Windshield wipers in BMW stop working during a downpour – what is the reason?

BMW driver question

I have a problem with my windshield wipers. The first failure happens to me three months ago during a downpour and I was unable to turn them on. After stopping for an hour, everything returned to normal. Currently, sometimes they work and sometimes they do not. Turning the engine off and on, does not help. What could be the cause of such a malfunction?

The problem affected the BMW 5 F10, but it also happens in other models.

BMW 520d (F10) By M 93[CC BY-SA 3.0 de], from Wikimedia Commons

Response from BM Cars service

In the BMW F10 series, the FRM controller is responsible for the proper operation of the wipers. Signals coming to it from the rain sensor and from other controllers give additional information related to, among other things, driving speed, ambient temperature.

Based on the described symptoms, it is not possible to clearly determine what caused the problem with the operation of the wipers. It is necessary to carry out a thorough diagnostics of the vehicle.

BMW 520d (F10) By M 93[CC BY-SA 3.0 de], from Wikimedia Commons

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Wiper control in BMW by Michael Sheehan(CC BY 2.0) via Flickr

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Windshield Wipers on BMW 5 Touring E60 By Matthias93 [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons