Before my MINI, I had a '98 VW GTI VR6. It had an intermittent wiper setting, but again, the wiping rate wasn't adjustable. Funny, because every other car we've owned recently has had adjustable intervals, usually via a thumbwheel on the wiper stalk, etc. Maybe it's a German thing.

Spridget

 

Honestly, I am not sure. I just remember reading his story, him vs. the big automakers, and how even though he won in court over and over again, the automakers dragged out not paying him anything for years.

 

Interesting, hate to hear stories like that. From a little googling it looks like patents expire after 20 years, but that's US. May be longer in Germany.

 

I sold Cadillacs in 1976, and intermittent wipers were a new feature on them. A dashboard switch had 3 settings. I think the auto wiper feature on my Mini rocks. I didn't even know I could mess with it/adjust it either.

 

The rain sense wipers on this car suck, although you can adjust them, just not while driving down the road...

The rainsense wipers on my 2000 Buick Park Avenue are actually that, rain sense wipers, it could be left on for days with no rain and they wouldnt wipe once...

 

I was driving my daughter's 2007 Kia Rio the other day. So nice of Kia to put variable speed intermittent wipers on their low end subcompact!

 

Maybe I'm more tolerant than most, but the speed-sensitive intervals on my 04 seem just about perfect - at speed they wipe fairly often and at rest then wipe hardly at all. I drive other cars where the intervals are manually controlled and it always seems I'm fiddling with it in traffic. To me, having the intervals set automatically rather than manually seems more like a feature than a takeaway.

- Mark

 

I have these, and they are awesome. They also last forever making up for their extra cost.

I will never use anything else as long as I can get them.

 

It's a convenience, luxury feature. Some would rather fiddle with manually controlled intermittent wipers. Like you i also had to keep playing with my manual intermittent with my other cars which never seems to be just right.

 

I have Rain-X Wipers and they are awful, I find them to be very streaky. Maybe I will try these much loved PIAA wipers.

That said, geez, some of you are spoiled! Is wiper speed really that big of a deal? I find with the rain sensing setting it's fine in light rain, and if it's really pouring I click it up a notch and it keeps the windscreen clear, end of story.

 

I never have to adjust my Rain Sensing Wipers, I simply leave it on the lowest setting and turn them on or off when needed. I live in the PNW (Rain Capital of the World) so having the Rain Sensing Wipers was a must have when ordering!!

 

Someone had to say it . I was very close to being the one .

 

Agree 100%. No matter how many settings the manual ones give you there never seems to be one that's "just right.". I use the Rain X washer fluid and along with the variable intermittant setting on the MINI I'm good to go unless the sky really opens up, then I can bump the speed up a notch. No fuss.

 

+1

I rarely use my wipers, unless it is a downpour... RainX works that well...

 

I just want to clear this for the others. It's the RAINX that you apply to the windshield and not the washer fluid.. Make sure to follow the instructions carefully, otherwise you'll end up with a hazy windshield.

 

You all are entitled to your opinion, but I find that having a range of delay settings allows me to find one that suits the driving conditions I'm in, and I appreciate that.

Here in Kansas we don't just get rain/no rain....we get mists of all strengths, fine rain, ice, snow, fog and a whole host of other moisture conditions, and it's never the same from one to the next.

Also, as the OP pointed out, this is a fairly expensive car - much cheaper cars have this feature along with those much more expensive - not having it on the car seems like an unforgivable omission, although it could just be a "BMW thing". Every other car I've owned since the late 70's has had this feature as standard....

And for many of us (certainly for me) the automatic wipers are not the answer - I had them on my 2003 MCS JCW and hated them. They came on way too often, or not at all. Sometimes they'd wipe at full speed when there was nothing on the windshield, and sometimes the window would be completely opaque and I'd have to manually engage them. Sorry, not for me TYVM....

 

You're confusing yourself. The automatic wipers is convenience/luxury feature. Manually adjustable intermittent wipers are not, it's run of the mill feature. It's like comparing power windows to a manual windows. DSG (cost more, it's a convenience) is great but a lot of enthusiast prefer 3 pedals. You've said it yourself, it's an expensive car, and so that explains why it has an automatic wipers and not a manual one. It's not just a German thing. High end Japanese cars has them too. I'd be complaining if this supposedly expensive car didn't have automatic wipers, i'd be saying $29,xxx car and no automatic wipers?

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_of_Genius_%28film%29
good movie!

 

No, I'm not confused........

It's not just an inexpensive car thing............and if you're trying to say my expensive MINI has automatic wipers, well it doesn't.....so what the hell is your point?

My point is that since this isn't a cheap car, it should come with at least the minimal amount of equipment that the inexpensive cars do - and it doesn't.

I said you're entitled to your opinion - and so am I.

 

Seems like common sense to check what features are standard on a car before buying. Especially for the amount of $ Mini's cost.

I would definitely be annoyed if I had not gotten auto-wipers thinking the intermittent function had some adjust-ability. Luckily the brochure and car manual explained that.

 

Rain-X is indeed the solution.

This thread reminds me of the "No lumbar support on a $45k BMW?" thread elsewhere. But in that case, it's BMW trying to push people to buy the ~$3,000 premium package.

 

Intermittent wipers with only one setting would drive me nuts. When I was ordering my MINI, I reluctantly added auto wipers when I learned that the intermittent was non-adjustable. As it turns out, I really do like the auto wipers. However, I would still choose manual adjustable intermittent over paying extra for auto wipers.