Admittedly had some really low temps.just recently but although car (16plate F30) is always garaged the washers needed a 25 mile drive before they functioned which I’m pretty sure is way more than any previous model...is there an issue or is this the norm. Ma wee Astravan which sits out in all weathers and has what can only be described as a half decent heater most definitely “thaws” out the washer system much quicker. ed.
The washers are heated, but I'm not sure when the heating actually turns on. Do they work ok eventually? Would rule out a blockage. Any fault codes?
Hi bishbosh ,hope your good..yes they do work perfectly eventually and no to the fault code question.. ed.
Do you know what washer fluid is in the F30 - if you have recently purchased the car the previous owner may have put water in the bottle (a lot of people do) or some watery cheap Tesco's fluid, the pipes or bottle might be iced up and the long drive thaws them, I would empty out what is in there and put some Genuine BMW fluid or other quality fluid at a high concentration then see what happens.
Possibility that’s the problem...only had the car a few months ..but how do I get out what’s already in ? ed.
Unless you want to remove the wheel and inner arch liner, followed by the tank, I suppose it's a case of getting them up to 'working' temp then operate them until the reservoir is empty?
Definitely get some better screen wash. Because the bottle is in the wing it doesn’t really get warmed up. Heated washers is just the jets so won’t help when they’re frozen.
@Ers51 I'm well, Ed - living the dream. Hope you get them working with the fluid refresh, there's not a lot worse than driving 'blind' with the muck that's on the roads atm.
No issues on my F15, not sure if a more shielded reservoir? I also double the dilution ratio this time of year, I don’t purchase the ready mixed stuff, waste of money. The Halfrauds stuff is pretty good and cheap with the trade card. https://www.halfords.com/motoring/s...ncentrated-screenwash-5l---citrus-611867.html Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
I tend not to use the washers when the temp drops below -2 Deg C as it can freeze on the screen, but the washers on my F30 have never frozen up. I would suggest filling half the reservoir capacity with neat BMW washer fluid, and then use a 50:50 mix from then on.
I use bmw screen wash mixed to -12 and I actually do the wet screen (short pull on wash stalk) to help defrost the screen when it’s iced over. I do that and let it sit on the screen while I scrape the side window, always works.
If you happen to have one of those oil extraction thingys, I’ve found they are brilliant at sucking up all types of fluid. I’m sure you could drain the washer reservoir with one of them. Last job I used mine was for our condenser clothes dryer which decided to clog up .... don’t ask
I live in sunny Cheshire @Ers51. BMW screenwash mixed 50:50 will go down to -23 Deg C. Good enough, even for chilly Scotland.
I find this stuff very good, never had a problem and it was -10 last week: https://www.halfords.com/motoring/s...ain-x-5l-ready-to-use-screen-wash-724322.html
It's the very tip of the nozzle where the jets exit the tube into the ambient air. When an ice plug forms here, the temperature of the surface of the bonnet and the air above it determines how long it takes to melt.This is why you can drive for an hour with just the odd splutter onto the screen, then the washers work after you've been stood still for a few minutes. If you live in a more congested area with traffic queues you won't have such problems. Being rural, I have to sometimes have wait some time for the jets to work, unless I hit an unexpected traffic jam, such as cows crossing. Even with a 60/40 mix of BMW washer fluid containing antifreeze.This wasn't such a problem on the E66, probably because the the pipes and exit nozzles were in the wiper arms, and that may have got hotter more quickly and/or retained more heat. It's not a problem at all with Beast. The pre heater thaws everything out well in advance. Even though I may then drive for many miles in ice cold conditions, the nozzles don't grow an ice bung again. The F31 is the usual cold start pain, including all the condensation you don't get with a pre heater. I believe many EVs come with a pre heater?
