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Rain Sensing wipers

Discussion in 'Model X' started by bikeandsail, Oct 27, 2018.

  1. bikeandsail

    bikeandsail Member

    Joined:
    Dec 23, 2013
    Messages:
    331
    Location:
    United States, NE Ohio
    Over time, since they started working, my rain sensing wipers have worked sometimes and not others. Sometimes pretty well sometimes terrible. My current software is 2018.39.6. On my previous car, Lexus RX 400h they worked well the entire 235,000 miles I owned the car. They are now not working at all on my 2017 Model X.

    It is time for Tesla to give up on trying to get "cameras" to do what every other car company does with dedicated sensors. IE Install a dedicated rain sensor on all new cars.

    I suspect every time Tesla updates the software that it screws up the code for the wipers and they are wasting huge amounts of engineering talent ($) to have to get them to work again all to save about $10 per car.
     
  2. SR22pilot

    SR22pilot Member

    Joined:
    Jun 16, 2014
    Messages:
    720
    Location:
    Georgia
    Yesterday, mine started off not working well but by a half mile we’re doing a great job. Last nig, however, they had trouble with mist. They wouldn’t wipe even though the windshield was getting covered in a heavy mist.
     
  3. Derek Kessler

    Derek Kessler Active Member

    Joined:
    Apr 15, 2016
    Messages:
    1,193
    Location:
    Cincinnati
    It's not about saving money. The whole thought process was that the car has to be about to tell when the Autopilot cameras are occluded. Could they have accomplished that in conjunction with a traditional IR sensor? Absolutely. Probably should have. But they went with the "we'll do it the yard way because we'll have to do it that way eventually anyway" route instead.
     
  4. Christine600

    Christine600 Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Oct 19, 2018
    Messages:
    1,114
    Location:
    Scandiwegian
    Upgraded from a Merc and the wiper logic is the only thing I'm missing.
     
  5. eml2

    eml2 Member

    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2017
    Messages:
    252
    Location:
    Massachusetts
    Since it is using a camera (i.e. visible light) to determine the "wetness" on the windshield, it probably works well during daytime but not so at night.
     
  6. ek993

    ek993 Member

    Joined:
    Jun 19, 2018
    Messages:
    238
    Location:
    CT
    The rain sensing function is honestly abysmal, along with the wipers themselves which do an incredibly poor job of clearing water.
     
  7. Derek Kessler

    Derek Kessler Active Member

    Joined:
    Apr 15, 2016
    Messages:
    1,193
    Location:
    Cincinnati
    This is accurate. If there are streetlights or headlights to illuminate the water on the windshield it'll fire the wipers, but otherwise if it can see the lines and other cars it won't bother. It can be a bit unnerving.
     
  8. chdavis

    chdavis Member

    Joined:
    Nov 7, 2017
    Messages:
    234
    Location:
    Monaco, Philadelphia, Bogotá
    Mine are horrible as well. If it’s regular rain fall with good lighting they’re barely marginal. If it’s mist or inconsistent rain, they’re useless. Quite a shame.
     
  9. Screwbal

    Screwbal Member

    Joined:
    Oct 14, 2015
    Messages:
    212
    Location:
    Washington, USA
    Make sure to keep giving feedback. My $.02 is that the software sensor trigger is maybe the same as the S and 3 however with the large windscreen on the X and the longer slope it means the driver has more surface area and softer angle to look through. This means the driver sees much more water but the camera doesn't and that is why the X is so bad. IMO the windshield to camera visibility area ratio is so off the X should trigger when the camera sees a single drop or something very close to that.
     
  10. Uncle Paul

    Uncle Paul Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 1, 2013
    Messages:
    6,105
    Location:
    Canyon Lake,CA
    Seems to be a work in process.

    Car originally came with no automatic wipers.
    Then they magically appeared with an OTA update.
    Then they got quite a bit better.
    Then they got a little better still.

    I have a fall back. When they do not work up to my expectations I take control and manipulate them by myself with the stalk...no biggie.

    (and yes I know that some cheapie cars have auto wipers standard, and that in some other cars you need to purchase an expensive package to get them.

    I trust they will continue to get better over time.

    Mean while I really enjoy my Tesla, marginal automatic wipers and all.
     
    • Like x 2
  11. mknox

    mknox Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 7, 2012
    Messages:
    10,103
    Location:
    Toronto, ON
    Since 2012! My original Model S (with dedicated sensor) was abysmal and so is my new X with the camera based system. Not sure why Tesla can't get this right.
     

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