plumazul
Member
??? So you think Teslas will never drive themselves? (Or that it's idiotic to do so?)
-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
MASTER THREAD: Auto Wiper issues
- Thread starter merlin337
- Start date
??? So you think Teslas will never drive themselves? (Or that it's idiotic to do so?)
It's not garbage at all. I used it a ton on my STI, and it was pretty incredible how I could drive on the highway with the rain rolling off, and never even need to have the wipers on a lot of the time.
I didn't use it on my STI and instead just kept my glass clean. Rain rolls off at speed regardless, but Rain-X hazes and streaks, builds up on wipers. It's garbage.
Did you not read my reply? What I said was if there are "variances" that cause the neural net in each car to need its own special training to classify objects, how do you think they'll ever solve self driving. The claim that "variances" could make the vision neural net not classify rain drops is entirely wrong and ignores how the car works on a fundamental basis.
As for whether a Tesla will drive itself? I don't think anybody will ever have Level 5 autonomy. Level 3? We can probably build a system capable of that given enough time.
IDK about the manual but regarding the efficacy of rain-x in general, you don't know what the hell you are talking about. I see you are in New Hampshire, so maybe that explains it. In South Florida, rain isn't some annoying mist or light droplets like in New England. It is often a torrential downpour that turns your windshield into a blurry lake. Rain-X is basically the only way to drive on the highway during a storm down here.
anecdotally, but also objectively, when I set wipers on auto, I rarely have to manually wipe these days. Here in New England, I get a wide range of rainy conditions, from light mist to torrential downpours. I don't see a difference in this current firmware over the last 5 or 10, but compared to when I first got the car (Mar 2018), it definitely has improved a lot.
I also use rain-x despite the manual. This is because I've used it in past cars and am very happy with how it works. Not sure why some people get the streaking. The water rolls right off once you pick up a bit of speed. That said, I've also let the rain-x wear off on the 3, and the auto-wipers behave about the same. So I'm not ready to say that rain-x makes the auto-wipers better.
I also use rain-x despite the manual. This is because I've used it in past cars and am very happy with how it works. Not sure why some people get the streaking. The water rolls right off once you pick up a bit of speed. That said, I've also let the rain-x wear off on the 3, and the auto-wipers behave about the same. So I'm not ready to say that rain-x makes the auto-wipers better.
I'm in NH and the rain-x is great for the afternoon sh*tstorms in the summer. I grew up in GA. The rain conditions in the summer are very similar all along the eastern seaboard, even way up here in New England. Not sure why others have such poor experiences with rain-x. Misapplication or something?
Fossil Fool
Member
Used the wipers for the first time (I'm in dry Arizona) went from sprinkles to full-out gully washer monsoon storm. I wasn't aware there was a problem with the auto wipers. They worked just like the ones in my Mercedes.
In my experience, you get the streaking with rain-x when you don't apply it correctly and/or don't polish it properly. Reading the instructions:
1- Thoroughly clean and dry the window
2-Apply first coat and wait until it hazes
3-Apply second coat and wait until that hazes
4- Polish off the haze
5- Wait a few minutes and polish again with a new clean cloth
YMMV, but it works amazingly well for me, although the first time I used it, I just applied it and rubbed it in and thought I was done ... and yup, terrible streaks and haze on the window the first time it rained ...
1- Thoroughly clean and dry the window
2-Apply first coat and wait until it hazes
3-Apply second coat and wait until that hazes
4- Polish off the haze
5- Wait a few minutes and polish again with a new clean cloth
YMMV, but it works amazingly well for me, although the first time I used it, I just applied it and rubbed it in and thought I was done ... and yup, terrible streaks and haze on the window the first time it rained ...
Rain-X's own documentation tells you why. Because you need to remove it and re-apply regularly. Adding the solution to washer fluid means constant improper application, and since most users don't read instructions regardless of the product, they also never strip old Rain-X off.
Silicon Desert
Well-Known Member
Well maybe you are better a noticing these things than I am. First time I've seen a post like this and I am on here a lot. I guess there are a bunch other posts, but I don't go looking for them.
Having said that, my wipers have worked great for several updates so I'm not sure there are any new wonderful improvements. but hey, it's great to have a car that can get better with many of its systems instead of all the other cars out there right now that once driven off the lot, they never improve with updates. The wipers on my wife's Toyota get me upset every time it rains and they can't be updated.
Silicon Desert
Well-Known Member
Ok, sounds like you have a better idea. Go patent it and create one. Yea, I am being a little bit sarcastic
because my Tesla idiotic designed wipers are working fabulously on all my trips across the US.
Last edited:
I agree. I used to use RainX, and it was amazing in thunderstorms. Made driving much safer.
Earlier this year, they were sh!t. The software has gotten much better including at night. Be thankful you never got to experience the alpha version they initially put out.
Ok, sounds like you have a better idea. Go patent it and create one. Yea, I am being a bit sarcastic
I don't need to, an existing design is already available. It uses a series of IR emitter/collector to detect the difference between received light when the windscreen is clear versus has rain drops on it.
There's an old adage- To the man holding a hammer, everything is a nail. This is exactly what happened at Tesla. They had a neural net that was detecting and classifying objects, so they decided to use that rather than the commonly used existing device. Then, without a shred of irony during the autonomy investor day, Elon brought this up when someone asked if they could use the NN to detect and classify some other thing that was unnecessary. He said that it would be a waste of computational resources. And yet, here we are, with the vision system attempting to be trained for everything that could every be a droplet of water on a windscreen.
I suspect the lack of understanding of what training a NN entails is the biggest reason people accept that this is a good idea.
Silicon Desert
Well-Known Member
yup, agree there are some better concepts for wipers. Just saying for me, the Tesla wipers are working really great and I never have to touch them, so something in the design is working. A bit puzzled as to why some others have trouble as I travel all over the US in rain and snow and so far no issues. I hope it doesn't change.
I can tell you that where I am, at night, with the lack of street lights and dark highways, the NN does a poor job detecting rain at all unless there's extra illumination from oncoming traffic, tail lights I'm following, or my headlights reflect on the back of a large vehicle. During the day, they're good enough. I've attached a night time image of what my windscreen typically looks like. The wipers kicked in 2-3 seconds after this picture was taken, but well after my vision was obscured to the point of being uncomfortable.
None of this would matter if I didn't need to navigate a touch screen to change wiper frequency.
Silicon Desert
Well-Known Member
hmmm, do you mean you are not able to change the wiper manually with the stalk? If I need to change it, that's where I do it, but rarely if ever touch it. Is there something different about your car than my 2016 X?
mtndrew1
Active Member
Model 3 only has wiper controls on the touchscreen. The only exception is the single-wipe button on the end of the turn signal stalk.
Silicon Desert
Well-Known Member
oh crap, that is a real bummer.
I don't have a 3 and wasn't aware of that. Now I am wondering if it is the only new car on the market that doesn't have adjustable wiper speeds on a stalk ?
WilliamG
Hinge Fanatic
I’d request service. I drive in those conditions all the time in Seattle and on unlit sections outside Seattle and do not have this problem.
If you tap the button on the stalk, the menu pops up at the bottom left corner of the screen. Very easy and no big deal. Still think it's a silly thing to get worked up over. I get that it's different but almost everything is different & controlled by the touchscreen on this car. Once you figure it out, it's just a change and not better or worse.oh crap, that is a real bummer.
Similar threads
- Article
