How well do your headlight washers work? I have a 2014 JGC Limited with the HiD headlights. They really get gunked up and I never see the washers activate or any evidence they are working. Tomorrow I'll try to get a helper to operate the windshield washer a few times and see if it activates. On our Volvo, the headlight washers give off a healthy spray that does some good and is readily visible from inside the car... Just curious if anyone else has investigated or noticed how well they work. The salt on my headlights tonight really diminished my light output which is a safety concern.
Thanks. Based on the feed back, I looked more closely at the "door" and it was just a snap in cover for where the washers would be. Oh well, I clearly misunderstood the dealer - as I thought they came with the HID headlights.
Rag I keep under the driver seat and some snow.
OMG my wife had a Fuego when we were dating. Car was a POS. I helped her replace it before we got married with a Nissan. Dealer said, " What am I going to do with a f**king Fuego?".
It may be a legal requirement in some European countries or Australian ones. I know the HID leveling system is required for any new cars with HIDs in many countries outside the USA, maybe the washer system is required by some too, so all exports with HIDs get it.
Sorry to bump an old thread, but to clear up confusion, this is absolutely correct. In EU countries (looks like AUS as well), any vehicle equipped with HID lights must come with an auto level system and headlight washers. This is so vehicles with high loads in the back don't blind oncoming drivers, and vehicles with dirty headlights don't diffuse the light throwing it everywhere.
This is why most EU cars in the US have headlight washers as they don't want to have a US version and an EU version. However, any US vehicle that is sold there must have this. So for US automakers that sell in EU, there will always be an 'export model' unless they offer those features across the board.
This is the same as the side turn signal marker that is required in EU...many US automakers are just adopting that as standard instead of having a special export version to accommodate this EU law.
I asked about this in one of the forums before we got our Overland, but haven't seen anyone actually retrofit a Grand Cherokee with the headlight washer system. I REALLY wish that we could have gotten headlamp washers with the Overland and I am still looking into retrofitting them. I did look into it, and the hardware isn't a problem (reservoir, pump, plumbing, wiring, etc.) other than the headlights themselves, but I have a feeling that enabling them in the TIPM will be an issue.
Twice so far I have had to pull over in bad weather to clean ice and crap off of the headlights because the lights were fully covered to the point that they were ineffective. HIDs just don't put out enough heat to melt ice on the new headlights, like halogens did. I don't understand why the only way to get headlight washers on a vehicle like this is to get the Summit package. In my opinion, they should have at least have been offered in a cold weather package, or something... After having them on my last two cars (Audi A6, Porsche Boxster S), I consider the headlight washers a safety item. In Europe they are mandated on all cars with HID headlights.
I assume that most people don't care about headlight washers, but we drive ours a fair amount in the mountains in winter, and they really make a difference. Until you have had them, you don't know what you are missing.
Road Salt + Road Salt + Road Salt = Washing Headlights.
Slush Spray + Slush Spray + Slush Spray = Washing Headlights.
During the day it is less of a problem unless you are in the storm and the back county. However, at night time it is a problem. Especially for those like me do a lot driving at that time.
I never had them before and I am used to my method of keeping a spray bottle with windshield fluid it with the paper towels for cleaning. But, their a times when you simply can not get out of your vehicle and clean the headlights and that is were the built-in system comes in.
Best for now.
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