Do I need heated washer jets??

[StuC]

Apologies for a bit of a trivial question. I’ve found a car I like that ticks most of the boxes, however it doesn’t have the winter pack.

It will be used year-round. I had a nightmare last winter in a car with windscreen washer jets that froze when it got icy, despite antifreeze. Made it very annoying to drive.

So how susceptible is a Mk 7 without winter pack to frozen jets?

[Watts]

I've never had frozen washer jets. Check what the dilution is with your screenwash. Or is it just very, very cold where you are?

[fredgroves]

I had a few instances of headlight washer prolapse on my Mk7.

Usually when its been snowing and the temperature on the front of the car is super cold. Water is still liquid in the washer bottle and even pipes (as it does warm up when you are driving from engine heat) but it can get stuck on the pop out jets.

Can't say it was a regularly occurring problem tho.

I think the winter pack was standard on the Mk7.5

[Adam T7]

Not needed very often, but when you need them, they are invaluable.

I got the winter pack on my GTI but don’t remember ticking any boxes for it?

Climate screen was an extra, glad I ordered that.

[fredgroves]

I got the winter pack on my GTI but don’t remember ticking any boxes for it?

You have a Mk7.5 thats why

I never spec'ed winter pack on mine either but it had heated seats and presumably washers too.

[mcmaddy]

The water bottle isn't heated so if that freezes even if you have heated washer jets you'll still get no water. It's only the actual jet so making sure the washer fluid is the right mix would be a good start anyway.

[sjw]

Does the Mk7.5 have heated jets? When are they on?

[SRGTD]

The water bottle isn't heated so if that freezes even if you have heated washer jets you'll still get no water. It's only the actual jet so making sure the washer fluid is the right mix would be a good start anyway.

Agree; correct mix for the weather conditions is more important than heated washer jets.

Also, the Golf’s washer jets are protected from the worst of any cold airflow as they’re recessed under the edge of the bonnet nearest the windscreen rather than fitted on top of the bonnet.

[StuC]

For reference I’m in Scotland so it does get pretty cold. I was using undiluted screenwash last winter and the jets still froze. Definitely the jets as sometimes it would work when I set off but then quickly freeze up, presumably with the wind chill. But that was on a Mondeo so I don’t know if it would happen in a Golf. Have never had an issue with my Caddy and it doesn’t have a winter pack.

Basically I’m trying to decide whether to move on from this car and find one that’s got a winter pack. I suppose a flipped question would be - does heating the jets seem to keep the screenwash working? I’d have thought the engine heat would deal with the pipes.

Heated windscreen is also a good point which I hadn’t thought of!

[Finglonga]

As long as you use decent screen wash yo do not need them. Had them on older cars and although the jests were heated the pipe and sometimes the washer tank froze so they were useless.