T5 driver's side window visibility problems in the wet

[John Iddles]

Hi, we have only had our 2010 California 4-Motion for a few months but many motorway trips have been made in pouring rain and/or heavy snowfall. Grip and traction is not a problem with the Michelin Cross-Climate+ tyres I fitted, but one big safety issue I have is rain and melted snow streaming across the driver's door window and obliterating visibility, especially to the door mirror.

Has anyone found a simple fix or used wind deflectors to help modify the airflow and solve this problem?

 

[Meoncoast]

Never had it as an issue on the T5 or T6 but always had wind deflectors

 

[WelshGas]

Hi, we have only had our 2010 California 4-Motion for a few months but many motorway trips have been made in pouring rain and/or heavy snowfall. Grip and traction is not a problem with the Michelin Cross-Climate+ tyres I fitted, but one big safety issue I have is rain and melted snow streaming across the driver's door window and obliterating visibility, especially to the door mirror.

Has anyone found a simple fix or used wind deflectors to help modify the airflow and solve this problem?

Deflectors and RainX.

 

[2into1]

Interesting. There's been a recent debate about wind deflectors. My Climair ones have a little hollow behind the mirror that seems to be there just to encourage air flow across the window.

 

[SusiBus]

Hi, we have only had our 2010 California 4-Motion for a few months but many motorway trips have been made in pouring rain and/or heavy snowfall. Grip and traction is not a problem with the Michelin Cross-Climate+ tyres I fitted, but one big safety issue I have is rain and melted snow streaming across the driver's door window and obliterating visibility, especially to the door mirror.

Has anyone found a simple fix or used wind deflectors to help modify the airflow and solve this problem?

I've experienced the same on our T5, although I assume it will be the same with a T6 in similar conditions.
In very heavy rain the visibility in the driver's mirror is negligible and to put it bluntly, bloody dangerous.

I've avoided fitting wind deflectors so far because being tall, when I have tested them in other people's vehicles they appear appear to be in my line of sight while looking out of the side window, but if they overcome this potentially dangerous situation in heavy rain, I may have to reconsider it.

 

[MichaelB]

The mirrors are slightly lower on the T6 so I don't know if this was to help with this issue. That said, on both my T5 and now T6 I have had the windows treated with a water repellent like RainX (AutoGlym on the T5 and Gtechniq on the T6) and never had a problem. Never had wind deflectors.

 

[Hotel California]

Clean windows to start a trip , clean them during the trip (in the morning while packing up) , using RainX is very usefull been ising this product for over 20y on every verhicle i ownen even apply it on the outside rear view mirrors.

 

[Zebedee]

This has been a serious issue for us. Most recently on a nighttime horrendous 8 hour drive London to Devon in pouring rain and fog. And a particularly awful trip down the M4 to collect girlies from PGL. Have rain x on the front and in the water bottle but will try on the sides. Thanks

 

[John Iddles]

I've experienced the same on our T5, although I assume it will be the same with a T6 in similar conditions.
In very heavy rain the visibility in the driver's mirror is negligible and to put it bluntly, bloody dangerous.

I've avoided fitting wind deflectors so far because being tall, when I have tested them in other people's vehicles they appear appear to be in my line of sight while looking out of the side window, but if they overcome this potentially dangerous situation in heavy rain, I may have to reconsider it.

I have recently fitted wind deflectors and have found a worthwhile improvement but not driven in really heavy rain since. I will update if anything useful to add.

 

[rod_vw]

Never found it a problem with wind deflectors fitted either on a T5, T5.1 or T6.