[Damaskus325]

OK here is the issue. Most of the time when I leave my car after or during a rain storm, the wipers shut off when the car does. That's normal, no power no wipers function. Well, I have now been alerted by my neighbors on two separate occasions, that my wipers are going all by themselves. It just happened a few minutes ago but the last and only other occurrence was months ago. Last time I went outside, turned the car on and shut them off with no issues until today. Is this something anyone else has had an issue with? I am at a loss as to what this problem could be from, especially since this is VERY intermittent. As I said earlier, this is only the second happening and with months in between. Any help would be appreciated. I would hate to come home from work or a trip somewhere and my car be engulfed in flames because my wiper relay has caught fire. Thanks.

[bluewater328]

It really should be cut, but does it happen to be within 20 min of shutting off the car? Have comfort access?

[Damaskus325]

It happened hours after the car was off in both instances. I don't have comfort access.

[bluewater328]

Originally Posted by Damaskus325

It happened hours after the car was off in both instances. I don't have comfort access.

Wow, this is new to me. Could someone have messed with your fusebox at some point? Anyone work done recently? Have you had any battery issues to go along with this (ie dead/low battery, stumbling starts, etc)?

[Damaskus325]

Originally Posted by bluewater328

Wow, this is new to me. Could someone have messed with your fusebox at some point? Anyone work done recently? Have you had any battery issues to go along with this (ie dead/low battery, stumbling starts, etc)?

There have been no issues with the fuses or anyone to mess with them. I had a screw in a tire removed and patched a week ago but no other maintenance. Battery was replaced and registered last December. I've had no issues with that or power issues in general.

[smallseafishie]

It's possible that you have an intermittently stuck wiper relay (it's in the fuse panel behind fuse box). I'd try that "easy guess fix" before trying too much time to troubleshoot.

[Damaskus325]

Originally Posted by smallseafishie

It's possible that you have an intermittently stuck wiper relay (it's in the fuse panel behind fuse box). I'd try that "easy guess fix" before trying too much time to troubleshoot.

What do you mean by "stuck"? I looked at the green wiper relay and it looked good. The problem is, how do you visually see if one is bad other than it being burnt or fused/melted to the panel? I assume there is some sort of multi-meter continuity test associated with this.

[vdubturbo]

Originally Posted by Damaskus325

What do you mean by "stuck"? I looked at the green wiper relay and it looked good. The problem is, how do you visually see if one is bad other than it being burnt or fused/melted to the panel? I assume there is some sort of multi-meter continuity test associated with this.

If it is intermittent, you can't. A visual inspection won't generally turn up anything because all you can see is the plastic dust cover. In this situation, you'd just have to throw a part at it and wait. But what's weird is that the relay would have to re-energize after the car was shut off, and then get stuck would imagine. And that doesn't seem all that probable.

So weird. I'm with you man... ghost.

[Seppi18]

Originally Posted by vdubturbo

If it is intermittent, you can't. A visual inspection won't generally turn up anything because all you can see is the plastic dust cover. In this situation, you'd just have to throw a part at it and wait. But what's weird is that the relay would have to re-energize after the car was shut off, and then get stuck would imagine. And that doesn't seem all that probable.

So weird. I'm with you man... ghost.

+1

[KillaManjango]

I had a very similar issue with my Mitsubishi a few years ago, I ended up having to replace a faulty wiring harness under the dash. It would periodically send electrical signals to different relays, wipers being the main one, eventually it drove me crazy enough to rip up the dash and start testing wires.

[Damaskus325]

About a year ago I did have my windshield replaced due to a crack. The window was replaced with an aftermarket one and the rain/light sensor was replaced as well. Could the sensor just be crap? If so, it is still weird because it has only happened twice. Bizarre.

[bluewater328]

Originally Posted by Damaskus325

About a year ago I did have my windshield replaced due to a crack. The window was replaced with an aftermarket one and the rain/light sensor was replaced as well. Could the sensor just be crap? If so, it is still weird because it has only happened twice. Bizarre.

Again, having it be more/less sensitive is one thing -- you can also code if its just sensitivity. It's the fact that it has power to do it that concerns me.

[Damaskus325]

Ok this happened again yesterday. Now I have a new issue. After I turned the car off, I pulled the wiper relay to ensure my battery wouldn't be drained if the wipers went bonkers again. As I was exiting the car, I could hear some static like sound from the fuse panel area. It quickly dissipated so I locked the doors and went inside my house. Today, I get in the car and replace the relay as it is raining. I take off and wipers work fine. Here is the weird bit. As I am driving, I shift from second to third and my horn honks. Third to fourth, again horn honks. Fourth to fifth and horn quickly honks a few times then stays on full blast. I had to pull over and yank the fuse just to drive today. When I pulled the fuse it had green/white corrosion like it had been wet. I believe my wiper issue is related to the fuse panel now. There was no moisture or corrosion on the relay but I swear there is a connection with the two issues. Has anyone ever had any kind of shorting issue with their fuses? If so what issues did you have. This is beginning to worry me. I bought an Owl cam so that if my wipers go nuts again, at least I will get a notification on my phone.

[Damaskus325]

UPDATE!!:
This issue had been dead until again a few weeks ago. I now have a solution and the issue is fixed. Here is the story. Back in 2018, I had a crack in my windshield. My insurance replaced the windshield by way of Safelite. Well it turns out, that was a good and bad thing. First the bad. Evidently over the past few years, the windshield had a separation at the bottom where the 2 adhesives bond. The tech told us the separation was ever so faint but it was there. This allowed water to slowly leak onto the front fuse distribution panel under the glove box. Long story short, my car has been at the dealer for the past week where it took around $900 of labor time to diagnose the issue and find and prove the leak to Safelite. Originally they swore it could not be the windshield by way of design. They said the adhesive would have to come undone and there would be water everywhere. Anyway, with video proof from the BMW technician and my SA, they owned up to it. The good news, they paid the $2630.15 it cost to replace the fuse distribution panel and JBE that got damaged. I will also be getting a check for the $900 I spent in diagnostic fees. Long story short, this was a weird problem that was caused by a faulty windshield install but Safelite backed their lifetime warranty. Just a heads up for anyone who encounters this in the future.

[JonOhh]

Well that's a new one! Glad you got it sorted, especially that Safelite stepped up to it.

[MILLER335I]

I was just about to write check the JBE! I had a problem with that and had the wiper issue!