Windshield-Wiper 'Service Position' Explained - Car and Driver

We wipe away the confusion surrounding wiper blades that won't seem to lift beyond the hood. Recently, as buckets and front-loaders full of snow were dumped onto the greater Detroit area, our

We wipe away the confusion surrounding wiper blades that won't seem to lift beyond the hood.

Recently, as buckets and front-loaders full of snow were dumped onto the greater Detroit area, our long-term Volkswagen Golf test car wouldn’t allow one editor to lift its windshield wipers up after parking it outside. To Californians and hermits unfamiliar with the concept of “weather,” we often lift wipers on cars parked outside to prevent them from gathering ice or sticking to the windshield during snowstorms. Except that when you try to move the VW’s wipers into the “up” position, they’re stopped partway by the trailing edge of the hood.

This isn’t an uncommon thing—especially among luxury cars of the German persuasion—as it allows the wipers to nest below the edge of the hood and reduce wind noise. (Of course, the VW Golf isn’t a luxury car, but it does do a convincing impression of one.)

To lift the wipers on the Golf, you must first park the car, kill the ignition, then hold the wiper stalk on the steering column down for a few moments. This moves the wipers into “service position”—essentially to the top of their stroke against the windshield—at which point you can then hinge them away from the glass. Simple, especially if you note that there are instructions in the owner’s manual. Our long-term BMW 328d wagon has similar functionality, as did an Audi A5 test car we had on hand this past week. The more you—and one of our younger editors—know, right?

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Windshield-Wiper 'Service Position' Explained - Car and Driver