1968~79 VW Type 2 window wiper & washer upgrades

[NASkeet]

As I have hinted in the past, my 1973 VW "1600" Type 2, Westfalia Continental campervan, is equipped with a cross-over-arm, double-linkage, pantograph, rear-window wiper system, some digitally reprocessed photographs of which, I finally managed to scan, into The Samba Gallery, as follows:

Rear hatch, with cross-over, double-linkage, pantograph rear-window wiper.

The universal 12 inch wiper blade, is pivoted relative to the main wiper arm, so that the wiper blade is virtually parallel, to the bottom of the window, at the extreme right-hand & left-hand limits, of the wiper's sweep.

As one can clearly see from the pictures, this wiper system's unique design, enables it to sweep, more than half the total glass area, of this wide, shallow window. The only way to sweep a larger area, would be to fit a pair of wipers instead.

Rear-window wiper motor, crank & wiper-spindle, with home-made, custom, duralumin, installation adapter brackets.

Rear-hatch, interior trim panel, with integral, glass-reinforced plastic blister moulding, to cover the rear-wiper-motor & wiper-linkage.

My system, which I believe is compatible with the rear hatches of both the 1964~67 and 1968~79 VW Type 2s, is a relatively simple adaptation, of the stock, factory-fitted SWF system, which I salvaged from a late-1970s to mid-1980s vintage, Vauxhall Astra Mk. 1 estate car (i.e. station wagon, wagon, van, etc.), at my local car breaker's yard.

I later learned that a rear-window wiper system, of the same fundamental design, originating from a Vauxhall Chevette estate car, could also have been used instead.

Vauxhall, are the British division of the General Motors Corporation and from my research, I have discovered that estate car or van versions of the Vauxhall Chevette, have been or might have been, produced in several countries, as the Buick Opel, Chevrolet Chevette, Opel Kadett C, Daewoo Maepsy, Isuzu Gemini, Holden Gemini, Pontiac T1000 & 1000 and others.

I shall scan in and describe some of my other front & rear, window wiper & washer upgrades, in the near future. In the meantime, I would like to hear about some of yours!

Regards.

Nigel A. Skeet

[NASkeet]

One of my earliest upgrades to the front windshield wiper & washer system, of my 1973 VW Type 2, was to retro-fit some Swedish made wash-wiper blades, about which I had learned during the mid-1980s, from some then current issues of the British magazine "Motor" and the national "Daily Mail" newspaper. The following pictures, posted in The Samba Gallery, are scans from some of that publicity material:

At that time, they were only available in Great Britain, through specialist importers, at astromomical prices, but fortunately, my university-friend in Sweden, was able to obtain them on my behalf, from his local car parts & accessory shop (ie. FLAPS in USA parlance!), at roughly the same cost, as ordinary, premium brand wiper blades. These days, one can obtain them, direct from the manufacturer in Sweden.

When I first fitted the wash-wiper blades, I removed the factory-fitted SWF washer jets from the cruciform holes in the bodywork and disconnected the associated rubber hose from the windcreen washer system. The small-bore hose for the wash-wiper blades, was then routed through the existing cruciform holes, together with blanking grommets which I had modified to conform to the holes' shape.

I have since decided to replace the SWF washer jets and drill seperate circular holes for the wash-wiper blades' supply tubing, as shown above.

The wash-wiper blades, of various lengths, are made by SW Washwiper AB, In Stocksund, Sweden. They have perforated, hollow blade rubbers, supplied by a small-bore, flexible rubber hose, which produces an even distribution of water, over the surface of the window glass, as the wiper sweeps through its arc.

One can obtain both spare perforated, hollow blade rubbers, and complete kits, comprising two wiper blades, flexible rubber hose, grommets, wiper-arm attachment adapters, etc.

See the following SW Washwiper AB website for more details:

http://hem.passagen.se/zelus

Here are some photographs, posted in The Samba Gallery, of my Swedish made, universal SWW wash/wiper blade kit, with spare wiper blade rubbers, plus a few other commonly available clips and alternative sized grommets, which enabled me to neatly install the kit, on my 1973 VW Type 2.

Having experienced the benefits of this system, which are exceedingly effective as washers, requiring very little water, I would not wish to revert to the factory-stock, body-mounted windscreen-washer jets, which were never particularly effective, wherever they were aimed and required considerable water use.

My principal critiscism of the product, is that after a few years, the blade rubbers start to split, at the place where the water-delivery tubing-adapter is inserted. A neater installation, could have been achieved, by routing the rubber tubing, along the full length of the wiper arm & blade assembly and entering the blade rubber at the far end, via a 180º bend adapter. This would also have enabled me to use these SWW wash/wiper blades, with my cross-over-arm, pantograph rear-window wiper.

Regards.

Nigel A. Skeet

[NASkeet]

It appears that these four of the five picture files, have been deleted from The Samba Gallery, possibly, because someone regarded them, as being to similar to one another:

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/293546.jpg
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/293545.jpg
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/293544.jpg
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/293543.jpg

Their purpose, was to illustrate, how the cross-over-arm, pantograph design, causes the wiper blade to pivot, as the wiper sweeps across the window, which enables it to sweep, such a large proportion of the wide, shallow window glass.

Consequently, I have edited my earlier post in this topic and posted to The Samba Gallery, a further single image, I found in my archives, which incorporates all five views of the rear hatch:

For a slightly different perspective on how this system operates, here are the five separate images of the pantograph wiper in different positions, merged into a single image:

Overall, you will probably find these easier to interpret.

Regards.

Nigel A. Skeet

[NASkeet]

I previously mentioned, some possible donor cars, of the cross-over-arm, pantograph, rear-window wiper system, one of which, was the late-1970s to mid-1980s, Vauxhall Chevette estate car (i.e. station wagon, in USA parlance). Here is a photograph of one, which I discovered in a road, just five minutes walk from my home:

Note the close similarity, between the Vauxhall Chevette's, factory-fitted, cross-over-arm, pantograph, rear-window wiper system and the system originating from a Vauxhall Astra Mk. 1 estate car, which was adapted and retro-fitted, to my 1973 VW Type 2.

The Chevette, was General Motors' first World car, being manufactured and/or marketed in various countries, as the Bedford Chevanne, Buick Opel (USA), Chevrolet Chevette (Brazil & USA), Daewoo Maepsy (South Korea), Holden Gemini (Australia), Isuzu Bellett Gemini & Gemini (Japan), Isuzu I­Mark (USA), Opel Gemini (Malaysia), Opel Isuzu (USA), Opel Kadett C (Germany), Opel K­180 (Argentina), Pontiac Acadian (Canada), Pontiac T­1000 & 1000 (USA) and Saehan Bird (South Korea), which would have been sold locally and to neighbouring countries in the region.

It is conceivable, that similar rebadged versions, of the front-wheel drive Vauxhall Astra Mk. 1 and Bedford Astravan Mk. 1, might also have been made in these and other overseas territories. Some examples are thought to be: the Chevrolet Gemini (Chile), Chevrolet Spectrum (USA), Geo Spectrum (USA), Holden Gemini Mk. 2 (Australia), Isuzu Gemini Mk. 2 (Japan), Isuzu I­Mark Mk. 2 (USA), Opel Kadett D (Germany) and Pontiac Sunburst (Canada).

Hence, it is possible that suitable donor estate cars or car-derived vans, equivalent to either the Vauxhall Astra Mk. 1 or Chevette Estates (aka Station Wagon, Caravan, Kombi, etc), might exist in most regions of the World, where VW Type 2s are found.

I have also since learned, that the USA equivalent of the Vauxhall Astra Mk. 2 (whose estate car or station wagon model, had a conventional single-arm rear-window wiper), is known as the Pontiac Le Mans, but whether the USA equivalent of the Vauxhall Astra Mk. 1, also bore this name, I do not know!
_________________
Regards.

Nigel A. Skeet

Independent tutor (semi-retired) of mathematics, physics, technology & engineering for secondary, tertiary, further & higher education.

Much modified, RHD 1973 VW "1600" Type 2 Westfalia Continental campervan, with the World's only decent, cross-over-arm, SWF pantograph rear-window wiper

Onetime member, plus former Technical Editor & Editor of Transporter Talk magazine
Volkswagen Type 2 Owners' Club (Great Britain)

http://www.vwt2oc.net

[steponmebbbboom]

Nice work Nigel, congratulations.

[NASkeet]

Having managed to modify and retro-fit, an almost optimal, rear-window wiper (the alternative, Chevette based wiper, is slightly closer to optimal), of almost factory-fitted appearance, was a great improvement, but as you have probably all found, the rear window sometimes get really filthy, when travelling at high speed (i.e. more than 45 mph!) on damp roads, so I really needed to supplement it with some sort of window washer system.

Ideally, I would have liked to have used, the SWW wash-wiper blades, of the type that I have for my front windshield wipers, but alas, I could find no convenient way of routing the flexible rubber tubing, so that it did not interfere, with either of the wiper-system's cross-over-arms or other components.

Once again, I resorted to my Swedish university-friend, who was able to obtain on my behalf, a VDO accessory, window washer kit (illustrated in a Swedish, car accessories' mail-order catalogue, he gave me several years earlier!), which comprised: (a) wiper-arm mounted, clip-on, washer-jet housing, with four adjustable ball nozzles; (b) flexible rubber tubing; (c) three, tubing to wiper-arm fastening clips; and (d) right-angled, through-bodywork connector. The following image, scanned from the product packaging, is posted in The Samba Gallery:

Accessory, wiper-arm mounted, clip-on, washer-jet housing, with four adjustable ball-nozzles, suitable for mounting on front or rear-wiper arms.

VDO part No. V 1048, imported into Sweden, by K. G. Knuttson, purchased at a swedish car accessory shop, during the early-1990s, for my 1973 VW Type 2, cross-over-arm, double-linkage, pantograph, rear-window wiper system.

The top photograph, posted in The Samba Gallery, shows the main components of the universal, VDO/SWF wiper-arm mounting, clip-on, washer-jet kit, which I used for the cross-over-arm, pantograph rear-window wiper system, of my 1973 VW Type 2.

I could also have used two kits of this type, for my front windshield wipers, had I not previously used SWW wash/wiper blades.

Also posted in The Samba Gallery, is a photograph of the right-angled, through-bodywork connector, which is fitted to the rear hatch of my 1973 VW Type 2, just below the wiper spindle:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=294598

or

Note that for my rear-window washer application, I opted to locate the right-angled portion, inside the hatch.

The VDO window-washer kit (VDO part No. V 1048), was imported into Sweden, by K. G. Knuttson, whose details to the best of my knowledge, are as follows:

K. G. Knuttson AB, Hammerbacken 8, S 19181 - Sölentuna, Sweden.
Tel. (International) +46 08-923000
e­mail: [email protected]

I have seen, a mid-1990s MAN B-163 truck (British, P-prefix, registration number plate) and a 2005 MAN LE8.150 truck (British, 05 registration plate), each with three front windscreen wipers, equipped with a virtually identical washer system; albeit with a single, 75 mm long, one-piece, flexible-hose retaining clip, on each wiper arm.

Pairs of washer jet fittings, right-angled, bulkhead hose connectors and flexible rubber hose, which appear very similar to those on the MAN trucks and in the aforementioned accessory kit (albeit with only two rather than four adjustable ball nozzles), seem to be standard equipment, for the front-windscreen washer system, of 2002 onward, Nissan Cabstar pick-up truck models (pre-2002 models, have bodywork mounted jets), as shown in the photographs, posted in The Samba Gallery:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=294193
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=294194
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=294195

or

The right-angled, through-bodywork connectors, fitted to the 2002 onward, Nissan Cabstar, outwardly appear identical, to those found in the VDO kit and as fitted, to the two aforementioned MAN trucks

I have also seen on the modern Mercedes Vito vans, having a single top-hinged rear hatch, a factory-fitted rear-window washer system, which utilises a wiper-arm mounted, SWF washer jet fitting, with four adjustable ball nozzles, identical to that found in the aforementioned VDO accessory kit; the flexible rubber hose for which, is fastened to the rear-wiper arm, by means of a 90 mm long, one-piece retaining clip.

A variety of wiper-arm mounted, front and/or rear, washer-jet fittings, with multiple adjustable ball nozzles, are becoming an increasingly common, standard fitment, on modern, small commercial vehicles, further examples of which, I have seen on a 2001/02 Mitsubishi Canter and a 2003 Isuzu NKR pick­up truck. The Mitsubishi vehicle, featured several reuseable plastic clips, of very neat pattern, used to secure the flexible rubber washer hose, to the 9 mm wiper arms.
Wiper-arm-mounted, clip-on window-washer jets, with two adjustable ball-nozzles

Having previously adopted a stock, 1968~79 VW Type 2, dashboard-mounted, windshield wiper & washer switch (similar to the switch used on early-model VW Types 3 & 4, plus possibly some VW Type 1s; albeit with a different switch-knob pattern), for the rear-window wiper system, I was able to use it, to also serve the rear-window washer. Images of both switch patterns, are posted in The Samba Gallery, as follows:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=294444
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=294445

or

Although I could have spliced into the water supply, from the stock, 1968~79 VW Type 2, air-pressurised, windshield-washer reservoir, I wanted to have an independent water supply, as well as increasing my available water capacity. Consequently, I chose to retro-fit a second-hand, VW Type 4 (i.e. VW 411 & 411) Variant, windshield washer reservoir, installed using a home-made, custom, duralumin bracket, images of which, are posted in The Samba Gallery, as follows:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=294447
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=294448

or

You might also wish to note for interest, the air-horn compressor, additional dashboard switches and the alternative fuse cum relay box (ex Vauxhall Cavalier), which confers additional plastic blade-fuse and relay positions.

That's all for the moment, but I hope to soon post some information, about intermittent and rain-sensing wipers, as applied to the 1968~79 VW Type 2.

Regards.

Nigel A. Skeet
_________________
Regards.

Nigel A. Skeet

Independent tutor (semi-retired) of mathematics, physics, technology & engineering for secondary, tertiary, further & higher education.

Much modified, RHD 1973 VW "1600" Type 2 Westfalia Continental campervan, with the World's only decent, cross-over-arm, SWF pantograph rear-window wiper

Onetime member, plus former Technical Editor & Editor of Transporter Talk magazine
Volkswagen Type 2 Owners' Club (Great Britain)

http://www.vwt2oc.net

[Micropassatman]

Excellent work! I am dumbfounded as to why V.W. did not add this from the factory!

[NASkeet]

One upgrade which is likely to have a particular appeal, to 1968~72 VW Type 2 owners, is the substitution of a 1973~74, VW Type 2, steering-column mounted, windshield-wiper & washer switch (believed to be VW part No. 211 955 501 C). This would be much easier to use, on a dark, rainy night, than fumbling around on the dashboard, to switch on the wipers & washers, after a 16-wheeler, has just swamped one's windshield, with a deluge of filthy road spray.

You can save the dashboard switch, for use with the rear-window wiper & washer system, when you get around to implementing that upgrade!

My e-mail pen pal, Jim Hayden, in southern California, implemented this on his USA specification, 1972 VW "1700" Type 2, Westfalia Weekender, but I don't know whether he also needed to substitute, the later-model windshield-wiper motor, whose electrical connections, seem to be slightly different, according to the Robert Bentley manual's, electrical circuit wiring diagrams.

Jim also substituted, the matching, steering-column mounted, direction-indicator & headlamp dip & flasher switch (i.e. turn-signal & headlamp dimmer switch, in USA parlance). This would also, probably be practical, for British & European specification, 1968~71 VW Type 2s, but I am not sure about the USA specification vehicles, which have a bizarre electrical circuit, linking the turn-signals and brake lights and whose turn-signal & headlamp dimmer switch, seem to have some additional connections.

It might also be worth upgrading, the USA specification, 1968~71 VW Type 2, turn-signal, emergency flasher & brake-light circuits, to that found on British & European specification vehicles, which is much more logical (separate lens segments and bulb filaments, for the rear turn signals and brake lights) and which would certainly facililitate, the windshield-wiper & washer system upgrade.

Regards.

Nigel A. Skeet
_________________
Regards.

Nigel A. Skeet

Independent tutor (semi-retired) of mathematics, physics, technology & engineering for secondary, tertiary, further & higher education.

Much modified, RHD 1973 VW "1600" Type 2 Westfalia Continental campervan, with the World's only decent, cross-over-arm, SWF pantograph rear-window wiper

Onetime member, plus former Technical Editor & Editor of Transporter Talk magazine
Volkswagen Type 2 Owners' Club (Great Britain)

http://www.vwt2oc.net

[NASkeet]

[Micropassatman]

Do you plan on supplying us with this manual, here in the U.S.?

[NASkeet]

[Micropassatman]

Nigel,

Are you willing to sell your last wiper mech.? Thanks!

[NASkeet]

[VDubTech]

If it reads anything like your posts, I would probably kill myself before I got through the first chapter.

[NASkeet]

[NASkeet]

One factor which has a major influence on effective windscreen (i.e. windshield, in USA parlance) wiping, is the frequency of wiper sweeps, dependent upon the incidence of raindrops or other precipitation (i.e. snow, sleet, mist or fog). If the windscreen wipers sweep too frequently, the wiper blades tend to smear the glass, accompanied by the irritation of a squeaking noise and increased blade-wear rate. Too low a frequency, results in there being excessive precipitation on the windscreen, blocking one's vision.

Although the 1973~74 VW Type 2, has a flick-wipe facility for single-sweep windscreen wiping, there are occasions when an intermittent or variable-intermittent wiper frequency would be useful. It has been mentioned, that the intermittent wipers, was an M-Code option, but I can find no electrical circuit wiring diagrams or mention of any VW part numbers, which would enable one to retro-fit the factory-specified system.

One DIY workshop manual (J.H. Haynes & D.H. Stead, VW 1300 & 1500 Beetle 1965~1975, Owners' Workshop Manual, Haynes Publishing, ISBN 0-85-696-494-8, pages 196~197) features a supplementary current-flow diagram, for the 1974 onward, VW 1300 Type 1 Beetle, showing a wiper-delay relay, with terminals labelled 15, 31, 53m, 53s & S. The corresponding windscreen-wiper switch, with switch-selector positions labelled J, 0, 1, 2 & 3, has terminals labelled 53, 53a, 53b, 53e & S, plus an unlabelled Earth (i.e. Ground, in USA parlance!) connection. Whether these are comparable with the 1973~74 & 1975~79 VW Type 2, intermittent windscreen-wiper systems, I do not know, but would be interested to learn more.

One member of the British, Volkswagen Type 2 Owners' Club, claims to have used a wiper-delay relay (of unspecified part number or terminal labels), from a 1980~92 VW Type25 (aka T3 or Vanagon), in conjunction with his own 1968~79 VW Type 2, but I think it involved fitting either one or two additional dashboard switches, which would render it less convenient to use.

Several years ago, at my local car breaker's yard, I came across a black-cased, wiper-delay relay (VW-Audi part No. 431 955 531), with terminals labelled I, 15, 31, 31b, 53c & 53e, fitted to a more modern water-cooled Volkswagen or Audi. The I-terminal, is a 2•8mm blade terminal, whilst all the others, are 6•3mm blade terminals. I similarly came across black-cased, wiper-delay relays, with identical terminal configuration and terminal labels, fitted to 1980s vintage, Vauxhall Astra Mk.1 and Vauxhall Cavalier Mk.2 cars; Vauxhall being the British division of the General Motors Corporation.

I have yet to determine these wiper-delay relays' mode of operation, so don't know whether they could be used in any way, with the 1968~72, 1973~74 & 1975~79 VW Type 2, windscreen-wiper systems. It would be nice if they could, because they are, or were, readily obtainable from car breakers' yards, at quite modest second-hand prices.

The aforementioned Vauxhall cars, also featured a grey-cased, wiper-delay relay, for the rear-window wiper, with terminals labelled I, 15, 31, 53c & 53e, lacking the 31b terminal of the black-cased, wiper-delay relay, but otherwise having an identical terminal configuration. Strangely, the Vauxhall electrical circuit diagrams, refer to a J-terminal, rather than an I-terminal, for both the black-cased and grey-cased, wiper-delay relays, but apart from that, all the terminal labels match perfectly.

Recalling that the modified cross-over-arm, pantograph rear-window wiper, fitted to my 1973 VW Type2, originated from a Vauxhall Astra Mk.1 estate car (i.e. station wagon, in USA parlance), I hope it might be possible to incorporate an intermittent wipe facility, but whether I can use the existing, 1968~72 VW Type2 pattern, dashboard-mounted, double-throw wiper & washer switch, remains to be seen.

As an alternative to fixed-interval, wiper-delay relays, there seems to be a substitute, Bosch variable-interval, wiper-delay relay, called the Easitronic, which was featured in a Britsh, VW magazine (Easitronic Wiper Relay, New Products, VW Motoring, April 1996, page 87). By simply switching the standard intermittent wipers on, off and on again, at the desired time interval, to suit the prevailing conditions, the delay interval can be conveniently set automatically, to between 2 and 45 seconds.

If the precipitation rate keeps varying significantly, then constantly adjusting the delay interval for the front windscreen wipers, could become a major distraction. Hence, it would be preferable to have a system, which monitors the precipitation rate and automatically adjusts the delay interval, as appropriate.

Originally, this facility was only available on luxury cars, as a factory-fitted option, but for the past few years, an after-market, universal system kit, called Rain Tracker™ RT-50 (designed by Rein Teder, managing director of OEDES, in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA), has been available for retro-fitment to almost any vehicle, which can provide a low-current, 12 volt DC supply, to operate the controller.

http://www.raintracker.com

I stumbled upon the Rain Tracker™ website in late-December 2004, whilst researching further windscreen wiper & washer system upgrades, for one of my latent magazine articles and sent an e-mail message to OEDES, informing them of my activities and requesting further information and clarification, to supplement what was documented on the website and seek permission to reproduce some of the illustrations.

Shortly after, I received a reply from Rein Teder, who also arranged to have sent to me, a complementary Rain Tracker™ RT-50 kit, for me to evaluate. I subsequently compiled a comprehensive summary of all the available, relevant information, which was published in the British, Volkswagen Type 2 Owners' Club, bi-monthly magazine "Transporter Talk", as follows:

Nigel A. Skeet, "Rain Tracker™ RT-50, Universal, Rain-Sensing, Automatic, Windscreen-Wiper Controller", Transporter Talk, Issue 77, June 2005, pages 38~43.

Here's some photographs of the OEDES RainTracker™ RT-50 kit, which I shall be retro-fitting, to my British specification, 1973 VW Type 2, Westfalia Continental campervan.

They show:

Packaging with advertising text and images;

Complete kit comprising:

133mm x 68mm x 30mm control module;
45mm x 45mm x 21mm rain sensor with detachable, self-adhesive windscreen coupler;
connection cables;
on/off switch;
various supplementary resistors (for some car marques only – not needed for VW-Audi);
miscellaneous installation hardware;
windscreen cleaner & degreaser (isopropanol impregnated cloth wipe);
window sticker – Rain Tracker™: enjoy the safety of hands-free wipers.

It is said to be a virtually universal kit, which can be retro-fitted to almost any vehicle! From the electrical circuit diagrams provided, it is apparent that incorporataing the Rain Tracker™ into the 1968~79 VW Type 2's (and any other air-cooled VW's) existing windscreen-wiper system, should be a fairly simple, straight forward task.

Unlike vehicles with factory-fitted, rain-sensing windscreen wipers, the rain sensor can be readily removed, in the event of windscreen breakage and afterwards refitted to the replacement windscreen. Although it might be possible to salvage the relatively cheap, magenta coloured, polycarbonate windscreen coupler and simply replace the double-sided adhesive pad, it would be more practical to purchase a replacement coupler, which is available as a separate item.

The Rain Tracker™ operates in tandem with the vehicle's existing windscreen-wiper system, supplementing the standard wiper operating modes, with automatically adjusted, variable-interval wiping, simply by operating the on/off dashboard-switch provided. I normally dislike automatic systems, especially most automatic transmissions, but this should be great boon and significantly contribute to road safety, during inclement weather.

When travelling in mist and fog, vision through the windscreen slowly deteriorates, as minute water droplets are precipitated on the windscreen, giving the impression that the mist or fog is getting thicker. Because the minute water droplets are not individually discernable, one has no visual prompt to momentarily switch the windscreen wipers on and off, or use the flick-wipe facility, if available. Hence, one could drive for several minutes or longer, without realising that just a single wiper sweep, could radically improve visibility. Therefore, the use of intermittent or rain-sensing wipers, are especially important under these circumstances.

For a further discussion, refer to:

Nigel A. Skeet, "Auto Wipers?", Technical Forum, Volkswagen Driver, Issue 62, Volume 6, Number 2, July 2005, p62.

Nigel A. Skeet, "Rain Tracker™ RT­50, Universal, Rain-Sensing, Automatic Windscreen-Wiper Controller", Transporter Talk, Issue 77, June 2005, pp38~43.

http://www.vwbeetle.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=149

I'm really looking forward to properly road testing, my upgraded, rain-sensing windscreen wipers, when I finally get my 1973 VW Type 2 Westfalia Continental campervan back into service!

**************************************************************************************************************************

There are other after-market, intermittent windscreen-wiper controllers; one of which is discussed in the following thread:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=3088834#3088834
_________________
Regards.

Nigel A. Skeet

Independent tutor (semi-retired) of mathematics, physics, technology & engineering for secondary, tertiary, further & higher education.

Much modified, RHD 1973 VW "1600" Type 2 Westfalia Continental campervan, with the World's only decent, cross-over-arm, SWF pantograph rear-window wiper

Onetime member, plus former Technical Editor & Editor of Transporter Talk magazine
Volkswagen Type 2 Owners' Club (Great Britain)

http://www.vwt2oc.net

[qxeuxsh]

I like this

[NASkeet]

This picture of David Taylor's, German registered, LHD, 1978 VW 1600 Type 2, panel-van based campervan, with full Westfalia interior, was originally featured as follows:

"David, Petra & Sarah Taylor Type 2 Campervan (1978)", Daily Drivers, VW Motoring, October 1997, page 72.

As one can see, there is a rear-window wiper of some description, but I don't know whether it's a universal accessory product or has been salvaged from some donor vehicle. Judging from the wiper's geometry, it's questionable whether it sweeps a significant area of the rear window.

Apart from my own cross-over-arm, pantograph rear-window wiper, adapted from an early-to-mid-1980s, Vauxhall Astra Mk. 1 estate car, I have only ever seen one other 1968~79 VW Type 2, equipped with any form of rear-window wiper, which was of the direct-drive type, whose wiper spindle passed through the bodywork bulge below the rear-window glass and the drive-motor was visible inside, protruding from inside the rear hatch.

Naturally, I am extremely biased, but I truly believe my rear-window wiper to be more effective and more elegant, than either of these! You judge for yourselves.

Regards.

Nigel A. Skeet
_________________
Regards.

Nigel A. Skeet

Independent tutor (semi-retired) of mathematics, physics, technology & engineering for secondary, tertiary, further & higher education.

Much modified, RHD 1973 VW "1600" Type 2 Westfalia Continental campervan, with the World's only decent, cross-over-arm, SWF pantograph rear-window wiper

Onetime member, plus former Technical Editor & Editor of Transporter Talk magazine
Volkswagen Type 2 Owners' Club (Great Britain)

http://www.vwt2oc.net

[vwbusbusvw]

[chrisradioman]

If the guy bores you don't read his posts! I myself think the more info the better.
_________________
http://www.vintagevwweddings.co.uk/contact.html