Low washer fluid warning always on

[Nido]

its a 2017 model
the low washer fluid warning turned on so i filled it up but it still stays on. i guess its maybe a faulty sensor.
my front and read jets work fine i noticed that the headlight jets dont work.
i checked all fuses and didnt find a blown one.

does the car not use the headlight jets if the washer level is low or are they maybe the problem and not the sensor?
And i dont have a diagnostic tool

 

[Walone]

The headlight jets only work if the headlights are switched on, also I think they are meant to NOT operate everytime the washers are used.

 

[SRGTD]

The headlight jets only work if the headlights are switched on, also I think they are meant to NOT operate everytime the washers are used.

This is how the headlamp washers worked on my last VW. From memory, it was every fifth use of the washers, although some mk7 / mk7.5 Golf owners changed the frequency to every tenth use of the washers with VCDS, OBD11 (or similar) as they were fed up with;
- having to keep refilling the washer fluid reservoir so often, especially at this time of year
- the mess that the washer fluid made over the front end of the car

From personal experience, I found the headlamp washers to be pretty ineffective at doing what they’re supposed to do. My current VW doesn’t have headlamp washers and the headlamp lenses seem to stay just as clean without washers - the added bonus being the lack of wasted washer fluid over the front of the car.

 

[Nido]

The lights where on and I think I held the washer long enough for them to start. have seen them working before after 2-3 second of holding .
Guess it's a bad sensor

Weird part is I was driving down the road just toped the fluid. Held it for a bit and the warning poped up guess the timing was just right

 

[RUM4MO]

The headlight washer high pressure pump might have failed, I had that on a 2000 VW Passat 4Motion when that car was only 5 years old.

 

[RUM4MO]

Just another comment, which might change what/where you need to sort out, when the low fluid warning flag is set, the headlight washers will be disabled, that will be to avoid using the remaining fluid to wash the lights and so reserve it for washing the windscreen and rear window.

 

[Fester999]

My 2017 leon fr doesn't warn me if the fluid is low. My 13 plate did, cutbacks I reckon

 

[RUM4MO]

Maybe, that system is always useful to have, but maybe more important for cars that are fitted with headlight washers as they do tend to end up using lots more fluid, having a bigger fluid tank does not help that much on a long journey in winter!

 

[Nido]

Just took the fluid tank apart
The sensor is in one part with the tank ... I had a different one with the same connector so I connected the new one and put it in a glass of fluid to test it ( idk if that is a correct way to test but I tried it )
Still didn't fix it... next I took the headwasher pump off connect it to 12 v and it worked I put everything back on the car but no luck it still shows the warning. I think next I will do is take of the front bumper and have a look at the headlight washer jets
anyone have any experience with them? pictures would help too
Do they have a electric motor to extend them ?

 

[Nido]

Just took the fluid tank apart
The sensor is in one part with the tank ... I had a different one with the same connector so I connected the new one and put it in a glass of fluid to test it ( idk if that is a correct way to test but I tried it )
Still didn't fix it... next I took the headwasher pump off connect it to 12 v and it worked I put everything back on the car but no luck it still shows the warning. I think next I will do is take of the front bumper and have a look at the headlight washer jets
anyone have any experience with them? pictures would help too
Do they have a electric motor to extend them ?

Just a bit of catch up I found my old multimeter so I looked up how the sensor works... I did a bit of measuring the old sensor is giving some resistance a bit more compared to the new one so I shorted the connector of the sensor idk why I didn't do that earlier. the warning went away and the headlight jets gave a nice little happy squirt

Next thing I'm gonna try is to clean the contacts inside of the fluid tank or just leave the connector shorted haha

 

[RUM4MO]

Good! Well at least you have discovered that I was right that the low fluid warning would stop the headlight washer system from working!

I would have thought that your way of testing the fluid level sensor should have worked, unless the sensor fitted to your car has different characteristics.

Normally, well at least with my previous car a 2000 VW Passat, you could pull the sensor out, I only know that as that car's new owner needed to stop the sensor area from leaking, so I found the part number for the rubber seal. If you buy the correct new sensor for your car maybe you should buy a new rubber seal/gasket.

Edit:- in that 2000 VW Passat 4Motion, you could "code out" that warning using VCDS - I know this because when we went on our first long journey in the winter, I noticed that the headlight washers stopped working, then the windscreen washers stopping spraying water - from the factory, that fluid warning had not been coded in although that car came with washers! That was annoying and was why I bought VCDS back in 2001 as my VW dealer said to me that I would need to buy a new instrument panel - I had imported that car new from Holland so VW UK were not being very helpful, they quoted me around £600 to sort out that problem, after reading about VCDS or VAG - COM in forums, I just bought it for maybe £200 and within 5 minutes I had recoded that function back in, as well as the brake wear warning!

 

[Polly]

FYI 2018 Cupra R
Just before the MOT I thought headlight washers were not working. SO

A gallon later found out that they worked only ONCE after engine is running and headlights are washed. Will not work again.
Turn engine off and restart same again 1 wash after washers are used with headlights on.

Oh heck!!

Passed MOT okay

 

[RUM4MO]

Yup, they are programmed to only operate every maybe 5 or 6 or 7 or ? times the windscreen washers are operated - if not they would empty the fluid tank sharpish! So the MOT people will know that, I really need to get my finger out and check the headlight washers on my 2011 Audi S4 before it is MOT time in February as I have a feeling that I have not noticed they operating recently, though in all fairness maybe they don't attempt to wash the top of the bonnet as others tend to do!

Edit:- I have no issue with wasting washer fluid as I seem to have been buying far too much over the years!!!

 

[Nido]

After measuring the resistance on the sensor with the washer fluid i got around 6-7 Mohms. was just some simple winter washer fluid -25 c antifreeze
i simply added tap water maybe 1/8 of the washer fluid that was already inside and the resistance jumped to 20 Mohms and more, my multimeter cant read higher...

so not a bad sensor or anything....the problem was the washer fluid

 

[RUM4MO]

That was weird, I've never heard of any washer fluid causing that problem - until now!