loscoz

Hey folks,

A potential (ice) storm is headed my way and I'm curious to fellow Q owners thoughts to putting the wipers in service mode and lifting them off the windshield?

I found a post about folding errr more to not folding up the side mirrors for fear of burning out the motor/fuse.
I've NEVER done this on any car before and not even in the 2 years i've owned/driven my Q so far but, I see other drivers doing it more & more often - am I missing something?
BTW at 5'4" it's quite a stretch for me to reach the wipers to stand them up off the windshield ... but if it's a true method/action then i'd be willing to do it -- thoughts?
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Is there ANY possibility that when you start the Q up the wipers will move causing any damage to them or the hood?
** Guess this would also be a self-reminder to make sure the auto sensor is OFF ...

JohnBoyToo

the few times (in other cars) I've parked outside and had those conditions, I just made sure they were off and hand scrapped or used the remote start to pre-warm and melt it off...

tried the 'fix' of putting cardboard under the blades to not let them freeze to the windshield and that was more of a mess since there was some liquid precip too and the melt ran behind the cardboard and IT froze to the windshield !

good luck and one of the main reason I like Texus we only get that rarely down here...

HotRodW

It is a good idea to keep the wipers off the windshield when ice is in the forecast. Nothing good can come from wiper blades freezing to the windshield, and tears to the blade insert are common. It also makes it easier to clean/scrape the windshield without the wipers in the way. It's even a good idea to store the blades off the windshield if you park a warm car when it's snowing. The snow will melt on contact initially, then freeze once the car's interior drops below freezing.

The G Man

Standing the wipers up in a ice storm makes scraping a easier job later. I have done it a few times and the wiper only goes back to normal mode after you start driving the car or you can put it back to normal mode via the MMI. Make sure you auto wiper is set to off and you are good to go. Be careful not to snap the wiper onto the windshield at full force, it may cause some damage.

Huey52

I've always raised my wipers prior to snow/ice storms, mostly to make clearing/scaping easier, but also so as not to inadvertantly tear the rubber blades if frost-adhered. Given I now have to employ the "service mode" I may get lazier tho' and just be careful that they're free before using the wipers, especially as I leave them in auto-water sensing.

Reggie

I guess I have always felt that to drive when the windshields are not clean and the car warm enough to keep the windows clear is not a good idea. I think the normal position will clear the windshield (after manual scraping) and the wipers from the ice when the car engine gets warm.

burdoogo

What is this "service mode" everyone keeps mentioning?

The G Man

You need to put the wipers in service mode in the MMI before you lift them off the windshield, otherwise, the arm will scrap the hood.

Reggie

in order to change the wiper blade

loscoz

Thanks everyone for the thoughts on this ... <3 the forum for broad range of info & experiences!

Esp to G Man ... I'll have to test this at home in my garage to see if I can reach my wipers to not cause any additional damage from dropping.

side note: it never got cold enough during work, as forecasted, for the rain to change to ice on my windshield where this came up.