I own a 99 model Audi A4 1.6 liter and this winter it has been acting up a bit. The windshield wipers sometimes don't work at all, work very slowly or work almost fine. The thing is, i don't need a car which decides when I am allowed to use the wipers. Yesterday it was snowing, and they didn't work at all. Didn't move. But today it is raining and they work almost normally. Does anyone have a suggestion what could be causing this? I have heard somewhere that this is not an uncommon problem with Audi and VW with similar build. But what can I do about it, without bringing it to the shop? Suggestions?

Freddy

Norway

 

I had that same problem with my Jetta TDI. In the cold it almost didn't work but when it got warmer, the wiping action was better.

Check the mechanism arms attached to the wiper motor. The joints could be shot. I took mine out and rebuilt'em. They worked fine after that.