Design Details: Headlight Wipers Edition

"Amoore100" (amoore100) 10/01/2015 at 22:02 • Filed to: Design Details, Saab, Wiper, Headlight

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Since last week’s design details featured rear windshield wipers and we just had a rare bout of rain here in California, I decided to focus on a different style of wiper for Design Details this week...no, not the front wiper but instead the iconic headlight wiper, introduced by Saab and mandated by Sweden in 1972 to combat the mud and snow obscuring the front lights of Swedish cars. Many designs have come since Saab’s original, but as they have gone by the wayside in recent years, now is the time to see who did them best!

Here is the original Saab 99’s odd pusher design...

And here is the more recognized mini wiper that was used by Saab for many years.

So what do you think, Oppo?

What are the best/worst/most iconic headlight wipers?

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > Amoore100 10/01/2015 at 22:06

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Oh the mini Saab wipers. Dad’s 900S Convertible had them. Never really worked properly.

Now both the S and V60 have these nifty headlight washers that don’t actually wipe anything away though. Downside is they use SO MUCH WASHER FLUID

They were an option on my C30 but that box didn’t get checked.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Amoore100 10/01/2015 at 22:09

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I like the ones on old Mercedes and BMWs

They look way overcomplicated and I like that.

TheHondaBro > Amoore100 10/01/2015 at 22:15

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These are badass.

facw > Amoore100 10/01/2015 at 22:17

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I have this style on my S40. The passenger side one is broken, but I live in Houston right now so I just adjusted the set point so it’s stuck down rather than up. Doesn’t make any difference except that the light looks a little dirtier. Apparently they are not hard to replace if you can get under the car, but I’m in an apartment so no jack or ramps for me.

Amoore100 > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap 10/01/2015 at 22:17

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The way the Germans tried to implement it on round headlights really resulted in some very odd strategies...the F10 had a similar idea to the Merc on top, one pivoting structure for both lights...

Amoore100 > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 10/01/2015 at 22:18

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Headlight washers are a whole other story...my V50 doesn’t have them either but my dad’s V70 has headlight wipers (which he never replaces...) Wait, your dad had a Saab ‘vert at one time? You have an interestingly Swedish automotive history!

facw > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap 10/01/2015 at 22:18

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Mercedes one looks like a pretty elegant design to me. The BMW one seems to say “let me take this easily broken part and make it more frail and ill-fitting”

Amoore100 > TheHondaBro 10/01/2015 at 22:19

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Quite.

Svend > Amoore100 10/01/2015 at 22:19

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Mine has jets behind a chrome tab below the headlight. They do little if anything at all to clear lenses.

facw > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 10/01/2015 at 22:20

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Apparently in addition to breaking less, these are needed because modern headlights don’t heat the glass as much, so it’s not as easy to just wipe off snow and ice, you need to help it with low freezing point washer fluid.

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > Amoore100 10/01/2015 at 22:23

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Yeah dad had a 92 Saab 900S Convertible. Looked very similar to this one.

He loved that car. Sadly it caught on fire and burnt down in our driveway one afternoon. It was the first car I can really remember riding around in. Caused my love for convertibles.

Then he got a VW Passat (04 iirc)

Then an 07 Accord Sedan

Then a 2012 S60 T5

Now the 2015.5 V60 T5 Drive-E

He’s really had something from all over the world. He also owned a Jeep Cherokee XJ while he had the Saab.

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > facw 10/01/2015 at 22:26

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Huh. Never would’ve guessed that. These cars never really experienced snow (been in Florida forever) so I’ve never had to think about that.

I guess thats why these engineers get paid big bucks

Slant6 > Amoore100 10/01/2015 at 22:27

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I know this place.

Birddog > Amoore100 10/01/2015 at 22:48

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The 1970 Chrysler Imperial offered a rudimentary version of this. Other Mopars may have had it as an option but I’m not certain.

“Introduced by Saab and mandated by Sweden in 1972”

That, I didn’t know! Thanks.

Berang > Amoore100 10/01/2015 at 22:48

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Even better on a 96. I had always assumed these were worked by some sort of scotch-yoke mechanism, but the reality is both less interesting and far more complicated.

Amoore100 > Berang 10/01/2015 at 22:53

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How do they work then? (also, that was going to be the lead image but it was too small for my liking :P)

Berang > Amoore100 10/01/2015 at 23:05

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all sorts of levers n stuff

http://www.steves-workshop.co.uk/vehicles/saab9…

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Amoore100 10/01/2015 at 23:54

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Seems like a complicated system when being a responsible driver and pulling over to clear your lights every so often would be simpler.

Amoore100 > BaconSandwich is tasty. 10/01/2015 at 23:58

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Not in heavy snow and muck it wouldn’t...especially if you’re in a hurry and don’t realize that your daytime running lights are covered...

Amoore100 > Birddog 10/02/2015 at 01:53

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These are so weird...they’re like tiny brushes I guess?

Hah, I learned that from Wikipedia and several Saab documentaries...shows what I do in my alone time...

Alex B > Amoore100 10/02/2015 at 18:28

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My grandparents on my Dad’s side used to have a 9-3 (pretty sure it was) hatchback thing in silver. It had the headlight wipers and I thought it was the coolest.

Amoore100 > Alex B 10/02/2015 at 19:11

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That’s cuz it was :D

Alex B > Amoore100 10/02/2015 at 20:10

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Yeah I would make them do it all the time before they left. :P

I was fascinated.

Amoore100 > Alex B 10/02/2015 at 20:11

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Make who do what?

Alex B > Amoore100 10/02/2015 at 20:20

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Make the little headlight wipers go

Amoore100 > Alex B 10/02/2015 at 20:28

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Oh, haha...I have never seen the ones on my dad’s V70 go but I assume they do so when the full wipers are on...it just never rains so the wipers aren’t on very often...

Alex B > Amoore100 10/02/2015 at 20:54

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Hm. I would think that it comes on with the windshield wiper fluid