Land Rover Defender Wipers Playing Hide and Seek?

I had a similar issue with my 2017 Land Rover Discovery Hybrid last month. My wipers were also working intermittently, and initially, I thought it was just the rain sensor. Took it to the garage, and it turned out the wiper motor control module was failing. The module was sending irregular signals, causing the erratic behavior. Not a catastrophic problem, but definitely needed fixing since it's a safety concern, especially during wet weather. The mechanic also found some corrosion on the electrical connections near the module. They had to clean the connections and replace the control module. The repair took about 3 hours. Since we have similar models, it's likely you're facing the same issue. Defender and Discovery share many electrical components. I'd recommend getting it checked soon, faulty wipers aren't something you want to gamble with. Make sure they test both the rain sensor and the wiper motor control module to pinpoint the exact problem.

Thanks for sharing your experience with the Discovery! That's really helpful, especially since it sounds so similar to what I'm experiencing with my Defender. Quick question, do you remember roughly how much you ended up paying for the whole repair? Also, has everything been working smoothly since they fixed it, or have you noticed any other electrical quirks?

Hey there! Happy to give you an update. Actually, my case turned out to be different from what was initially suspected. When I took it to the mechanic, they found that the problem wasn't the wiper motor control module after all, it was simply some bubbles that had formed under the gel pad where the rain sensor sits on the windshield. Much simpler fix than I expected! The total repair only came to 62.50 € and since then, the rain sensor and wipers have been working perfectly. No more unusual wiping or failing to activate when it's raining. Such a relief to have it sorted out properly! Sometimes the simplest solution is the right one, I guess. No other electrical issues have popped up either, which is great. The whole repair took less than an hour, way quicker than the control module replacement I was worried about initially. Just goes to show it's worth getting these things checked out properly rather than assuming the worst!

Thanks so much for the follow-up! I finally got my Defender checked out yesterday. My situation turned out to be a bit different from yours. The mechanic found that the wiper motor itself was starting to fail. It wasn't the rain sensor or control module at all! The repair was pricier than I expected, but at least it's fixed now. The mechanic was really thorough and even showed me the worn-out parts. Got to say, it was actually a much better experience than with my previous mechanic. The wipers are working perfectly now, no more unusual stops or hesitation. Funny how we both thought it was something more complicated, but ended up with different issues entirely. Really appreciate you sharing your experience, it gave me the push I needed to get it sorted. Nothing worse than unreliable wipers when you need them most!