How do they work? How do I know if i have them? I read the OM and it does not mention them.


Tom

 

I have them on my 99. I must say that they are very cool. I ordered them because the dealer said that it would put the top up if it rains. Needless to say, all it does is turn on the wipers. Anyway, even just turning on the wipers is cool.... BUT... it has basically never worked since day one. The equipment seems to work well now, although the controller had to be replaced. The problem is the sensor. It does not bond well to the windshield. It uses a clear double sided sticky tape which does not hold well. If you hold it in place, it seems to work well. The dealer has replaced it a few times and it works well for a month or two and then starts falling off. Not sure what they charge for it, but it is probably worth $300 if you can get the sensor to stay in place.

 

The rain sensor functions according to an optical principle. It is fastened to the inner side of the windshield near the interior mirror and mounted in the swept area of the windshield wiper. The rain intensity is measured with infrared light, and the windshield wiper pause intervals are controlled automatically.

From the Porsche brochure:
"Benefits of the rain sensor:
- If there is a sudden increase of rainfall or if there is varying rain intensity, the reaction time of the rain sensor is much shorter than that typical of a driver.

- The wiper blades are not activated on a dry windshield, thereby avoiding increased wear.

- When activated, the interval wiping occurs automatically, eliminating the need to manually switch the interval wipers on and off. This results in one less task for the driver, thereby creating increased passive safety."

Actually, you can buy the kit for under $200 from board sponsors Carnewal.com or Suncoast Porsche. Installation is not very hard about 30 minutes I think.

 

So the only way i would know if i had them would be if i had the sensor? The dealer told me i had them, i just get the car, and the wiper controls work the same as my 993. So i guess i dont have them?

 

If the wiper control "arm" is already down into the "time interval position as you start thye engine then it will be in the time interval mode. If you move it into the time interval position after you start the engine then it will be in the rain sensor mode, if you have rain sensing.

I drove my 01 about 180 miles yesterday, to Bellingham WA and back, in varying degrees/levels of rainfall and I was very pleased with the systems responsiveness.

 

The rain sensor is mounted near the rear view mirror (see pic).

 

rain sensor is the only option on a porsche that's both very useful and cheap!

get it!