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MKIV Retrofit Rain Sensor


neutron2k
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Hi All

I'm wanting to add the rain sensor / auto wipers to my ST-Line. I only have Auto Headlights and manual dip Rearview mirror.

I've been doing some digging, think it would just be a case of swapping out the light sensor on the windscreen for a combined light/rain sensor, and then enabling it in forscan.

However, I've clarified with someone online who has the ST-Line X with auto wipers, and he has the exact 'light only' sensor that I do. However he also has the auto dimming mirror.

Searching eBay listings I noticed one for the MK3 RS that had the rain sensor connected to an auto dimming mirror.

Is the auto-dimming mirror part of the equation for rain / light sensors?

Any help would be greatly appreiciated!

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I wouldn't bother, it's not that great an improvement over normal intermittent wipe

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4 minutes ago, sussamb said:

I wouldn't bother, it's not that great an improvement over normal intermittent wipe

Agreed, i have the automatic wipers in my fiesta, most of the time i manually override them.

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Same here. Wouldn't bother with them as others have said often have to override them.

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Agree, don't bother...on my Mondeo I changed sensitivity adjustment to intermittent, much better.

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Same here.

Mrs ScaniaPBman's focus is a titanium with intermittent wipe.

It never clears the screen when I recon it should be wiped.

Strangely she never complains but I am not sure she knows exactly what feature is what on the car!

ScaniaPBman.

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I wouldn't buy a car without auto wipers now...  One of my favourite features!  If they're not wiping soon enough, you can change the sensitivity.  I find I rarely need to though, just give it the odd extra wipe but they work fine for 95% of the time. 

The auto dimming mirror does come as part of the package but isn't actually necessary for auto wipers...however that's another feature I wouldn't be without now personally! :biggrin:

Auto lights used to come as part of the same package, but with the Mk4 having those alone, I can't use Mk2/3 knowledge to help with this!  

In theory, as long as the rain sensor fits on the same screen bracket, and all wiring is present, you shouldn't need anything else.  Just an auto switch and activate with diags.

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I agree with you, Tom, I find most of the time the auto-wipers generally work much better than intermittent. You can just leave them enabled so if the showers come and go you don't have to keep turning the wipers on and off and they also cope with changes in the amount of rain so you're not constantly adjusting the intermittent delay time.

Ditto for the auto-dimming mirror. I just wish the door mirrors auto-dimmed too!

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I find the auto wipers on my cmax are great I've now got a setting that I never alter copes with very light drizzle to torrential down pour.

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Another advantage of automatic wipers is in heavy traffic when you get water splash from other vehicles such as trucks so instead of fumbling with the wiper speed it's all done automatically and you can concentrate on the road. Generally I leave the wipers off unless I'm doing a long journey, but it's also useful when you have variable rain which is common enough up in Scotland :D

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Lol - it seems like a "marmite" thing - I'm not a fan either but it looks as if none of us know the answer to the OP's question, unfortunately?

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3 hours ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Lol - it seems like a "marmite" thing - I'm not a fan either but it looks as if none of us know the answer to the OP's question, unfortunately?

My rental car last year had 'auto' wipers - I hated them. It also had 'auto' headlights - I hated them too. It also had 'keyless' ignition - yep, I hated that. I'm an old fashioned guy, I like to think I'm in control of a car rather than the other way around...:thumbup:

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I had the auto dimming and rain sensor on my mk2.5 and I miss it.

Anyway this wasn't asking about opinion 🙂

I've done a bit more digging and it seems i need a different harness in or order to connect an auto dimming mirror.

Cable i currently have is JX6T-14G540-GEBB but it doesn't have a connector for the mirror.

After digging I believe the harness i need is JX6T-14G540-GBAB, which has an additional 5 pin plug which I assume is for the auto dim mirror.

Question I have now is can I just swap these harnesses over, or is it likely that the previous harness in the chain will also need to be switched out?

Any input greatly appreciated.

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This is a funny issue. I have a titanium which has rain sensor activated and my friend has an ST-Line which does not.

It is the same sensor.

But when I tried to  activate it using forscan it does not work and on  my Titanium shows deactivated too.

I think it may be something to do with the BCMi firmware.

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8 hours ago, DaveT70 said:

This is a funny issue. I have a titanium which has rain sensor activated and my friend has an ST-Line which does not.

It is the same sensor.

But when I tried to  activate it using forscan it does not work and on  my Titanium shows deactivated too.

I think it may be something to do with the BCMi firmware.

Are you sure its the exact same?

The light only / non rain sensor one in the st-line is G3GT-17D547-BB (bb is engraved on the bracket). It also has a bulb picture and 'only' printed on the connector part of the sensor (where the plug goes).

The rain sensing version should be G3GT-17D547-AD. Again AD is engraved on the bracket but doesnt have the light only printed part on the connector.

I'm trying ro source an AD version atm and might go down the HELLA route.

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I thought I was sure, but now not LOL.

If the three wires are present then a replacement sensor should be OK.

But bear in mind my titanium still says deactivated even though it has rain sensing wipers 

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1 hour ago, DaveT70 said:

I thought I was sure, but now not LOL.

If the three wires are present then a replacement sensor should be OK.

But bear in mind my titanium still says deactivated even though it has rain sensing wipers 

Have you turned them off in the menu in the car settings, so that they are intermittant instead? (Might be why Forscan says they're deactivated?).

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35 minutes ago, neutron2k said:

Have you turned them off in the menu in the car settings, so that they are intermittent instead? (Might be why Forscan says they're deactivated?).

Nope.

I don't understand it either

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On 6/3/2020 at 12:28 PM, DaveT70 said:

Nope.

I don't understand it either

Hmm. Strange if they're active and working. Did you check your rain sensor model.number in the end?

I'm curious as to whether it is the AD version. It should be from my reading / investigating.

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Just as an update, I've bitten the bullet and ordered a HELLA sensor that claims to be a replacement for part for Ford's G3GT-17D547-DA Rain/Light sensor used in the MK4 Focus and other cars.

Hella on the other hand state that this part equivilent part is for a Transit!  The part they have listed for the MK4 version is a replacement for Ford G3GT-17D547-BB which is the Light only sensor I currently have. Think they've assumed this is the part in all MK4 Focus's regardless of if its fitted with both Rain and Light sensor or just the Light version.

I'm waiting for an answer from Hella on that front, but I've bitten the bullet and ordered the part they claim is for the Transit but has matching part number etc.

I'm pretty sure it should be fine and will keep you all posted if anyones interested.

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1 minute ago, neutron2k said:


...will keep you all posted if anyones interested.

Always interested in a happy ending. 😀

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2 hours ago, neutron2k said:

Just as an update, I've bitten the bullet and ordered a HELLA sensor that claims to be a replacement for part for Ford's G3GT-17D547-DA Rain/Light sensor used in the MK4 Focus and other cars.

Hella on the other hand state that this part equivilent part is for a Transit!  The part they have listed for the MK4 version is a replacement for Ford G3GT-17D547-BB which is the Light only sensor I currently have. Think they've assumed this is the part in all MK4 Focus's regardless of if its fitted with both Rain and Light sensor or just the Light version.

I'm waiting for an answer from Hella on that front, but I've bitten the bullet and ordered the part they claim is for the Transit but has matching part number etc.

I'm pretty sure it should be fine and will keep you all posted if anyones interested.

Following this would like to do exactly the same as yourself! Please update us when it arrives and is fitted!

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Booya!

Can confirm that Hella 6PW 012 008-711 works fine with the MKIV Focus when switching out the light sensor. Only needed to enable Rain Sensor in the IPC config as rescanning the car automatically listed it as 'enabled' under the SCCM.

Be aware that Hella list this part as being for Ford Transits, but its not. Its the equivielent of FORD G3GT-173547-AD and is present in Focus MK4 / Fiesta MK8.

The sensor Hella lists as being for the Focus is actually the FORD G3GT-173547-BB equivilent, thus Light sensor only.

rainsensor.jpg

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Great news!  So all you need is the sensor in the end?  

Means no extra time in production and very little difference in cost between that and the light only sensor...?  Must be left off purely to make the Titanium seem like a bigger step up! 

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Yea tis sodding annoying.

I think HELLA might actually provide the sensors to Ford in the first place. Ford Cost £150, Hella Cost £60.

I don't have the auto dimming mirror yet though. I'm toying with adding that and hardwiring it in, as at present I don't have the correct harness and I have a feeling its actually going to be 2 harnesses that would need switching.

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