UK and Europe get headlamp washers...us...NOT!

Discussion in 'General Subaru Discussion' started by drac77, May 21, 2014.

?

Do you give a damn?

  1. No. It's a 2015! Why would I? Corolla, Camry (not Camery) waaah waaah etc

    8 vote(s)
    80.0%

  2. Yes. Because your 2011 and above could have had them too.

    2 vote(s)
    20.0%
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. drac77
    Offline

    drac77 Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    798
    Likes Received:
    479
    Trophy Points:
    248
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Minnetonka
    So I brought this up in a separate thread but wanted to bring it out here for the masses to weigh in. So apparently there is a law in UK and Europe for any headlamp that is not halogen based (Xenon, LED etc) to be auto-leveling and have washers. So those lucky bastards abroad get them standard on the new WRX and STI. My gripe is why not just make them all like that? Are they saving $$ not installing them on every car and having to adjust the assembly line to do so? I don't know but all I know is I could sure use them in the winter when the salt starts lacquering up on them. What say you? Did anyone even notice? The screen grabs are from the UK website...
    subaruUK.png subaruUK1.png
     
    drac77, May 21, 2014
    #1
  2. sneefy
    Offline

    sneefy Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    2,304
    Likes Received:
    1,107
    Trophy Points:
    348
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    There. Or here. Sometimes both.
    Yes.
     
    sneefy, May 21, 2014
    #2
  3. AspitFire
    Offline

    AspitFire Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    4,545
    Likes Received:
    193
    Trophy Points:
    248
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    MN
    These have been available since the GC platform,
     
    AspitFire, May 21, 2014
    #3
  4. drac77
    Offline

    drac77 Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    798
    Likes Received:
    479
    Trophy Points:
    248
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Minnetonka
    Where? Overseas? I traded in a 11 on my 15 and don't remember them being available. .
     
    drac77, May 21, 2014
    #4
  5. Nhibbs
    Offline

    Nhibbs Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    2,678
    Likes Received:
    2,222
    Trophy Points:
    348
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Atlanta
    Yep pretty much every market but US has had washers with the xenon lights.
    They aren't really that great, my BMW has them and they just use a lot of fluid.
    The only reasonable explanation for them I have heard is a clean lens won't scatter the light and blind other drivers as much. Not having them won't really affect the amount of visibility you have at night IMO.
     
    Nhibbs, May 21, 2014
    #5
  6. looxs
    Offline

    looxs Active Member

    Messages:
    21
    Likes Received:
    9
    Trophy Points:
    88
    Location:
    Minneapolis
    I'm with Nhibbs on this one. I have them on my lexus and have used them maybe a couple of times because it looks pretty cool seeing the sprayers come out of the bumper haha
     
    looxs, May 21, 2014
    #6
  7. Nhibbs
    Offline

    Nhibbs Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    2,678
    Likes Received:
    2,222
    Trophy Points:
    348
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Atlanta
    Mine come on every time I spray my windshield.
     
    Nhibbs, May 21, 2014
    #7
  8. phi11
    Offline

    phi11 Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    3,798
    Likes Received:
    883
    Trophy Points:
    298
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Action Valley
    I have a OEM set from EU for my '98 BD

    Extra large pump, larger washer tank, OEM switch, and sprayers.
    (these don't pop up)
     
    phi11, May 21, 2014
    #8
  9. pillboy
    Offline

    pillboy Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    3,622
    Likes Received:
    3,722
    Trophy Points:
    348
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Saint Cloud
    Just another gimmick that will quit working once the bumper-to-bumper has expired and will cost a lot of $$ to fix. Give me something useful like a heated steering wheel...like the luxury marques BMW and Hyundai do.
     
    pillboy, May 21, 2014
    #9
    Nhibbs and drac77 like this.
  10. loxx0050
    Offline

    loxx0050 Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    179
    Likes Received:
    67
    Trophy Points:
    213
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    MN
    My last A4 I had them. They weren't all that great really since they just spray the headlights and didn't really do much.

    But, I did hear of people flipping them around to spray cars in front of them that cut them off or pissed them off for fun.
     
    loxx0050, May 23, 2014
    #10
    drac77 likes this.
  11. RSin
    Offline

    RSin Member

    Messages:
    48
    Likes Received:
    11
    Trophy Points:
    18
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Minneapolis
    Lol, I would totally spray people in front of me!

    But seriously, I think it's another part to break and I don't really need to clean my headlights that much anyways, unless I'm driving through Iowa...
     
    RSin, May 23, 2014
    #11
  12. readymix
    Offline

    readymix ...Lest ye be trod upon... Staff Member

    Messages:
    12,344
    Likes Received:
    2,892
    Trophy Points:
    473
    Location:
    Eloh, El
    They don't spray hard enough to remove bug debris or road tar. I could see them being useful for road salt buildup, but that really only benefits a portion of the US. I don't see the value added to the US market putting them on every car sold. And the cost to add them as an accessory is higher than things like wheels and floor mats because it requires the bumper to be cut for them. And no dealership is going to keep entire secondary bumpers around in various paint colors just so you have the option to add it to the purchase price.
    I wouldn't ever pay for them if it was optional.
     
    readymix, May 23, 2014
    #12
    drac77 likes this.
  13. drac77
    Offline

    drac77 Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    798
    Likes Received:
    479
    Trophy Points:
    248
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Minnetonka
    I totally agree, I just thought it would be a nice to have because in the winters here when the salt builds up and the few chances I get to wash my cars the headlamp brightness is night and day. I just thought that from a cost perspective for them I wasn't sure if it was just as equally expensive to make adjustments to the assembly line for Subaru than to just say F it, every car gets them and add what would probably equate to 30 or 40$ to the MSRP.
     
    drac77, May 23, 2014
    #13
  14. sneefy
    Offline

    sneefy Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    2,304
    Likes Received:
    1,107
    Trophy Points:
    348
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    There. Or here. Sometimes both.
    In the winter, every time I fill up the tank I just scrub the headlights with the squeegee while I'm waiting for the pump.
     
    sneefy, May 23, 2014
    #14
    xodad2, readymix and drac77 like this.
  15. Jude Burgoyne
    Offline

    Jude Burgoyne Member

    Messages:
    17
    Likes Received:
    6
    Trophy Points:
    13
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    minneapolis
    My 87 Supra had them, they were kind of silly and didn't do much. One of the nozzles broke though, and if I wasn't moving it would shoot washer fluid 10 feet straight up into the air. That was fun.
     
    Jude Burgoyne, May 28, 2014
    #15
    phi11 likes this.
  16. drac77
    Offline

    drac77 Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    798
    Likes Received:
    479
    Trophy Points:
    248
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Minnetonka
    This thread can be closed, thanks.
     
    drac77, May 29, 2014
    #16
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.