rear wiper just stopped

[ducky1979]

Hello,
a couple of days ago my rear wiper worked fine, i had to replace the wiper blade and the washer jet so i was continually trying it to set the washers up, but all of a sudden today its just stopped,
i can her the click of the relay when switching it on and the washer is working but no wiper,
ive checked the fuse and thats fine, i even swapped it around and still nothing,
has anyone had a wiper motor go on them as i think its most likely gonna be this?

the wierd thing is, when i was trying it earlier it wouldnt work, i went out in the car, parked up, came back about and hour later and the wiper was sat the other side of the screen(with washer jets facing the floor) when i tried it it worked once then nothing again!!!???

[Mike Foster]

Common fault on A3's. Water from the washer gets into the motor (inside the actual motor not just the gearbox) and shorts out the connections. This allows the motor to basically do what it wants, when it wants.

Only cure is a new motor which is about £90 - £100 to buy. Don't buy one off ebay that says it's suitable for loads of different models because the operation of the water jet is different. The golf washer jet stays in one position when wiper rotates. The Audi washer rotates with the wiper.

[ducky1979]

cheers! typical that, i was only playing with it for a couple of days with the washer jet blocked, i couldnt clear it so i went and bought a new one, and i bet the motor comes with a new jet aswell,
its costing me a bomb this car so far, £650 for the gearbox
several pounds for Nigel to modify the steering wheel
and now this, another £100, i hope to god once all this is sorted i wont have any more surprises,
dont suppose any knows the correct part number to order?
or ill just call audi in the morning and order one!
can anyone advise me how to remove the boot trim, i can only see two screws in the handle part and some more screws inside the rear light access panels, or does it just pull off?
im guessing its a tight fit but im worried about breaking anything!

[Mike Foster]

The new motor does not come with the washer jet.

The boot trim comes off by undoing the two torx screws ONLY. You don't need to remove any other screws. Take off the covers for the inner lights (assuming it's a sportback) and then pull VERY FIRMLY straight downwards. It will seem like you're going to break something because it's very tight, but you won't, and the whole lining is fixed with spring clips (6 I think) into the boot lid. Work your way around the lid pulling firmly and you will eventually get it to drop off. Make sure that all the clips are in correct place before snapping it back into place together with the small anti-vibration pads. Care will be needed to align the clips with the slots in the boot lid.

If you give Audi your VIN they will give you the correct part, they might even get it from the registration number. I can give you the part number if you wish but you'll have to give me car year and model (sportback, engine size and possibly chassis number)

[ducky1979]

All done now, a very easy job, the hardest part was separating the wiper arm from the old motor.