Mysterious Switch

[JohnO]

My '99 Outback has a switch on the console that turns on
something...but I don't know what. It's the one that has an icon of a
window and a wiper. I woke up this morning to a couple inches of snow
on my car, and turned that switch on while I took out the trash, etc.
Can't tell that anything happened.

....I did look at the manual, but it didn't really tell me what this
thing does.

-John O

 

[Funkadyleik Spynwhanker]

With the "winter pack" there are;

- rear window heaters
- windshield heater
- side mirror heaters

The side mirror heaters are a driver side door switch and light.

I think the windsheild heater is near the stereo, and the rear heater near
the cruise/fog buttons to the left.

The windsheild one is an assist only, you'd need some heat from the engine
and the fans going to defrost as well. Or it will make it easier to get up
ice with a scraper.

 

[Martin Whybrow]

My '99 Outback has a switch on the console that turns on
something...but I don't know what. It's the one that has an icon of a
window and a wiper. I woke up this morning to a couple inches of snow
on my car, and turned that switch on while I took out the trash, etc.
Can't tell that anything happened.

...I did look at the manual, but it didn't really tell me what this
thing does.

-John O

John
My '06 Legacy has a similarly marked switch, it heats up the area where the
wipers park to prevent them from freezing on the screen (or to unfreeze them
if they're already frozen).
HTH,
Martin

 

[JohnO]

With the "winter pack" there are;

- rear window heaters

Got that, works great.

- windshield heater

That must be the mystery heater.

- side mirror heaters

Those work great too.

The side mirror heaters are a driver side door switch and light.

I think the windsheild heater is near the stereo, and the rear heater near
the cruise/fog buttons to the left.

Mine is below the seat heater buttons.

The windsheild one is an assist only, you'd need some heat from the engine
and the fans going to defrost as well. Or it will make it easier to get up
ice with a scraper.

I'll have to look closer for the wires in the windshield. Thanks!

 

[B A R R Y]

That must be the mystery heater.

Look for "heating tape" along the bottom of the windshield, where the
wipers park.

 

[nobody >]

With the "winter pack" there are;

- rear window heaters
- windshield heater
- side mirror heaters

The side mirror heaters are a driver side door switch and light.

I think the windsheild heater is near the stereo, and the rear heater near
the cruise/fog buttons to the left.

The windsheild one is an assist only, you'd need some heat from the engine
and the fans going to defrost as well. Or it will make it easier to get up
ice with a scraper.

What the windshield heater does is unfreeze the wipers. If you look at
the pattern of the elements, it's right where your wipers park.