# Automatic wipers

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/automatic-wipers/6395>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Created:** [October 25, 2007, 12:12am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/automatic-wipers/6395 "2007-10-25T00:12:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![algame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7993a0/32.png) [@algame](https://community.cartalk.com/u/algame)\
**Post date:** [October 25, 2007, 12:12am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/automatic-wipers/6395/1 "2007-10-25T00:12:29Z")

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Can anyone tell me how the automatic setting on windshield wipers senses when to speed up?

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**Author:** ![mr\_josh](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mr_josh/32/3008_2.png) [@mr\_josh](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mr_josh)\
**Post date:** [October 25, 2007, 3:05am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/automatic-wipers/6395/2 "2007-10-25T03:05:53Z")

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Vehicle speed?

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**Author:** ![pleasedodgevan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/51bf81/32.png) [@pleasedodgevan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/pleasedodgevan)\
**Post date:** [October 25, 2007, 5:07am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/automatic-wipers/6395/3 "2007-10-25T05:07:33Z")

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You can do a lot of things with a computer. I don’t know how it does it but there could be a little camera on the dashboard or some kind of sensor. Infrawet?

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**Author:** ![algame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7993a0/32.png) [@algame](https://community.cartalk.com/u/algame)\
**Post date:** [October 25, 2007, 1:24pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/automatic-wipers/6395/4 "2007-10-25T13:24:05Z")

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It’s definitely not speed. Traveling at a steady speed they go on more often as the rain gets harder.

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**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\
**Post date:** [October 25, 2007, 2:16pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/automatic-wipers/6395/5 "2007-10-25T14:16:16Z")

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Camera???..Way to complicated to implement…

It’s either a little inferred sensor…or just a sensor that senses water. They have water sensors already that sense the water content on your lawn.

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**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\
**Post date:** [October 25, 2007, 2:42pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/automatic-wipers/6395/6 "2007-10-25T14:42:38Z")

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If you look on the back of your rear view mirror, you’ll find an infra-red sensor pointing at the windshield. This sensor is able to detect the amount of rain drops that hit the windshield. So the more rain drops it sees, the faster the wipers sweep the windshield.

Tester

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**Author:** ![mr\_josh](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mr_josh/32/3008_2.png) [@mr\_josh](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mr_josh)\
**Post date:** [October 25, 2007, 3:01pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/automatic-wipers/6395/7 "2007-10-25T15:01:07Z")

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There goes my continuous doppler radar satellite linkup theory. 😃