2001 BMW 325I windshield wipers

68n
Turn signal indicator/Headlamp flasher Washer/Wiper system 1 High beams
(blue indicator lamp)
2 Headlamp flasher
(blue indicator lamp)
3 Turn signal indicator (green indicator
lamp accompanied by periodic
clicking sound from the relay)
If the indicator lamp and the clicking
from the relay are both faster than
normal, one of the turn indicators has
failed.460de085
To signal brieflyPress the lever up to but not beyond
the detent. It then returns to the center
position when released.
0 Wipers retracted
1 Intermittent mode or rain sensor
2 Normal wipe
3 Fast wipe
4 Brief wipe
5 Cleaning windshield
6 Rotary dial for control of the wipe
interval or the sensitivity of the rain
sensor
Rear window wiper7 Intermittent mode
8 Cleaning rear window463de010

69n
IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Washer/Wiper system1 Intermittent mode or rain
sensor
*
Intermittent mode:
You can use rotary dial 6 to select from
four wipe intervals.
In addition, the wipe interval automati-
cally adapts to variations in road speed.
Rain sensor:
The rain sensor is positioned on the
windshield, directly ahead of the inte-
rior rearview mirror. When the rain
sensor is activated, the windshield
wiper is controlled automatically,
depending on the degree of wetness of
the windshield (in both snow and rain).
You do not have to be concerned with
switching the windshield wiper on or off
or adjusting the wipe interval between
intermittent and full wipe. Instead, you 463de010
can concentrate fully on the traffic
conditions. This is especially important
under adverse weather conditions.
To activate the rain sensor:
From ignition key position 1 and up,
move the lever to position 1. The wipers
travel once across the windshield,
regardless of the weather.
You can leave the lever permanently in
position 1. It is then only necessary to
activate the rain sensor from ignition
key position 1 and up. To do this,
>turn rotary dial 6 briefly or
>use cleaning windshield 5.
To modify the sensitivity of the rain
sensor:
Turn rotary dial 6.
Deactivating the rain sensor:
Put lever in position 0.
Turn the rain sensor off when
passing through an automatic car
wash. Failure to do so could result in
damage caused by undesired wiper
activation.<
2 Normal wiper speedWhen the vehicle is stationary, the
wipers switch automatically to intermit-
tent wipe (not on vehicles with rain
sensor).3 Fast wiper speedWhen the vehicle is stationary, the
wipers operate at normal speed (not on
vehicles with rain sensor).5 Cleaning windshieldThe system sprays washer fluid against
the windshield and activates the wipers
for a brief period.
If you only pull the lever briefly, the
system sprays washer fluid onto the
windshield without activating the
wipers.

177n
IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Rain sensor
*
Depending on how wet the windshield
is, the rain sensor controls the opera-
tion of the windshield wipers.
Infrared light is carried along the
surface of the windshield in an optical
conductor in such a manner that it is
reflected completely when the wind-
shield is dry. The quantity of reflected
light is measured.
If there is moisture on the glass, the
amount of light reflected is reduced
since the infrared light at the surface of
the windshield can escape. The quan-
tity of reflected light is thus a means of
gauging the degree of wetness on the
windshield.390de133
When the system is set to the "Intermit-
tent" wiper speed, the wipers react
immediately Ð if water is splashed onto
the windshield by vehicles traveling
ahead of you, for example. As a result,
the rain sensor contributes to driving
safety and comfort.

179n
IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Self-diagnostics All of the important electrical and elec-
tronic systems in the vehicle are tested
regularly and automatically; the driver
does not have to perform any extra
operations or adjustments.
The indicator lamps also come on
briefly after the ignition has been turned
on.
While you are driving, the functional
status of the actuator motors (for the
windshield wipers, power windows,
seats, sliding/tilt sunroof, etc.) is
constantly analyzed by current
measurements in their relays.460de177
In the same manner, the electrical
resistance of the airbag ignition genera-
tors and all of the remaining airbag
components is measured at all times.
Any fault in this system would be
detected immediately by a current fluc-
tuation that would necessarily accom-
pany it. The fault would be indicated
immediately by the airbag warning
lamp.
Even after you shut off the engine, the
overall functional status of your vehicle
is monitored. For example, all of the
flaps of the heating and ventilation
system travel to the nearest limit posi-
tion. This action ensures that the
system will be able to provide
defrosting, regardless of other circum-
stances, e. g. if a malfunction in the air
conditioner/climate control system
should occur during the night while the
vehicle is parked.
A calibration cycle runs every tenth time
the engine is shut off. During this cycle,
the actuator motors move all air condi-
tioner/automatic climate control flaps to
their limit stops in both directions. The
limit positions and the return travel
paths are checked in this manner in
order to ensure that appropriate adjust-
ments for the operating elements can
be made at any time.You will hear the sounds of the air flaps
as the air conditioning system/auto-
matic climate control carry out their
self-diagnostic functions after the igni-
tion has been turned off. All of the other
self-diagnostics functions operate
silently in the background.
Any possible defects detected during
these self-diagnostics can be read out
by your BMW center and quickly
corrected during the vehicle's next
regularly scheduled maintenance.