Rain Sensing Wiper Retrofit

[CO/ZA]

Hi all,

Wondering if anyone has retrofit any OE rain sensors for their wipers from the Platinum trim?

One of the most egregious examples of cost cutting, aside from the non-swivel & non-auto leveling headlights, remains the lack of rain sensing wipers.

I've had rain sensing wipers in my cars since 2010 with a VW Jetta.

Is there any information available regarding retrofit of Toyota OEM rain sensing adapters for the windshield?

This also seemed to be solved with the 5th generation 4Runner, but this is my first Toyota since coming from German car world.

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[Nodak]

not sure how that would work since the rain sensing wiper use the forward facing camera to detect the rain drop density to sweep the wipers.

it would be a complete software/firmware change/flashing to enable it

and i am sure no dealer tech is going to just completely change your oem software/hardware to enable it on a model that didnt come with it orginally

 

[brumey]

I also doubt that is achievable in practical terms. Might need a different vehicle.

 

[Underground25]

not sure how that would work since the rain sensing wiper use the forward facing camera to detect the rain drop density to sweep the wipers.

it would be a complete software/firmware change/flashing to enable it

and i am sure no dealer tech is going to just completely change your oem software/hardware to enable it on a model that didnt come with it orginally

Agree. Just turn the wipers on.

 

[Nodak]

Agree. Just turn the wipers on.

personally i love the rain sensing wipers on my 23 tundra platinum and now the 25 4R platinum

i put them on intermittent and let the camera auto adjust the wipe frequency. better than the old days of trying to find the right ratio manually in those mist conditions.

 

[Underground25]

personally i love the rain sensing wipers on my 23 tundra platinum and now the 25 4R platinum

i put them on intermittent and let the camera auto adjust the wipe frequency. better than the old days of trying to find the right ratio manually in those mist conditions.

The point was, why try to retrofit something that takes extensive effort and may not even be possible when you can just turn them on. My Cayenne GTS and Macan GTS have auto wipers but I didn’t buy a 4R expecting it.

 

[127.0.0.1]

cheapest way to go would be aftermarket sensor but that will still be
several hundred afaik

OEM would be more as you need the windshield to match the sensor
[sensor works by beaming IR thru glass and checking for reflection interference
by water drops...and it sits up near the existing camera and need it's own cutout
in the masking layer]

 

[CO/ZA]

The point was, why try to retrofit something that takes extensive effort and may not even be possible when you can just turn them on. My Cayenne GTS and Macan GTS have auto wipers but I didn’t buy a 4R expecting it.

My 2010 Jetta, 2015 GTI, and 2017 3 series had rain sensing wipers - this is not an extravagant convenience in the slightest.

Toyota not including a rain sensing wiper function in a $60,000 car optioned with radar cruise control, panoramic cameras, forward facing sign reading cameras, electronic rear view mirror, etc. is simply awful product packaging.

I don't think "it's a 4Runner" is a valid excuse in this case.

https://toyotaparts.ourismantoyotao...sor-8994178020?c=bD00Jm49U2VhcmNoIFJlc3VsdHM=

The parts seem out there, but would need to deep dive what actually needs to be done rather than speculating on whether or not the Platinum gets its own specific windshield.

 

[Underground25]

My 2010 Jetta, 2015 GTI, and 2017 3 series had rain sensing wipers - this is not an extravagant convenience in the slightest.

Toyota not including a rain sensing wiper function in a $60,000 car optioned with radar cruise control, panoramic cameras, forward facing sign reading cameras, electronic rear view mirror, etc. is simply awful product packaging.

I don't think "it's a 4Runner" is a valid excuse in this case.

https://toyotaparts.ourismantoyotaofrichmond.com/oem-parts/toyota-rain-sensor-8994178020?c=bD00Jm49U2VhcmNoIFJlc3VsdHM=

The parts seem out there, but would need to deep dive what actually needs to be done rather than speculating on whether or not the Platinum gets its own specific windshield.

Or just something Toyota figured wasn’t what 4Runner buyers really consider critical when buying one. I agree it sucks, friend. Couldn’t have cost much when you think of the overall cost of the vehicle.

 

[Nodak]

its marketing. lower trims no rain sensing. if you want that go to a higher priced trim (ie more profit for toyota)

its the same issue as the old v8 4R competing with the lexus gx v8. why get a lexus gx v8 that cost 10-20k more than a 4R with a v8?

hence why they discontinued the 4R v8 but if you want a v8 get a lexus

 

[Archer]

Not all higher trims have it, my Pro doesn't and to tell the truth I never checked. I took it as a given, even my ProMaster work vans have them. One of my only gripes.

It's one of those things, if you never had them, no big deal, if you had, you really miss them.


.

 

[Underground25]

its marketing. lower trims no rain sensing. if you want that go to a higher priced trim (ie more profit for toyota)

its the same issue as the old v8 4R competing with the lexus gx v8. why get a lexus gx v8 that cost 10-20k more than a 4R with a v8?

hence why they discontinued the 4R v8 but if you want a v8 get a lexus

Man that makes me miss my ’03 SR5 AWD with V8. Thanks a lot dude.

 

[Nodak]

Man that makes me miss my ’03 SR5 AWD with V8. Thanks a lot dude.

i had a super rare v8 sport 4runner with the factory fake push bar. i sold it intact with the fake push bar never being broken/wrecked

 

[Underground25]

I think I only had to replace valve cover gaskets and the timing belt in 10 years of ownership. Never understood why it wasn’t a timing chain on otherwise perfect litte V8.

 

[Nodak]

I think I only had to replace valve cover gaskets and the timing belt in 10 years of ownership. Never understood why it wasn’t a timing chain on otherwise perfect litte V8.

its was a time when toyota was experimenting. then they realized the belt was worse than a chain and went back to it on most of the engines.

trust me, i had timing belt vehicle (non toyota) and i hated dealing with the service required with those

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