We don't got that on the TSX do we ?
It seems to be standard on JDM Accord.
what does it do ?

 

not that important to me, bigger gripes are where's my heated side mirrors, oem mp3 player w/ id3 tags, xm radio, or lighted sterring wheel controls?

 

i think it senses rain. and provides you with an umbrella when you step out of the vehicle. that's my understanding anyways...

 

we get that on the luxury down here

when it rains the wipers work automatically ** shrugs shoulders ***

 

Go take a test drive in the rain in any high end luxury car and you'll find out. It is for the folks too lazy to turn on the wipers themselves - or just another gadget to brag about in their car that can fail. On the BMW M3 if it fails, they have to replace the whole windshield.

 

I had that on my Renault Clio when I was there. I thought it was a really cool feature, especially when driving into unstable weather when it rains hard for 30 seconds, then stops, starts raining a little again, stops, and so on.

I don't see why the TSX shouldn't have this feature, this and emergency brake assist.

 

Standard on 'sport' and 'executive' models in europe. Nice, but not a necessity... Instead of integrating the sensor in the rearview mirror they placed it next to it though...

 

I actually would just prefer the normal intemitant (sic) setup.

 

The TSX wipers are speed-sensitive aren't they?

 

I have in my Volvo XC70 Wagon and at first didn't like, but now they are the best. I really miss them when I use the TSX in rain. They work well in slush/snow as well, but heated mirrors would have been just as nice. Acura/Honda cuts the wrong corners to keep down costs.... these items are pretty standard on most cars/trucks and they even use them on other models they sell....

 

My last two cars had it and it was ok, but I was not impressed enough to even consider it when I bought the TSX. On over cast days(like when it rains) there really is no way of adjusting the speed down, they just go ape-shit and nothing upsets me more then mild rain and the wipers going full throttle. The way the system works(as it was explained to me) is it measures UV intensity and the rain changes that intensity and the speed of the wipers adjusts accordingly(you do have to turn your wipers on for this to work, it just automatically adjusts the intermittent setting), however when it rains there are clouds in the sky and seldom much sunlight, thus the wipers go full bore. Both of my last vehicles had adjustments to control the amount of rain they would wait before they engaged, I had both of them set to the extreme side and it was still to frequent for my liking.

 

It's adjustable on the EuroAccord also. Must say it works really wel. When you turn it down extremely you will see virtually nothing before it wipes. I have it turned down from the center also. Next to the amount of rain it's also speed sensitive...

 

It does everything your brain does

"Oh, it's raining. Time to use the lazy hand to turn on the wiper"

 

I've got rain sensors on my 2002 Jetta (one reason I'm amazed the TSX doesn't have them yet; I first had them on a 2000 Passat). They don't just turn on when it rains - they speed up and slow down based on the amount of rain falling. It's really nice that when it's raining and you are already a little stressed from worsening driving conditions, that you don't have to go messing with the wiper speed on top of everything else.

Hilary

 

Is it possible to get lighted steering wheel controls?

 

I don't see the connection with the rainsensor..... (but no, there is nothing available to get the steering wheel controls lighted; Maybe if the 05 model comes out and it will feature this you might be able to).

 

Yep, but they're terrible. Not an analog adjustment - you're either going fast enough for the faster speed, or slow enough for the slower speed. IMO either this should be done better, or the euro rain-sensing wiper should be brought here. Either solution would ablate the annoying problem they have now.

 

I was told about the speed sensitive wipers, but haven't noticed them working yet (I have the dial on the stalk to adj frequency of the sweep). Granted, I took delivery a day and a half before I had to go on a month long business trip (flew 3500 miles away, car home alone), and it didn't really rain...oh well, time will tell.

 

Basically, if you're going under 12mph the wipers move at the slowest intermittent setting. When you stop, they go really slow and will wipe once when you let your foot off the brake (so you can see when you start moving--I think this is a really cool feature). Once you're moving faster than 12mph, they'll speed up to whatever intermittent speed you have them set to. Whether this is a good or bad system, I don't know. I don't have a problem with it.

 

I guess it's better than nothing, but not much better.

 

I think it's quite a well thought feature.