# Stranded with no wiper function

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/stranded-with-no-wiper-function/43843>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Tags:** jetta, volkswagen\
**Created:** [February 4, 2010, 4:40pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/stranded-with-no-wiper-function/43843 "2010-02-04T16:40:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![LCStevenson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dec6dc/32.png) [@LCStevenson](https://community.cartalk.com/u/LCStevenson)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 4:40pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/stranded-with-no-wiper-function/43843/1 "2010-02-04T16:40:19Z")

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My wipers have been functioning erratically. I’ll wake up, get in the car on a rainy day and they’ll work all the way to my job 45 miles away. But, say I go out to lunch… they still work, I drive to a restaurant, cut off the engine, then when I get back, they just don’t work at all! If I wait (oh, about 4-8 hours!), then they magically start working again! What’s with the demonic possession??? I have it in a shop right now and they can’t get it to NOT work, so they’re stumped.

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**Author:** ![markmast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@markmast](https://community.cartalk.com/u/markmast)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 4:58pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/stranded-with-no-wiper-function/43843/2 "2010-02-04T16:58:01Z")

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I would bet that you have a bad wiper motor. The commutator can have a dead spot in it where the brushes don’t make good contact. It’s a crap shoot if the motor stops on the bad spot or not.  
The next time it fails, try tapping on the motor and see if it starts running.

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**Author:** ![UncleTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9a140/32.png) [@UncleTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/UncleTurbo)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 5:34pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/stranded-with-no-wiper-function/43843/3 "2010-02-04T17:34:27Z")

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Until you get this resolved you should treat your windshield with Rain-X. This way you will be able to safely drive the car if the wipers aren’t working. At highway speeds a Rain-X’d windshield will shed the water so effectively you might turn the wipers off even when they are working.

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**Author:** ![LCStevenson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dec6dc/32.png) [@LCStevenson](https://community.cartalk.com/u/LCStevenson)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 7:14pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/stranded-with-no-wiper-function/43843/4 "2010-02-04T19:14:04Z")

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Thanks. We’re assuming it’s the motor too, but they want to make sure. I’ve tried tapping on it and that hasn’t worked. But, twice I’ve been able to pull up on the wiper arm and get it moving. And, once it’s moving, it works just fine.