What is a rain sensor? How does it work? Does my car have one?

Rain sensor windshield

When rain sensors first came out over 15 years ago they were only offered on high end vehicles and the technology wasn’t very reliable. Fast forward to today and the technology has definitely caught up. Today’s advanced sensors mean you never have to fiddle with the wiper control again. One less thing you have to worry about when driving in inclement weather.

 The rain sensor is found under or next to the rear view mirror. It attaches to the windshield with a translucent gel pad. The sensor sends an infrared light signal at a 45 degree angle into the windshield from the interior and the light is reflected back. If there is rain on the windshield, the amount of light sent back is decreased and this signals the wipers to turn on. Depending on the amount of refracted light the wipers will speed up or slow down when the rain increases or decreases.

To find out if you have a rain sensor option you can simply look at your windshield from the outside. Look closely near the base of the rear view mirror, where it is attached to the windshield, if it has a rain sensor you will see a faint translucent circle or square patch. This is the “eye” of the sensor. If your windshield is cracked or broken and needs to replaced you will need to let us know if it has the rain sensor option to ensure that your vehicle operates as designed. 

Need help finding out if you have a rain sensor windshield? Please call our experienced technicians at 619-279-5690 to get some expert advice. Ready to schedule your windshield replacement right now? Click below.

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