[toastmybagel]

Hey all,

The other day I noticed that my wiper fluid pump was no longer working. I got a bit of fluid to come out after trying the lever a couple of times but the fluid did not come out of the jets that are attached to the hood of the car. I figured that this meant there was some sort of blockage, but then I noticed that I don't hear the pump's distinct "hum".

I have seen on some of the f30 forums that there is a fuse that works for both the headlight wipers (not included on my car) and the windshield wipers. Attached is a photo of my fuse diagram (actually I pulled it from another forum post, but it's the same thing) that shows a car on a lift. Does this mean that I have to take my car to the shop just to get the fuse checked out? or is it BMW's way of telling me I shouldn't tackle this project on my own? I have found a DIY for the pump and reservoir replacement online, but the pump itself is proving hard to find.

It isn't the end of the world if I have to take it to a local shop, but I have been enjoying working on my own car. If anything I can live without the sprayers for the time being.

Any advice or knowledge would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers!

[toastmybagel]

Kindly bumping this

[123Britt]

The silicone in Rain-X products have been know to make this fail.
.
.
Easy job to replace the pump yourself.
.
I installed a Continental Pump for $17 vs the $60 BMW OEM

[Kernel Kurtz]

Originally Posted by 123Britt

The silicone in Rain-X products have been know to make this fail.
.
.
Easy job to replace the pump yourself.
.
I installed a Continental Pump for $17 vs the $60 BMW OEM

That is interesting, as I have been using Rain-X in all my BMWs and have not had an issue.

[toastmybagel]

Originally Posted by 123Britt

The silicone in Rain-X products have been know to make this fail.
.
.
Easy job to replace the pump yourself.
.
I installed a Continental Pump for $17 vs the $60 BMW OEM

I did hear that Rain-X can cause some issues with the pump and the sprayers themselves. Would you be able to link the part number to the pump that you ended up using? I can't find it on any of my usual sites.

Cheers!

[dradernh]

For many years, I've been applying Aquapel around once a year to cars kept inside and every 9 months or so to those parked outside. It's worked well for me. I've had 2-4 vehicles at a time and have just used the last of a 64-unit Aquapel order I placed in 2010.

I went with Aquapel as I'd heard the original Rain-X spray-on aerosol was a better water repellent but didn't last as long. That was well over a decade ago, though, so things are probably different now.

[123Britt]

OEM vs Conti

[msej449]

@toastmybagel Unfortunately, you may have hit the notorious 'gunge' problem in the 2 Series and some 3 Series screenwash systems. There are loads of threads on this, but the final analysis is that the 2 Series screenwash system is particularly prone to 'gunging' and motor failure if you use anything other than BMW washer concentrate and /or you use additives like Rain-X.

Some people think it's all a BMW conspiracy to get us to buy their screenwash concentrate. Yes, it does cost about 2x the price of garage concentrate when diluted to the same level, but this only amounts to about +$15/year, or even less if you use the BMW 5L concentrate bottles. But there is so much posted on this on UK and US forums that it's unlikely to be an urban myth - just too many people report the problem for it to be just chance.

So whatever you do to rectify it, once it's sorted, if you want to put the issue to bed, just buy the BMW 5L concentrate and use that plus (a) don't add anything else and (b) pre-mix it to the required dilution before topping-up. Plus make sure the existing setup is completely flushed through and pumping clear water to the jets at the expected pressure. And as mentioned, you can obviously use solutions based on chemicals applied directly to the glass, as opposed to screenwash additives.

You will find plenty of people who say that it's all a fiction and they have happily used 3rd-party screen wash concentrates and additives with no issues for years. I don't doubt that's so. This only seems to affect a minority of cars but it's a significant minority, given the feedback. And it's reinforced by the clear warning in your Owners Manual telling you not to mix BMW and non-BMW screenwash. So it's up to you, really, to make the judgement of whether an extra $10-$15/year for the BMW concentrate is worth it to obviate another fault and its rectification, or whether you are happy to risk it and continue to use 3rd-party stuff and/or additives.

[aerobod]

Originally Posted by msej449

@toastmybagel Unfortunately, you seem to have hit the notorious 'gunge' problem in the 2 Series and some 3 Series screenwash systems. There are loads of threads on this, but the final analysis is that the 2 Series screenwash system is particularly prone to gunging and motor failure if you use any other than BMW washer concentrate and /or you use additives like Rain-X.

Some people think it's all a BMW conspiracy to get us to buy their screenwash concentrate. Yes, it does cost about 2x the price of garage concentrate when diluted to the same level, but this only amounts to about +$15/year, or even less if you use the BMW 5L concentrate bottles. But there is so much posted on this on UK and US forums that it's unlikely to be an urban myth - just too many people report the problem for it to be just chance.

So whatever you do to rectify it, once it's sorted, if you want to put the issue to bed, just buy the BMW 5L concentrate and use that plus (a) don't add anything else and (b) pre-mix it to the required dilution before topping-up. Plus make sure the existing setup is completely flushed through and pumping clear water to the jets at the expected pressure. And as mentioned, you can obviously use solutions based on chemicals applied directly to the glass, as opposed to screenwash additives.

You will find plenty of people who say that it's all a fiction and they have happily used 3rd-party screen wash concentrates and additives with no issues for years. I don't doubt that's so. So it's up to you, really, to make the judgement of whether an extra $10-$15/year for the BMW concentrate is worth it to obviate another fault and its rectification, or whether you are happy to risk it and continue to use 3rd-party stuff and/or additives.

This is actually not just a BMW problem, it is a problem with screen washes that have additives for water beading or similar treatment of the windshield/windscreen. All car manufacturers can have this problem. Just using a screen wash from any reputable source that doesn't have anything in it other than ethanol/methanol, a proportion of water to set the freeze point, a small amount of detergent and a dye to warn people not to drink it, will work fine.

Rain-X in the past has had problems in coating fluid level sensors and clogging nozzles due to the additive that is used to coat the windscreen, across many makes of vehicle. BMW fluid is a great choice unless you live in a really cold climate, where it could freeze solid below it's rated -30C and split the washer reservoir and pump open (hence the availability of fluids that are rated down to -49C in the Canadian market).

[msej449]

Yes, I forgot about the -30°C issue, where even the BMW concentrate isn't concentrated enough.

Also, for owners in hotter more humid locations, there seems to be a potential issue with similar symptoms but a different cause, namely algae (or similar). This is where the 'gunging' is caused by algae/microorganisms that love the warm humid conditions where cars are parked in hot garages and not used that much, so they have the ideal conditions to multiply.

I vaguely recall someone on a related thread mentioning that you can get anti-microbial tablets to put into your screenwash to stop this, if you live in such a climate.