Rain sensors installed in the car automatically detects the rainy weather and controls the wiper movement. The windshield rain sensors help drivers reduce their load, allowing them to focus mainly on the road while driving. The wiper control feature always keeps the windshield clean supporting the driver’s vision on the road. Hence, replacement is necessary for windshield rain sensors.
How does the rain sensor work?
Total Internal Reflection – This principle holds the working model of rain sensors in the car’s windshield. A photodiode tracks the amount of light reflected through the outer windshield layer back towards it. As and when it starts raining and raindrops fall onto the windshield, the light reflected starts decreasing and the photodiode detects this change. This leads to activate the rain sensors and the wiper comes to the active state.
Do all cars have windshield rain sensors installed?
The straight-forward answer is NO, all the cars don’t come with windshield rain sensor installed. A certain category of cars has a pre-installed rain sensor in their car’s windshield.
Do you want to check is your car under that special category? At the rear-view mirror position, look out for a blue mark or a white transparent mark. If you find it, you are the lucky one! Some cars come with a combo rain-light sensor fixed below the rear-view mirror inside a special bracket.
Does windshield rain sensors also require replacement?
Often windshield damage doesn’t lead to faulty rain sensors. This means the rain sensor works fine even if the windshield is broken/ damaged. As we know it is not at all safe to drive with a damaged windshield and it eventually requires windshield to be either repaired or replaced. Therefore, before heading to the windshield replacement or repair process, one must consult the Autoglass service provider about the rain sensors. If in case your windshield gets hit directly at the place where the rain sensors can be easily reached, you must get it replaced. Also, ask the Autoglass solutions provider to thoroughly check the rain sensor wire. Any damage to the wire also requires the windshield rain sensors to be replaced.
