. Obviously one car does not constitute a large data sample, but there is -some- evidence of a design or fabrication issue. It's good news that most people are not affected. cheers, kenzo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSiWRX Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 I'm wondering what the true numbers are on this, too. kenzo, not that I don't suspect that there might actually be some kind of correlation nor not because I don't feel for your troubles - but rather, just out of curiosity. From having lived in the northern-US areas most of my life, I've been taught from a young age that it's temperature extremes that tend to crack windshield glass - i.e. with use of the defroster function at full "hot," when the vehicle is already warm and capable of pumping out "steaming hot" air while the windshield is completely "ice cold" - and that any heating done should be gradual. It would seem to me, however, that the embedded element should warm up "gradually," and also thus allow the windshield in that area to do so in a controlled fashion, thus negating any tendency to crack due to a big temperature difference. <-- I love Winky, my "periwinkle" (ABP) LGT! - Allen / Usual Suspect "DumboRAT" / One of the Three Stooges '16 Outback, '16 WRX, 7th Subaru Family Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.