Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for mechanics and DIY enthusiast owners of cars, trucks, and motorcycles. It only takes a minute to sign up.
Sign up to join this community
I have a VW Golf MK5 2005 and since buying it second hand the rear windscreen wiper has not worked. The rear washer is working however.
I have read various questions and answers on online forums which all seem to suggest different things. Is there a good logical approach I should take to testing to see if I can locate the issue?
I am not that savvy with cars but I would at least like to have a go at diagnosing the problem before taking it to a garage.
First of all, have you checked the FUSE for this circuit? If that's blown try replacing it and see if that resolves the issue. If not continue...
Get access to the rear wiper motor and disconnect the wiring. Using a DMM (Digital Multi-Meter) or VOM (Volt-Ohm Meter) in VOLTAGE mode, turn ON the rear wiper and see if there is 12V being sourced to the connector. If yes, your motor is bad. If no, work your way back through the wiring to find the fault. Over time wires can get pinched or worn.
You will also want to check the switch to make sure it hasn't failed. You may have to disassemble the dash and/or the steering column to get to that.
