Auto wipers run the battery down?

[jediknight36]

I was able to take a test drive of a new 09 and the salesman told me that with the new 09's, you have to set the auto wipers, if you have them installed, to off when exiting the car or they stay on all night and you have a drained battery. Any word on this?

[iwantmysmart]

for right now that is true for both the wipers and the lights. Smart is working on fixing the problem as soon as possible

[jediknight36]

So... That means at least by the next model... That sux.

[paroyboy]

why would those systems be different on the 09 than the 08? I keep my lights on auto and have the wipers on auto too.

[mdfortwoguy]

Wonder what changed on the '09s.

My lights live in auto, and while I make an effort to turn the wipers off, they stay in auto some time as well.

As a matter of fact, I was away from my car for 11 days last month when I was out of town, and I left both on (I remember because I was peeved that dust got dragged across my clean windshield when I started moving... apparently it confused the wipers.

[jediknight36]

I dunno. Thats my question. Thats what the man said but I have not heard it from anyone else and he stated it like it was intended or something.

[rawlus®]

i don't find the salesmen at auto dealerships to be very knowledgeable about what they sell. in many cases, the customer is far more knowledgeable.

[jediknight36]

So how do I know if this is true then...?

[chieftmc]

Originally Posted by jediknight36

So how do I know if this is true then...?

iwantmysmart seems to have a bead on it (post #2)

How about it iwantmysmart, where did you get YOUR info?

[Suze]

I've had my 08 smart for 10 months, 11,000 miles. I leave the auto lights and auto wipers on all the time.

They do not run when the engine is off. If this has changed on the 09, I can't imagine why. Seems silly to me.