Intensive Wash

[Japandrew73]

When the intensive wash button is pressed, what series of events should take place?

mine goes:

Intensive Fluid is sprayed onto windscreen
Windscreen wipers are actuated
cleaning fluid is sprayed onto headlights
headlight wipers are actuated

is this correctly functioning?

I've heard it goes like this

Intensive Fluid is sprayed onto windscreen
Windscreen wipers are actuated
cleaning fluid is sprayed onto windscreen
cleaning fluid is sprayed onto headlights
headlight wipers are actuated

[Japandrew73]

anybody?

[Brianmoooore]

What yours is doing sounds right to me!
Headlight washers are solely controlled by one of the headlamp wiper motors, so the washers can only ever work after the wipers have started.

[android]

Where is the intensive wash button then?

Is that what the second tank is in the engine bay, full of blue stuff that never seems to get used? I had assumed that it was screen additive and added automatically, except it never seems to empty.

As usual, should have RTFM

[Brianmoooore]

Intensive wash is pushing in the end of the wipe/wash stalk, straight inwards towards the column.
If you've never found it, the chances are that some bodger has replaced the column switch at some time with an ordinary one.

[android]

No, its there. I went out at lunch and had a play. 6 years I've owned the thing and didnt know !

I pressed it and drained my big washer tank in about 20 seconds of continuous operation. My small washer tank doesnt seem to work at all. What is the small tank for ? is it on all acrs or just 325 SE s ?

Is it for the headlamp wash , (but then i've taken off the headlamp wipers and their motors), and the water jet dont seem to work. Or has the motor packed up. Brian Moores answer seems to indicate that if the wiper motors arent on, then no fluid will go that way anyway.

Sorry for hijacking Japandrews thread. I hope you dont mind too much.

[Brianmoooore]

The small tank contains a special concentrate (from BMW) that is sprayed onto the windscreen only, in an automated wash/wipe sequence when the end of the stalk is pushed in.
It's main use is for cleaning up the screen quickly when it starts to rain after a long dry spell.
Whereas owners of 'other makes' have to repeatably use the screen washers and wipers to soften up the baked on dirt and grease and remove it, it just takes a few seconds for this system to clear the screen.
Intensive wash has nothing directly to do with the headlamp wash/wipe system, although they both come as part of the same package.

[terryphelan]

I never knew this, owned the car for 18 months and never sampled the delights.
I'm going straight home this evening to get in 18 months worth of intensive wash.

[android]

Thanks Brian

It must be clogged up then, as I didnt know how to use it for all this time. Should be nice and easy to solve !

Unlike most jobs.

Dave

[Japandrew73]

speaking of intensive wash, on the stalk there is the "S" button, any idea what the "S" stands for?

Soak?
Superwash?
Superspray?
Spray?

[Pitads]

Sorry to drag this thread up again but i'm having a few problems with mine. When i push the end of the stalk in i get the 20 second burst of water this also happens when i pull the stalk towards me. Never used to do this. Any help would be appreciated

[Brianmoooore]

There's no timer on the function when the stalk is pulled towards you. The washer pump should only operate while the stalk is pulled, and stop immediately when it's released, although the wipers will automatically go on longer.
Is it the same pump motor that operates when you pull the stalk as the one that runs when you push the stalk end in?
Pushing the stalk end in should work the pump in the smaller front tank, whereas pulling the stalk towards you should operate the pump in the larger rear tank, nearest the engine.