FSD automatically cleans clean windshield.

[Minninips]

I figured I'd post here in case anyone else has had a similar issue.

I have a 2019 Long Range Model 3 with HW3.0. I've had FSD beta since 10/2021.

I've had a problem where the car automatically cleans the windshield even though the windshield is clean while FSD is engaged. This issue has continued over multiple software releases and there's no specific situation where it always happens. I can be at a light on a cloudy or sunny day and the car cleans the windshield, then at the next light it does the same thing.

When I was at service having my roof glass replaced, they looked into it and cleaned under the front facing camera housing. They told me they pulled logs (I bug reported and had specific times, etc) and told me the logs looked fine. The literal first light I stopped at, FSD auto cleaned the windshield. I turned around and went back to the service center and they created a new service appointment, which was then closed a month later as "we couldn't find anything in the logs... it's a software issue". I opened a new ticket at a different service center because I felt that if it was a software issue, more people would be reporting the issue and it would not (possibly?) continue over multiple software revisions.

My car is currently in service and from what they're telling me, they're trying to identify the issue. The quote I approved before the appointment is for a camera replacement, so at the moment I'm unsure what is or isn't being done.

Just curious if anyone has run into a similar issue. TIA!

 

[Minninips]

Figured I'd update this in case anyone comes across it in the future. Looks like I will continue living with this "feature".

Car was dropped off for service Monday (8:15am) and service was completed Friday at 9ish am. Teslafi shows the car didn't move from where I parked it at the service center until Thursday afternoon and it was from the parking space to inside the service center, then back out after 2 hours. When I was called at EOD Thursday, the advisor informed me that they wanted the shop foreman to check the car out, but had left early for the day, so it wasn't ready yet. Ultimately I'm unsure if anything was done, but the invoice has the following:

Inspected triple camera area from outside of vehicle and found to be clear. Performed camera image capture and found image to be clear. Removed triple camera and inspected, found camera lens to be clean. Tested windshield wipers and verified proper operation. Note - Autowiper function is in beta and improvements will be implemented in future firmware updates.

Correction: Remote Diagnosis

Inspected triple camera area from outside of vehicle and found to be clear. Performed camera image capture and found image to be clear. Removed triple camera and inspected, found camera lens to be clean. Tested windshield wipers and verified proper operation. Note - Autowiper function is in beta and improvements will be implemented in future firmware updates.

Correction: General Diagnosis

Correction: Vehicle Cleaning - General

 

[cobra]

Seems like they did all the right things... You don't mention, do you have any glass coatings? RainX or other applied? No other ideas, although our X has done the 'I feel like cleaning the window' once in a while. It's not very frequent though, and seems to do it a couple times one day and then stops. Any heavy insect activity in your area?

 

[nvx1977]

An unnecessary cleaning has happened to me once, and I've been on FSD beta since Oct (10.2) as well. It was also when I was stopped at a red light. I think your service center did all the right things, and there's likely no hardware problem. It's likely just FSDbeta getting confused somehow and thinking it might be due to a visibility issue. Higher prevalance when stopped at lights maybe?

 

[Phlier]

An unnecessary cleaning has happened to me once, and I've been on FSD beta since Oct (10.2) as well. It was also when I was stopped at a red light. I think your service center did all the right things, and there's likely no hardware problem. It's likely just FSDbeta getting confused somehow and thinking it might be due to a visibility issue. Higher prevalance when stopped at lights maybe?

You know I love ya like a brother, Novox, but I'm gonna gently disagree with you here.

There is the possibility that it's a camera problem.

You know how you get dead/stuck pixels on LCD screens? A similar thing can happen in a camera, which can cause the "cleaning your windshield" feature to trip.

I can't remember if it was on this forum or another, but there have been reports of guys/gals getting this issue fixed by having a new triple camera assembly installed. The problem is that typically the camera won't be bad enough to generate any faults in the logs, but it will be bad enough to trigger annoyance cleaning events.

Since the problem hasn't been fixed by cleaning the lenses and windshield, I'd be willing to bet (your ) money that there's at least one weak/dead "pixel" in at least one of the cameras.

But since Tesla will only fix things that actually show up in their diagnostics, the chances of getting them to replace the thing, while not being zero, are as close to zero as you can get.

I gotta say that I find Tesla's "oh, it's in spec," "Oh, that'll be fixed in a future software version," etc. crutches/excuses really twist my undies.

Give the guy a new camera assembly already, and quit making excuses. Wow, I'm grumpy today.

 

[nvx1977]

You know I love ya like a brother, Novox, but I'm gonna gently disagree with you here.

There is the possibility that it's a camera problem.

You know how you get dead/stuck pixels on LCD screens? A similar thing can happen in a camera, which can cause the "cleaning your windshield" feature to trip.

I can't remember if it was on this forum or another, but there have been reports of guys/gals getting this issue fixed by having a new triple camera assembly installed. The problem is that typically the camera won't be bad enough to generate any faults in the logs, but it will be bad enough to trigger annoyance cleaning events.

Since the problem hasn't been fixed by cleaning the lenses and windshield, I'd be willing to bet (your ) money that there's at least one weak/dead "pixel" in at least one of the cameras.

But since Tesla will only fix things that actually show up in their diagnostics, the chances of getting them to replace the thing, while not being zero, are as close to zero as you can get.

I gotta say that I find Tesla's "oh, it's in spec," "Oh, that'll be fixed in a future software version," etc. crutches/excuses really twist my undies.

Give the guy a new camera assembly already, and quit making excuses. Wow, I'm grumpy today.

I just assumed that since the SC took an image from the camera, they would have checked for faulty pixels.

 

[Phlier]

I just assumed that since the SC took an image from the camera, they would have checked for faulty pixels.

Yeah, and to be totally fair to them, they would have to look extremely closely at the images to find single bad pixels.

 

[Minninips]

Since the problem hasn't been fixed by cleaning the lenses and windshield, I'd be willing to bet (your ) money that there's at least one weak/dead "pixel" in at least one of the cameras.

But since Tesla will only fix things that actually show up in their diagnostics, the chances of getting them to replace the thing, while not being zero, are as close to zero as you can get.

I gotta say that I find Tesla's "oh, it's in spec," "Oh, that'll be fixed in a future software version," etc. crutches/excuses really twist my undies.

The invoice I originally approved had the triple camera being replaced. Final invoice did not show replacement and SA confirmed nothing was replaced.

I agree 100% regarding a future software fix. Back in around early 2020 I complained that my rear vents blow hot air (heat) when the fronts were cool AC and temp set to like 70* AC (Los Angeles). I had found others with the issue in early 2019. I was told it was a known issue and would be fixed in a future software version. That I can live with, but having an issue with FSD/cameras is much more concerning to me. I've been told it's fine, so I have to live with it too.

 

[j0shm1lls]

Its guaranteed that the morning after I wash my M3P, when I'm driving to work on FSD Beta it has to F#$% up my clean car. Every. Single. Time.

 

[LowlyOilBurner]

Its guaranteed that the morning after I wash my M3P, when I'm driving to work on FSD Beta it has to F#$% up my clean car. Every. Single. Time.

Yeah, every time I go through a car wash, first stop light I get to, it cleans the windshield.

 

[JulienW]

Mine cleans the windshield fairly (too) often when it's not needed/wanted.

 

[nvx1977]

Yeah, every time I go through a car wash, first stop light I get to, it cleans the windshield.

this almost seems like the detection algorithm is just looking at an absolute change in visibility, even when it goes from worse to better

If that's the case, the issue is likely more software-related than hardware.

I wash my car often (through touchless bays) and I have yet to get a phantom wipe. I do manually use my wipers after exiting the bay to clear the residual water drops though.

 

[boonedocks]

Ditto to two posts above.

2021 LR Model S. After every car wash PRISTINELY clean car and windshield and dry….my car does an extended windshield cleaning cycle and literally runs the cycle 2-3 times and usually at the fist stop light

 

[Phlier]

Man, you guys are killin' me.

I've literally never had FSD clean my windshield once.

Now I'm about to go get my windshield dirty just to see if mine is working right!

 

[boonedocks]

Man, you guys are killin' me.

I've literally never had FSD clean my windshield once.

Now I'm about to go get my windshield dirty just to see if mine is working right!

Get a car wash ….it’ll work perfectly

 

[Dewg]

Get a car wash ….it’ll work perfectly

So don't run FSD immediately after a car wash. Let the sensors dry out so it doesn't think the windshield is wet. I find it only takes a few mins in the sun or at speed.

 

[cobra]

So don't run FSD immediately after a car wash. Let the sensors dry out so it doesn't think the windshield is wet. I find it only takes a few mins in the sun or at speed.

Depends on the model/year. Some are vision only and supposedly some now have a water sensor?

 

[JulienW]

Depends on the model/year. Some are vision only and supposedly some now have a water sensor?

Source of this info and which models/years with HW3 have rain sensors?

 

[cobra]

Source of this info and which models/years with HW3 have rain sensors?

Read it here, so "this forum". My understanding is that our model does not have a rain sensor and is vision only.

 

[cobra]

I was going to say 'search is your friend', but in this case, I'm not so sure.
Rain and light sensor issue
This thread is not what I remember, and someone even proposes the car uses a vibration detecting sensor for rain. I don't think I believe much of this...

Was your comment @JulienW, suggesting that AP2 and forward cars are all vision only for rain sensing? I must have remembered incorrectly. I thought the sensor had been added to newer models, not removed...