'11 1LT V6 26k Miles: Intermittent Wiper Malfunction?

[Colt Hero]

'11 1LT V6 26k Miles: Intermittent Wiper Malfunction?

Just got back from a 2500 mile road trip. Vehicle performed well enough, although the mileage was nothing special (I'm guessing it was about 23 mpg all around), and it seemed like every time the road pitched even slightly upward the tranny was "gulping" (downshifting?) which was annoying. But the most annoying thing was I couldn't get the intermittent wipers to work at all! It's a three-speed switch with gradients via the wheel for each speed, no? All I could get out of it was the three speeds! There was absolutely no change in wiper speed within each of the three speed levels when I turned the wheel. Was I doing something wrong here or are these wipers not working properly? I think I've noticed this once before, too. I don't drive this thing very often (wife's car).

 

[TheDarkKnightKnox]

I was able to get 25MPG round trip to Georgia, and that was driving through VA and WV. I drove mostly in M5 in those two states so i wouldn't constantly be downshifting from 6th to 4th up long grades. I also just put the cruise on 70 and let it roll on its on. I took the same road trip in my previous car 07 Pontiac G6 GTP and even that car would shift from 6th to 4th on occasions.

The wiper control you lift up once for intermittent which than controls my rotating the switch. If you want faster you continue to lift the switch up towards the sky.

Hope this helps

 

[Colt Hero]

The DarkKnightKnox,

With the wipers, I think that's what I was doing. I mean - it's a standard switch, I think. I really don't think the wipers on this vehicle have worked correctly since Day 1, but that's my fault. I usually test everything carefully before buying my cars (always new), and this time there was a rare snowstorm down here (SC) and I guess I took some shortcuts.

As for the mileage, it's a shame this vehicle is as heavy as it is - that's what kills the mileage. I really wish GM had a sport wagon available when I bought this thing. Could've gotten the same utility with over 30 mpg, easy. Probably would've cost less, too.

 

[Colt Hero]

Just checked the intermittent wipers and they DO work as mentioned here: only on the first click of he lever. But there's a HUGE time delay difference from the 1st to 2nd gradient. The first (lowest) delays wipes about every 20 seconds, but the next one only about 7 seconds, then about 4, then 2 (or 1).

But I guess it works as specified. I think the reason I thought it WASN'T working is the rain was coming down enough that I had already switched to the 2nd speed (or maybe even the 3rd speed) where you can turn the intermittent wheel, but it has no effect. Seems like a counter-intuitive implementation to me. The wheel should work on all three speeds.

And as a side note, I recall the rain coming down hard enough to overwhelm the wipers - but it really wasn't raining THAT hard. The highest speed for these wipers does not seem to be fast enough (another reason why I was turning the wheel trying to make the wipers move faster).

 

[2010BlkGraniteNox]

The DarkKnightKnox,

With the wipers, I think that's what I was doing. I mean - it's a standard switch, I think. I really don't think the wipers on this vehicle have worked correctly since Day 1, but that's my fault. I usually test everything carefully before buying my cars (always new), and this time there was a rare snowstorm down here (SC) and I guess I took some shortcuts.

As for the mileage, it's a shame this vehicle is as heavy as it is - that's what kills the mileage. I really wish GM had a sport wagon available when I bought this thing. Could've gotten the same utility with over 30 mpg, easy. Probably would've cost less, too.

GM is talking about releasing the Cruze 5-door to the US Market! Its a hope and with the right motor offerings (1.4 Turbo or 2.0L TDI) it has some potential to hit the VW domminance in this field (especially since VW is fighting hpfp issues..and people complained about GM's hpfp issues lol).

 

[Colt Hero]

A 5-door Cruze sounds nice, but that would be on the smaller side. I was thinking something this size of my Taurus wagon - a full-sized car with the squared-off back. Volvo made their wagon look pretty nice. Heck, the Dodge Magnum wasn't bad-looking, either ... although I think it was pretty heavy and the fuel economy suffered.