Wiper lever

Fig. 108 Operation of windscreen wipers and rear window wiper system.

Move the steering column wiper lever into the required operating detent position:

0 Windscreen wipers switched off.

1 Intermittent wiping of the windscreen or activation of the automatic rain sensor. The windshield is wiped at timed intervals depending on vehicle road speed or the intensity of rainfall hitting the glass.

2 Slow continuous wipe speed.

3 Fast continuous wipe speed for heavy rain.

4 Single flick wipe. Pressing and holding the lever downward accelerates wiping action temporarily.

5 Pull the stalk lever toward you to activate the automatic windscreen washer and wiper system. The Climatronic climate control system automatically switches on air recirculation for approximately 30 seconds to prevent washer fluid odors from entering the cabin.

6 Switches on the intermittent rear window wiper. The rear blade sweeps at regular intervals of approximately 6 seconds.

7 Pushing the lever forward and holding it turns on the automatic rear window washer and wiper sequence.

A A Control dial for adjusting the wipe frequency duration of the intervals (on vehicles without rain and light sensors) or modifying the sensitivity threshold of the rain sensor.

WARNING If insufficient automotive antifreeze is mixed into the washer fluid reservoir, the liquid can freeze directly on the windscreen glass and severely impair forward visibility.

• Do not operate the windscreen wiper system during freezing winter temperatures without first warming up the glass using the vehicle's interior heating and ventilation system.

  Cold washer fluid sprayed onto a freezing windscreen could instantly freeze over the glass surface and block your forward field of vision.

WARNING Operating the wiper system with worn, torn, or dirty wiper rubber blades degrades outward visibility and drastically increases the risk of serious road accidents and personal injuries.

• Always replace your wiper blades promptly whenever their rubber composition hardens, tears, or fails to wipe the glass cleanly without streaking.

NOTICE Before driving off and prior to switching on the vehicle ignition, always check the following conditions regarding the wiper blades and motor mechanism to prevent costly damage to the glass and wiper linkage:

• The steering column wiper lever is resting in the neutral off position.
• You have cleared away any accumulated snow, ice, or debris from both the wiper blades and the front and rear window glass.
• You have carefully freed any wiper blades frozen solid to the glass before activating them.

  SEAT recommends using a specialized commercial de-icer spray for this purpose rather than forcing them loose.

NOTICE Always switch off the windscreen wipers before the glass surface becomes completely dry. Operating the wiper rubber against a bone-dry windshield can scratch the glass and ruin the blades.

Note

• When your Seat Leon comes to a temporary standstill while the wipers are operating in continuous mode, the wiper system automatically drops down one level to a slower intermittent speed.
• During freezing winter conditions, putting the wipers into their dedicated service position makes it much easier to lift the blades away from the windscreen when parking the car outdoors.

Wiper functions

Automatic rear window wiper

The rear window wiper of your Seat Leon switches on automatically when the front wipers are active and you engage reverse gear.

This automatic rear window wiper activation feature upon selecting reverse gear can be easily enabled or disabled within the vehicle settings menu of the central infotainment system.

Note The windscreen will be wiped one final time approximately 5 seconds after the windscreen washer has been used, provided the vehicle is moving forward ("drip" clean function). If you manually activate the wipers less than 10 seconds after this post-wipe "drip" function has completed, a new wash cycle will start without performing the final clearance wipe. To reset and restore the "drip" function behavior, you must turn the engine ignition off and then on again.

Note The wiper motor is designed to push past minor obstacles on the windscreen glass. However, the wiper will stop moving automatically if an obstruction completely blocks its free path. Clear away the obstruction and switch on the wipers again.

Rain and light sensor

Fig. 109 Windscreen wipers lever: adjust the rain sensor A.

Fig. 110 Sensitive surface of the rain sensor.

The automated rain sensor constantly regulates the wiping frequency of the windscreen wipers based on the exact volume of water droplets hitting the glass.

Move the wiper stalk lever to the desired operating position ››› Fig. 109.

0 Rain sensor deactivated.

1 Rain sensor active; automatic wiping triggers as soon as moisture is detected.

A Sensitivity adjustment level of the rain sensor:

• Slide the control switch to the right: high sensitivity for fast response to light rain.
• Slide the control switch to the left: low sensitivity for heavier rain thresholds.

When the engine ignition is switched off and subsequently back on, the rain sensor remains primed and will resume automatic operation once the windscreen wipers are placed in position ››› Fig. 109 1 and your Seat Leon exceeds a road speed of 16 km/h (10 mph).

Abnormal operation of the rain and light sensor

Potential causes of anomalous behavior or erroneous optical readings across the sensitive surface area ››› Fig. 110 of the rain sensor include:

• Damaged wiper blades: smeared rubber leaves a continuous film of water that can lengthen activation times, distort washing intervals, or cause the system to default to a rapid continuous wipe.
• Insects: splattered bugs hitting the optical sensor area may trigger unexpected wiper sweeps.
• Road salt residue: during winter driving, chemical salt spread across highways can cause prolonged, dry wiping strokes when the windscreen is nearly dry.
• Surface contamination: dry dust, protective wax, hydrophobic glass coatings (such as Lotus effect treatments), or detergent residue from automatic car washes can reduce rain sensor sensitivity, making it react sluggishly, late, or not at all.

  Regularly clean the optical sensitive surface of the rain sensor ››› Fig. 110 (indicated by the arrow) and inspect your wiper blades for wear.

• Windscreen stone chips: the impact of a flying stone creating a crack will trigger a single test wipe cycle. The rain sensor then automatically recalibrates around the surface reduction caused by the chip. Sensor behavior may vary depending on the size and location of the impact.

WARNING The automated rain sensor may occasionally fail to detect fine mist or sudden downpours with sufficient speed, resulting in delayed wiper activation.

• Whenever spray or water impairs your forward view, switch on the windscreen wipers manually without hesitation.

Note

• Using an alcohol-based glass cleaner is recommended to strip away stubborn waxes, road grime, and protective coatings from the sensor zone.
• Never apply parking stickers, vignettes, or toll tags onto the windscreen directly in front of the rain sensor housing, as this causes optical interference and system failure.