Greetings,

I recently bought a 2001 Audi A4 1.8T Avant Quattro Wagon from a local mechanic, runs great and mechanically is in great condition considering it is high mileage (175k). The only issue that hasn't been resolved is an erratic wiper issue.

So when I first looked at the car, the battery had died and so the seller had to jump it with a jump box. As soon as the car got power the wipers went all ***** nilly, would swipe 2-4 times then stop randomly. The seller checked the fuse and swapped the relay with a spare (he mostly works on VWs and other Germanic brands) but it didn't appear to make a difference. As it was more of an annoyance than a genuine problem we went ahead and bought the car and the seller indicated he would help us get it sorted. He ordered a new wiper motor but before we were able to install it, the issue disappeared and the wipers started working like normal. Good to go, or so I thought.

Then we had a lot of rain, and the engine compartment drain was clogged so it got some standing water in there which I had to take the battery out in order to clear the drain and so forth, then I dried out the compartment real good with a box fan for a couple of days. When I reinstalled the battery, the problem came back immediately as soon as it had power to it again.

The seller hasn't had a chance to look at it yet and I have been hoping it might sort itself out again as it would appear to be a programming/computer issue rather than a mechanical one. Here's the various things it does:

Sometimes when you put the key in and turn it on (before starting the engine) the wipers go on their own even though it is in the off position and stop randomly. After stopping randomly they become unresponsive for about 10-20 sec, then they will respond again but usually just do the same thing (2-4 swipes then random stop) regardless of what setting you have it on. However, as I have fiddled with it while the car is running, it seems like it improves at times. This morning on my way to work it is drizzling rain so I ran the wipers through the various settings and eventually it started working better - intermittent works, slow and fast constant works, ok great, maybe it's fixed. Except when I pulled it in to park it and set it in the off position, then they went to slow constant wiping...

I have searched the various forums trying to find a similar issue and while I have found a few that relate, I could nowhere find where the poster actually fixed their issue (I assume they fixed it but neglected to return to the forum to post the solution). The seller still has the wiper motor he ordered and is willing to install it for me, but we are somewhat skeptical whether this will actually solve the situation. I was thinking perhaps it is the stalk/switch that is causing the twitch but wanted to go ahead and get a forum going on here to get some advice on the issue before we start pulling parts and such. Any help would be greatly appreciated. It's a great car and we love driving it, but this is a real annoyance (particularly when it stops right in the middle of the windshield and right in the line of sight) that we would like to get it fixed before we make it our primary family car.

Thanks in advance!

 

Did you manage to resolve this issue? I'm having exactly the same symptoms and would love to know what was causing it for you before I start replacing things *****-nilly.

 

I have a 2001 a4 with similar issue. After replacing linkage arm and motor (gears were seized up) the wipers won’t do continuous slow or fast speed. Just wiper 4 times then pause for 30 ish seconds and repeat.
What resolved your issue? I also replaced a relay w no success. Checked fuses as well.

I recently bought a 2001 Audi A4 1.8T Avant Quattro Wagon from a local mechanic, runs great and mechanically is in great condition considering it is high mileage (175k). The only issue that hasn't been resolved is an erratic wiper issue.

So when I first looked at the car, the battery had died and so the seller had to jump it with a jump box. As soon as the car got power the wipers went all ***** nilly, would swipe 2-4 times then stop randomly. The seller checked the fuse and swapped the relay with a spare (he mostly works on VWs and other Germanic brands) but it didn't appear to make a difference. As it was more of an annoyance than a genuine problem we went ahead and bought the car and the seller indicated he would help us get it sorted. He ordered a new wiper motor but before we were able to install it, the issue disappeared and the wipers started working like normal. Good to go, or so I thought.

Then we had a lot of rain, and the engine compartment drain was clogged so it got some standing water in there which I had to take the battery out in order to clear the drain and so forth, then I dried out the compartment real good with a box fan for a couple of days. When I reinstalled the battery, the problem came back immediately as soon as it had power to it again.

The seller hasn't had a chance to look at it yet and I have been hoping it might sort itself out again as it would appear to be a programming/computer issue rather than a mechanical one. Here's the various things it does:

Sometimes when you put the key in and turn it on (before starting the engine) the wipers go on their own even though it is in the off position and stop randomly. After stopping randomly they become unresponsive for about 10-20 sec, then they will respond again but usually just do the same thing (2-4 swipes then random stop) regardless of what setting you have it on. However, as I have fiddled with it while the car is running, it seems like it improves at times. This morning on my way to work it is drizzling rain so I ran the wipers through the various settings and eventually it started working better - intermittent works, slow and fast constant works, ok great, maybe it's fixed. Except when I pulled it in to park it and set it in the off position, then they went to slow constant wiping...




I have searched the various forums trying to find a similar issue and while I have found a few that relate, I could nowhere find where the poster actually fixed their issue (I assume they fixed it but neglected to return to the forum to post the solution). The seller still has the wiper motor he ordered and is willing to install it for me, but we are somewhat skeptical whether this will actually solve the situation. I was thinking perhaps it is the stalk/switch that is causing the twitch but wanted to go ahead and get a forum going on here to get some advice on the issue before we start pulling parts and such. Any help would be greatly appreciated. It's a great car and we love driving it, but this is a real annoyance (particularly when it stops right in the middle of the windshield and right in the line of sight) that we would like to get it fixed before we make it our primary family car.

Thanks in advance![/QUOTE]

 

i have an 04 A6 with the same issue. I have already replaced the wiper stalk, not change. I do not have a wiper linkage issue as it is all free to move. I have another relay that i swapped with the wiper relay and no change. Mine will always come on when i turn key to on, swipe for 7 or so seconds, then stop where ever they are on the windshield. If i have the switched in the off position, they will not come back on after they have stopped, but will in the int, slow and fast positions for approx the same time, then stop for 25ish seconds, then start again.
If there is anyone here who has solved this problem, your help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Conrad

 

the only difference that i have is (usually in the mornings) i’ll turn my car on and the windshield wipers start going as if i had them on the second setting. the just keep going with no end in sight. this started a day ago on my 2001 audi a4. honestly if anyone has any advice that would be great

 

I'm having a similar problem with my 2001 S4. A few years back, the wipers would do one cycle then stop when I turned on the ignition. As time went on, it would randomly start doing level one cycles until I pushed the stalk to the down position to trigger a manual cycle. Now it's to the point that it continuously does level one cycles in the off position when the ignition is on. Otherwise, the wipers function properly including in the intermittent position. I've twice replaced both the stalk and wiper relay with used parts with no change. Any help in resolving this issue would be appreciated.

 

RESOLVED: I replaced the wiper motor and it fixed the problem. Lesson learned: if your wipers start to malfunction erratically, purchase a used one off eBay for about $25 - cheap fix.