Open 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM MON-FRI
Located in the Montavilla Neighborhood 707 SE 82ND AVE. PORTLAND, OR 97216
503-254-7310
Lift an Audi’s wiper arms from their parked spot and you can chip the hood paint or strain the wiper motor. That’s why Audi builds in an Audi wiper service position, which swings the arms up the glass so they can fold away safely. Smearing usually starts the search. In Portland it tends to arrive with the first steady rain of the season and the darker drive home, when a streak catches every oncoming headlight on SE 82nd Avenue. A & P Specialties has worked on Audis in Montavilla since 1985, and the fix is often simpler than a new set of blades.
Quick Summary: Key Takeaways
- The lever does it: on the 2024 Q5 and 2018 A4, ignition off plus the wiper lever in position 4 raises the arms.
- Your model year decides the details: the 2024 Q5 and 2018 A4 manuals word the step differently and use different menu paths.
- Streaks often come from the glass: an Audi bulletin calls for cleaning the windshield before any blade is replaced under warranty.
- Fog on the inside is a separate fault: an oily film there points to the heating system, not the wipers.
How to Set the Audi Wiper Service Position From the Lever
One move of the stalk does it. The Audi owner’s manual for the 2024 Q5 has you turn the ignition off, then keep the stalk at 4, the single-wipe position, while the arms climb into the wiper blade replacement position. The 2018 A4 book is shorter: ignition off, lever to 4.
Menus work too. On the 2024 Q5, switch the wipers off and go to VEHICLE, Settings & Service, Wiper change position. The 2018 A4 routes through the MENU button, Vehicle, the left control button, Service & checks and the same Wiper change position item. Neither works with the hood open. Other years vary. Check yours.
Getting out is the same in both books. With the ignition back on, keep the stalk at 4 until the arms drop to their parked spot, or simply drive off, since the wipers return on their own above 8 mph.
Streaks Usually Start on the Glass, Not the Rubber
A streaky windshield is often a dirty windshield. Audi of America’s bulletin 2020552/12, issued July 19, 2023, covers every Audi from 2010 to 2024 with glass that looks streaked, shows a snakeskin pattern or feels rough. It blames industrial fallout and road grime.
Its fix starts with washing the glass, putting the wipers in service position and cleaning residue off the blades with household glass cleaner, and a dealer must do that and find a real defect before a warranty blade swap. Clean the glass first. Put new blades on contaminated glass and they’ll smear just like the old ones, and you’ll blame the blades.
Wipers are also on the checklist when A & P does a full inspection, alongside lights, belts and fluids.
Chatter and Skipping Come Down to Blade Age and Fit
A blade that hops across the glass has usually gone hard. Audi’s own manuals say the blades should be replaced once or twice a year for safety.
Fit is the other half. The blade has to click into the arm mount, and one that’s only partly seated will tilt and judder on every stroke. If the arms park in different spots, sweep unevenly or slow down, that’s no longer a blade question, and the check moves on to rule out the motor and linkage. Don’t force the arms by hand. The A4 manual says so plainly, and it wants frozen blades loosened before the wipers run on a frosty morning.
A Film on the Inside Glass Is a Different Problem
Run a finger across the inside of the windshield. If it comes away greasy, the haze you’ve been trying to wipe off isn’t on the outside at all, and new blades won’t touch it.
An oily film that fogs the inside glass is one of the warning signs of a failing heater core, along with a sweet smell in the cabin or a damp carpet on the passenger side. Slow-clearing fog points elsewhere. The defroster leans on the A/C to dry the air, so glass that clears more slowly this winter than last suggests the A/C side has stopped drying it properly.
Portland’s Dark Commute Shows Every Streak
A streaky windshield is at its worst in the dark and the wet, because every smear scatters oncoming headlights across your view. From November on, that describes much of the drive home on I-205 or Burnside. Your headlights matter too. Dim or yellowed headlamps paired with a streaky windshield leave very little margin on an unlit side street in Montavilla.
The service position helps on frosty nights, too. Audi’s manuals note it’s handy for fitting a cover that keeps ice off the windshield, and the A4 manual rules out gasoline, kerosene and paint thinner anywhere near the blades.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do I put my Audi wipers in service mode?
A: On the 2024 Q5 and 2018 A4, turn the ignition off and move the wiper lever to position 4, or use the Wiper change position item in the vehicle menu.
Q: Why won’t my Audi wipers go into service position?
A: Check two things. Is the ignition fully off, and is the hood shut? Audi’s manuals say the position can’t be activated with the hood open.
Q: Why are my new wiper blades streaking?
A: Usually the glass is contaminated. Audi’s 2023 bulletin calls for cleaning the windshield and blades before any blade is replaced under warranty, because residue on the glass, not a worn blade, is often what leaves the streaks.
Q: How do I get Audi wipers out of service position?
A: Turn the key or start button back on and keep the stalk at 4 until the arms come down, or just drive past 8 mph and they’ll park themselves.
Get the Wipers and Glass Checked on 82nd Avenue
Say where the smear sits. Inside or outside the glass, and whether new blades have already been tried, tells the technician where to start. Loaner cars are available by appointment while yours is in at 707 SE 82nd Ave, Portland, OR 97216, and every page of aandpspecialties.com carries the Schedule Appointment button.