Wiper or washer not working properly

What causes it

• Perished or split blade rubber — blades are a consumable and last roughly six to twelve months
• Blocked washer jets, from limescale where plain water has been used or from wax after a valet
• A failed washer pump, a split feed pipe, or a cracked reservoir that empties itself
• A worn wiper linkage or a slipping spline at the arm, and on older cars a motor with worn brushes

Advisory or failure?

The test asks whether the wipers and washers together give the driver an adequate view of the road, and both are checked. A wiper that does not operate, or a blade so deteriorated that it no longer clears the screen properly, is a major defect; a blade beginning to deteriorate but still clearing adequately is a minor defect. Washers are graded the same way — no fluid delivered at all, or too little to clean the screen, is a major defect, while a jet that works but weakly is a minor. It is worth being blunt about the most avoidable failure on the entire test: an empty washer bottle is a major defect and will fail the car, so top it up before you go.

Can you fix it yourself?

Straightforward

Blades clip on and off in a couple of minutes. Buy the right length for each side, since driver and passenger blades are usually different, and lower the arm back gently — the spring will crack the screen if it snaps down onto bare glass. A blocked jet clears with a pin or a puff of compressed air, and the same pin adjusts the aim. If the pump hums but nothing arrives, look for a split pipe under the wing or a hose off at the reservoir before condemning the pump. Use proper screenwash rather than plain water: it keeps the jets from furring up and stops the reservoir freezing, which is what splits it.

What it costs

A pair of blades is £15 to £40 depending on the fitment, and fitting them yourself takes minutes. A washer pump is £10 to £30 in parts, with the labour depending entirely on whether the reservoir has to come out to reach it, which sometimes means removing a wheel arch liner. The top of the band is a wiper motor or a linkage assembly at £60 to £120 fitted. Flat-blade and heated blades on newer cars cost noticeably more than conventional ones.

What happens if you ignore it

This is the cheapest thing on the list to fix and one of the worse ones to leave, because the failure mode is losing your view of the road at the worst possible moment — low winter sun on a smeared screen, or spray off a lorry with nothing in the bottle. A wiper dragged across a dry or gritty screen also scores the glass permanently, and a torn blade lets the metal frame reach the glass and cut a curved scratch right across the driver's view.

Common questions

Does an empty washer bottle fail an MOT?

Yes. Washers are assessed alongside the wipers, and no fluid delivered at all, or too little to clean the screen, is a major defect and a failure. It is the most avoidable failure on the entire test, since the fix is a jug of screenwash, so top the reservoir up before you go.

Do worn wiper blades fail an MOT?

A blade so deteriorated that it no longer clears the screen properly is a major defect, as is a wiper that does not operate at all. A blade that is beginning to deteriorate but still clearing adequately is a minor defect, recorded without failing the car. The test is whether the wipers and washers together give the driver an adequate view of the road.

Why are my washer jets not working?

Blocked jets are the usual answer, furred up with limescale where plain water has been used or clogged with wax after a valet, and a pin will clear them and adjust the aim. If the pump hums but nothing arrives, look for a split feed pipe under the wing or a hose off at the reservoir before condemning the pump.

How much do new wiper blades cost?

A pair is £15 to £40 depending on the fitment, and fitting them yourself takes a couple of minutes. Buy the correct length for each side, since driver and passenger blades are usually different, and lower the arm back gently, because the spring will crack the screen if it snaps down onto bare glass. Flat and heated blades cost noticeably more.

Why do my wipers smear and judder across the screen?

Usually perished blade rubber, which lasts roughly six to twelve months, or a film of traffic grime and polish left on the glass. Clean the screen properly and wipe the blade edge before replacing anything. Juddering can also come from a worn linkage or a slipping spline at the arm. Never run wipers on a dry or gritty screen, because it scores the glass permanently.

Cars this happens to most

Of every model with at least 2,000 tests in the DVSA data, these record wiper or washer not working properly on the largest share of their MOTs. Across all of them the typical rate is 3.2% of tests.

1. Volkswagen Fox11%

   2,648 times in 23,316 tests

2. Talbot Express9.6%

   463 times in 4,826 tests

3. Nissan Figaro8.8%

   205 times in 2,319 tests

4. Hyundai Matrix8.7%

   244 times in 2,809 tests

5. Vauxhall Corsavan8.7%

   256 times in 2,948 tests

6. Smart (mcc) City8.7%

   364 times in 4,194 tests

7. Citroen C28.6%

   703 times in 8,206 tests

8. Nissan Primastar8.6%

   718 times in 8,383 tests

A high rate here is a property of the fleet as much as the car: these models skew old, and almost everything fails more with age. It is a reason to check the item on a used example, not proof the model is badly built. Models with fewer than 2,000 tests are left out because a rate drawn from a few hundred cars moves too much to rank.

Pass rates for every make and model →

Other common defects

• Direction indicator not working
• Stop lamp not working
• Lamp of the wrong colour, position or intensity
• Brake pipe corroded
• See all defects →