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We got a 4wd XC60 in the autumn. It's been pretty good in the snow (certainly much better than my old Audi A6 quattro for grip, correcting loss of traction and effectiveness of the ABS in all this snow).
But why, for f£&^%*g gawds sake why, doesn't it have a rear wiper with a motor strong enough to wipe away more than a very light dusting of dry snow? Seriously - I have never known such an underpowered motor on a wiper in my life – I am sure back in the day on my original Mini the wipers were better. It is f%$£*&g useless.
Surely, given Volvos are designed for Nordic weather, they would be fitted with a better wiper motor?
new model or the old one?
In a similar vein, this weather has led to my family running worryingly low on chocolate-chip brioche and hummus.
And there’s no craft ale left in the local artisan beer retailer! *
*co-op.
I'm getting use out of my TNF parka, which is usually too hot, so that's one upside.
I've nearly out of coffee pods for my Tassimo
angeldust just did the same, my TNF parka is known as big coat and is only used in Finland and Sweden,
During driving or just when starting? In Canada it's common to lift wipers off windscreens when snowfall is forecast. That way you don't risk burning out the motors if you knock them on before the snow is cleared. I suspect it's the same in Nordic countries so expectation is it'd never had to clear more than a brief dusting.
Stock in the gluten free isle of my local Waitrose is running dangerously low! I hope the Red Cross will be doing airdrops for the poor people of Berkshire
angeldust just did the same, my TNF parka is known as big coat and is only used in Finland and Sweden,
I put the hood up and pretend I'm in John Carpenter's 'The Thing'.
Have called 999 for an emergency fresh lemon grass drop. Dried just isn't the same.
Composing this thread will have used the same amount of time as clearing snow from your back window by hand for a ten year period.
new model or the old one?
The old style one
During driving or just when starting?
Just on start up
In Canada it’s common to lift wipers off windscreens when snowfall is forecast.
Even after brushing the car down it struggles to remove what is left
(Liking all the digs BTW, making my afternoon 🙂
Can't you just put the rear screen heater on and warm it, then use the wiper?
Can’t you just put the rear screen heater on and warm it, then use the wiper?
Well yes I guess, but after driving various makes of cars for the last 33 years, I am just a bit flummoxed as to why this vehicle has such a crappy wiper. I've driven everything from Fords to Renaults to Peugeots to Vauxhalls to Audis and even an Austin Rover Metro and they all had better rear wipers!
Mine was fine, in fact nothing went wrong with it.
Is it just sulking ?
Try warming the car up, perhaps the battery is on its way out and discharging itself then when the cars running its topping up the battery.. dunno, just a suggestion.
Have you tried spritzing it with an ayurvidic blend of Yogi tea?
Have you got the heated wing mirrors on at the same time?
Perhaps the battery is on its way out
It's a new car so I doubt it
Have you got the heated wing mirrors on at the same time?
Yes - the heated mirrors/rear screen are set to come on automatically if the outside temperature is low (although I switched off the heated seat auto on as my wife hates a warm seat).
But I don't think it is anything to do with a lack of power getting *TO* the motor, I just think it's an underpowered motor.
You can check if the motor is getting enough power by pulling the wires out and sticking both of them on your tongue.
for added excitement, set the switch to intermittent, that way you wont know when you will be electrocuted.
for added excitement, set the switch to intermittent, that way you wont know when you will be electrocuted.
*giggles*
should have bought a french car.
Maybe those crazy Swedes have gone all hipster and installed a retro-chic homeopathic wiper? The reduction process will eventually reduce the snow on the rear window to a memory of the snow (about 1/10^30 of a snow molecule) but you just have to patient.
Oh, ok. Didn’t know it was a new car.
Bit weird that.
Yeah I think it's very weird. I might even mention it to the garage when it goes in for its first service, although no doubt I'll have forgotten all about it in 4 weeks time and spring finally (hopefully) arrives.
"Surely, given Volvos are designed for Nordic weather, they would be fitted with a better wiper motor?"
Ha ha ha , more likely designed to fill a marketing need when ford rescued them .
Maybe those crazy Swedes have gone all hipster and installed a retro-chic homeopathic wiper? The reduction process will eventually reduce the snow on the rear window to a memory of the snow (about 1/10^30 of a snow molecule) but you just have to patient.
👏🏻 😆
Ha ha ha , more likely designed to fill a marketing need when ford rescued them .
My Ford Kuga's rear wiper has been fine through the last few days of heavy snow. It's had to work hard too.
Oh, and Ford sold them on years ago.
Costs have to be saved somewhere and a rear window/wiper clearance is not a safety thing required to pass any tests so why waste money on one able to clear snow.
My car doesn't have a rear wiper at all, just put the heated screen on and leave it on, tends to keep it clear enough.
Ahhh first world problems indeed.
Is this when you are starting? How about just clearing the snow off before you start? Two of our cars have no rear wipers and get on fine.
If it's the same mechanism as the V70 the wiper spindle has an o-ring that lets rain water seep in over time causing corrosion. Its easy to strip clean and restore snow wafting power
We lift wipers off the screen in France too but it's just to stop them freezing on and then tearing when you try to get them off with the scraper.
Must have a duff wiper motor as our 65 plate XC60 wipers managed to clear both front & rear with 2" of snow @ -5deg within 5 seconds of starting the car this week.
In my book you are being mechanically unsympathetic to use a wiper to clear snow. Clear the snow off yourself! Wipers are for precipitation on the move. And for holding onto if you need to jump onto the bonnet during an unusual situation, such as in the Father Ted episode where they go on a caravan holiday.
In the UK we lift the wipers off the screen too.
Sounds a bit crap I’d pop in and show them.
Do people still clear their screens themselves? Frightful.
Why didn't you buy a Berlingo instead? All the negative feedback about being terrible, terrible cars for people who have given up on life is just rhetoric. 🙂
Sounds like you're jst too lazy to clear the rear windscreen properly before you set off. Bet you don't even de-ice the side windows on a frosty morning either. Blindspot? 😉
Just had a thought.
I’ve had this several times with front wipers in heavy snow and freezing conditions, pour some red hot water at the base of the arm as they do block with ice at times.
Sounds like you’re jst too lazy to clear the rear windscreen properly before you set off. Bet you don’t even de-ice the side windows on a frosty morning either. Blindspot?
I always brush the car down before driving it - see this posted yesterday...
Even after brushing the car down it struggles to remove what is left
😉
You should build a nice barn type carport for your Volvo, then you wouldn't need to worry about it.
Could be worse. Wipers on the 110 froze yesterday (snow must have got into the wheelboxes) and popped the fuse. There are many things I can be arsed doing right now but stripping down the wipers is not one of them.
"I’ve had this several times with front wipers in heavy snow and freezing conditions, pour some red hot water at the base of the arm as they do block with ice at times"
you get commission from autoglass right ?
Are you wipers attached to your windscreen?
close enough i wont be pouring red hot water at them.
You do know they don’t crack anyway?
i had a guy at work would keep using cold water on his windscreen which would feeze straight away, the blind panic when I came with the kettle was worth it. Guess what his screen cleared instantly and not one crack.
Brant debunked this myth 9 years ago you were there man.
https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/defrosting-car-windscreens-with-hot-water/
Tepid - warm water is cool. "red hot" is not cool.
ive also watched someone do it , the look of smugness draining from his face was priceless.
My mate had a Volvo XC60 as a company car, in the 2 years he had it, the EGR valve went at least 4 or 5 times, goes into limp mode and needs half the engine bay stripping out to change it.
God knows how much it would have been in labour alone.
the blind panic when I came with the kettle was worth it
I'd would panic if I saw you coming with a kettle 😉
johndoh - brus the snow of or actually scrape the ice/snow off completely? :-p
re: kettles.... when in NZ, ice scrapers and de-icer didn't seem to exist. I used to boil half a kettle, top up the rest with cold water and pour that carefully over and around to defrost the windows. TBH I can't help but think that that's a lot better for the worth than buying disposable aerosol cans or spray bottles of chemicals...
johndoh – brus the snow of or actually scrape the ice/snow off completely?
Well yes that is the obvious short-term solution. What it doesn't do is address the fact the wiper motor is woefully inadequate in the first place.
pour some red hot water.....
I tried and tried, but couldn’t get the water hot enough to go red. Even held the button down on the kettle to keep it boiling for ages but no joy.
In the end, I used tomato juice instead.
Right mess. Thanks for that. 👍
It's a new car so take it back stating it's not fit for purpose under the Sale of Goods act .......... 😉