Surprised no headlight washers

[andyfr]

My last two cars, Honda CRV and Freelander, both had headlight washers so I expected the RAV to have them. Anybody know why Toyota decided not to have them fitted?

[FROSTYBALLS]

It is the importing/sales organisation, in this case Toyota GB, that decides on the spec of vehicles they sell. Presumably Toyota GB decided not to have these on UK spec Rav4's.

However, that isn't to say that Toyota don't have other markets where headlight washers are part of the spec the importing/sales organisation decides upon.

[Mark O]

Perhaps they saw a wipe over with a damp cloth every couple of weeks or so as being a far more practical solution to a problem that barely exists.

[andyfr]

On regular 400+ mile journeys in the winter on motorways and A roads the headlight washers were extremely useful at getting rid of the salt. 

[WarrenB]

Headlight washers are only required for bi-xenons bulb headlights, as the Excel has LED, there is no requirement by law.

[andyfr]

Neither the CRV or Freelander had xenon headlights, just normal halogens, but they still had them.

[Heidfirst]

7 hours ago, WarrenB said:

Headlight washers are only required for bi-xenons bulb headlights, as the Excel has LED, there is no requirement by law.

There is an ECE regulation (48 Part 6.2.9) if the LED produces more than 2000 lumen.

[Mark O]

Or alternatively, stop the car every 400 miles or so - which you surely would anyways - and wipe them with a damp cloth. The point I am trying to make is that there is not a problem here that could not be solved by a far simpler and more reliable means - so why have an expensive, potentially troublesome mechanism to do the job?   

[FROSTYBALLS]

It is more of a convenience issue rather than a problem. The OP obviously found headlight washers on their previous cars useful and convenient, which is fair enough.

We find the lane departure system on our one car useful and convenient - others may not. 

[andyfr]

12 minutes ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

It is more of a convenience issue rather than a problem. The OP obviously found headlight washers on their previous cars useful and convenient, which is fair enough.

We find the lane departure system on our one car useful and convenient - others may not. 

Thank you and you are quite right it was a convenience. I don't like cruise control so don't use it, I don't have TSS on mine but wouldn't use it if it was. 

[Mark O]

......but there is nothing inconvenient about giving the headlight a wipe that necessitates fitment of a headlight washer system instead,  A classic case of coming up with a solution to a problem that does not exist.

[FROSTYBALLS]

11 hours ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

It is more of a convenience issue rather than a problem. The OP obviously found headlight washers on their previous cars useful and convenient, which is fair enough.

 

7 hours ago, Mark O said:

......but there is nothing inconvenient about giving the headlight a wipe that necessitates fitment of a headlight washer system instead,  A classic case of coming up with a solution to a problem that does not exist.

One can say the same about the following convenience features:

remote central locking (why not use the key to lock/lock doors)

central locking (why not go all round the car to manually lock/unlock doors)

intermittent wipers (why not turn the wipers on/off when needed/not needed)

interior tailgate gate release (why not open the tailgate from the rear)

interior fuel cap release (why not open the fuel cap manually)

interior light delay (why not switch the light on when needed)

interior lights operated by doors (why not switch the light on when needed)

radio pre-sets (why not tune the radio manually when needed)

cruise control (why not just use the accelerator)

electric headlight levelling (why not flick a lever on the headlight)

electric mirrors (why not adjust the mirrors manually)

heated mirrors (why not wipe the mirrors)

heated rear window (why not wipe the rear window)

etc

[Mark O]

Indeed you could, but my view about headlight washers is that the inconvenience caused by their absence is negligible and it thus voids any requirement to have them.

[Heidfirst]

Well, I once had a series of Sierras without back when I was a rep & the aerodynamics of those were such that you often had to stop, get out & clean the headlights.

I'll take washers, thank you. 

 

[T180eximpreza]

Buy a Subaru. Headlamp washers on my Impreza were a boon.  Especially on a motorway on a filthy wintery night with heavy salt spray.

Edited January 14, 2021 by T180eximpreza
Spelling mistake

[duncerduncs]

The current shape models have them on the Excel and Dynamic trims as they are bi-LED headlights.

Surprised my Wife the first time they went off - "there's something leaking from the front of the car"!!

[182_blue]

1 hour ago, duncerduncs said:

The current shape models have them on the Excel and Dynamic trims as they are bi-LED headlights.

Surprised my Wife the first time they went off - "there's something leaking from the front of the car"!!

The Excel get headlight washers as standard but the Dynamic doesn't, or didnt in late 2020 cars when we got ours. 

[PeteB]

On 1/12/2017 at 7:54 PM, Heidfirst said:

...I'll take washers, thank you. 

Me too, in fact, after having once had a car that had wipers *and* washers on the headlights, that would be my first choice.

On the UK Gen 5 2019 onwards RAV4s the Excel models do have headlamp pressure washers, the only trim level to do so IIRC.