We’ve had some pretty bad weather here recently, with snow and freezing rain and everything that comes with that. Specifically in this case, the “everything that comes with that” means frozen windshields. As you may already know, there are two major schools of thought when it comes to ice-covered windshields that result from a car being left outside overnight in cold, inclement weather: raise the wipers or leave them down.
Wipers up or wipers down. It’s the sort of question that has torn families apart for centuries. There are pretty valid reasons for either choice, I think, but I think fundamentally it comes down to personal preference. And that brings us to the ethical conundrum I was recently informed of by a friend of mine. This person lives in a place with a good-sized communal parking lot where the tenants of the complex park. On one of the recent nights where we got snow and ice, they noticed a neighbor walking from car to car, raising people’s wipers off their windshields.
My friend is not someone who subscribes to the wipers up school of thought; they’re a wipers down person. And while nobody doubts that the motives of this wiper-raiser were anything other than altruistic, the act of raising those wipers was nonetheless not a welcome act to my friend, nor would it be to many people. Some people may appreciate it, but overall, I have to ask: automotively, is this ethical?
I don’t think the actual details of wipers up versus wipers down really matter here; the question is whether or not doing something one firmly believes to be beneficial to a car you don’t own is okay or not. The wipers up/down example is a good one because it’s not universally agreed upon; even if the unbidden wiper-lifter believed he was saving people the hassle of freeing their frozen-to-the windshield wipers and protecting them and their wiper motors from damage, others believe that he could be exposing the wiper arms to more damage.
For example, I have several old cars with fragile or finicky wiper setups, and someone unfamiliar with them lifting them up could cause damage. Lifting people’s wipers, I think, is a fundamentally presumptuous act, one that blindly assumes that your own methods for dealing with an icy windshield are the best. There’s an arrogance to the act at worst, and an ignorance at best.
In this case, I think it’s wrong to mess with someone else’s car, even if your intentions are good.
That said, personally, I’m not someone who is particularly fussy about my car being touched or anything like that. If someone thinks my car has an interesting detail and runs a finger along it, I don’t mind at all, but I know people who do, so, generally, I try and treat people’s cars with the assumption that their owners are fussier than I am. But I do think if there’s a situation where you can provide a clear and unquestionable benefit to someone’s car by physically interacting with it, you can and maybe should.
The most invasive example I can think of may be if you’re walking by, say, an older car with open wind-up windows, and a heavy rain starts. If that were my car, I would be thankful if someone opened my door and rolled up my windows. But what about an open convertible in the rain? That’s a worse situation, but I do not think I’d be comfortable putting up someone’s manual convertible top, simply because that’s an operation that may be significantly more complex than rolling up a window, and has more possibility for me to break something. But if I had a tarp, would I throw it over the open car? Probably?
It’s a pretty murky area. Now, if a car’s parking brake popped off and a car started to roll away, I think most of us would at least see if a door was open to try and get the car stopped, right? That’s a much more dire situation than a wet interior, and comes with some public safety risks.
So where’s the line, there? Is it ever okay to mess with a car that’s not yours if your intentions are good? I’d love to know what we, as a community, are thinking. If you saw an Autopian sticker or badge on the car, would that change things? Let’s think this through and show our work here; this is more of a subtle problem than it seems. Except maybe for the wipers guy; I think that dude should just leave his neighbor’s cars be unless asked.
Here, you can pick a stance in this poll before we get into it in more detail in the comments:
Only thing I would do to someone else’s car is maybe close their fuel door if they forgot it opened. Besides that yeah no not touching some randos car. Now if it is a close friend or family I might goof around with them.
I might not welcome that, considering I once had a car that had a broken fuel door release that, hence, required quite a sequence of steps and contortions to open … maybe I’d left it open on purpose.
And, unlike the open-window downpour scenario, there’s nothing really in danger with an open fuel door.
Guess it depends newer cars dont have fuel caps so you could get rain/snow into the take if it has one of those types. Or worse the person forgot the cap off and door open
One of my neighbors car, a 2nd gen Fusion always seems to have the fuel door open at various times. The car also barely moves from its spot. I never touch that door but the urge to is strong.
Also have another strange neighbor with a Hyundai hatchback and they always have the hatch open and they even wrote on the drivers side rear window Hatch Open –>. I have no idea what they are doing.
Wipers scenario is foolish, but one other ok to touch situation I’d say would be if there’s a parked car with a carseat in the back, and an open door, it’s probably fine to close the door assuming the parent missed it dealing with a little monster. I’ve been that parent, and am thankful if someone helps me out…
I have helped many parents by putting the diapers they drop in the parking lot on their windshields.
lol, are these used, poo bombs? Put them under the wiper?
Yes. On the passenger side, just to maximize the hassle of removing it when (if) you notice.
I think you’ve solved the dilemma question in this article- it is OK to pull up the wipers, if and only if you are returning the vehicle owner’s soiled diaper, and nicely securing it under the wiper(s). Whether there is snow or not is entirely secondary
I don’t put it under the wipers. I place it on the cowl.
I normally wouldn’t touch a vehicle without permission, but since I am performing a selfless act by returning lost property I allow it.
Hoping the the diaper was left by that car, and not the previous car in that spot. Because that would be a miscarriage of “justice.”
I have only ever done it when I witnessed it being dropped.
How do you know the car you placed it on was responsible for it?
^^ Only when I see the drop.
I’ve closed people’s trunks before when I’ve seen them left open.
Thanks. I was trying to air out the smell of mortality. Now it’s in the headliner.
I think I’d be cool with it if someone tried to put up my NB Miata’s top. Not getting in the car, latching it, and zipping up the rear window again (prior owner put on a fancy top).
Just the basic half-way up state where it’s hovering would do a great deal to prevent water getting in. Or maybe it wouldn’t, with that rear window… Not going to test that.
I won’t speak for the rest of the cult.
I’m with you on that one; I’d be fine if someone did that to a convertible I had.
I think the prior owner put on an NA top. The NB tops can fold without unzipping the rear glass.
This is my second 2001 SE, and the first had a regular top. Could drop or raise in like 15 seconds.
This one, I believe, has a Robins zipper top. Seems compatible with all NA & NB. $1300+ top on a $6k car. There are benefits, but it’s kind of annoying to reach back there and zip it up. It’s down 99% of the summer anyway.
https://robbinsautotop.com/convertible-tops-416/mazda-438/mazda-miata-1990-2005-top-complete-2963
If you did that on my ’12 volvo, you’d discover that the wipers don’t clear the cowl and you’d be scraping paint off my hood. Ask me how I know…
So, here’s the thing. DON’T TOUCH OTHER PEOPLE’S CARS WITHOUT THEIR PERMISSION. EVER.
thank you
Don’t fuck with another man’s automobile.
You don’t do it. It’s just against the rules.
You know what they call a Quarter Pounder with cheese?
Don’t touch my stuff.
I’m not in the mood of getting shot, so no.
We need more animated hand drawn topshots on this site!
Never mess with another person’s car.
No no no. This is a BAD practice regardless of ethical considerations. Doing so stretches the springs holding the wipers in place and creates a maintenance issue down the road.
Great. So it does accomplish something.
More likely the springs were already compromised if that’s the case. As in rusty with diminished capacity. They might even break right then. But don’t do anyway.
I live in Minnesota. I couldn’t find another car’s wipers not flipped up if I tried. But I personally don’t do it, and would be annoyed if somebody else did it.
I’m in Wisconsin, and I can only think of a few times in my life where having the wipers flipped up was helpful. (Such as rain that turns to a sheet of ice on the window and freezes the wiper blades to it.)
I’m also in Wisconsin. There are a number of wiper lifters on my block, but I am not one of them. I find that lifted wipers get in my way during snow removal.
Southern winter weather frequently involves ice or sleet.
I think a neglected part of the equation to also weigh is that intervening with someone’s vehicle often deprives them of useful information.
I know many owners couldn’t care less about their vehicles, but if we steelman their orientation to be like ours here, fixing something after an event (like say putting windows up in a rainstorm) may hide a problem that the event caused, which is probably worse for an enthusiast than the actual damage.
If you’re not going to stick around, is it right to control someone else’s information?
General rule of thumb is don’t touch without express permission of the owner.
Like all good rules, there are exceptions. If anyone or anything is in danger due to the vehicle (e.g., kid or pet locked in on a hot day) attempt to find the owner and if that fails, save the kid/pet.
If someone idiotically parks in front of a fire hydrant and you are a firefighter, jaws of life the doors open and run the hose through their car, making sure to use the leakiest hose on the truck.
I’m sure there are others (double parking, blocking driveways, etc.)
jaws waste time just bust the windows much faster.
True, but why waste a good training opportunity?
I left my kids outside in a parked car when I stopped by home to pick up some stuff. The kids chose to stay in the car so they can watch YouTube undisturbed.
Someone rang our doorbell frantically trying to alert me that I left my kids in the car. If I didn’t get to the door in time she might have called the cops.
The problems are:
The car is an EV and the air con was on.My kids are 14. They may be idiot teenagers but they know how to open car doors.
I’m definitely thinking babies here, as are tragically on the news every summer when a harried new parent forgets they have a baby in the back set. Any kid who can talk should be able to say if they are trapped or just waiting.
Good point on EV a/c’s though. I suppose potential do-gooders will need to learn to feel the glass to tell if the a/c is on or not.
You know, they can just run the hose over the car but choose not to.
My understanding is that those high pressure hoses need a near straight line from the hydrant. Bending it over a car can cause enough of a kink to restrict flow.
Well, the window generally isn’t any lower than the hood or trunk.
Maybe. Prolly not. But where is the fun in that?
Nope, you don’t fuck with another person’s car. To each their own
Here are my top reasons NOT TO DO THAT:
Variant of 1 and 10: some cars the wipers are visible (partial hideaway?) but they don’t hinge up when closed, so you’re going to whack them on the underside of the hood if you try.
2 of my cars are like this. Always check before you just jerk the wiper arm up. But only on your own car.
Tough one. Generally; no touchie, no breakie is my overall life mantra. However, in my building is a woman who cannot walk very well, so I do clear the snow off and from around her car. Otherwise no, that whole good deeds thing is scary true.
Nah, don’t touch someone else’s car or bike without prior permission. This also extends to those window washing folks that start wiping your windshield down at red lights.
Not ok!
If I’ve forgotten to close the fuel flap or the trunk, thank you for the assist.
But wipers in the air is not a standard resting state. Raising them for snow is not a standard practice.
You already said it well: “…a fundamentally presumptuous act, one that blindly assumes that your own methods for dealing with an icy windshield are the best.”
Not my car. Not my problem. Besides, my car has wiper defroster strips. Leave them down. The car will take care of it.
I’m in the don’t touch other people’s car camp. Hell my Caddy I had the wipers couldn’t be lifted, at least not in a way it would stay, the wiper arm would hit the hood. I would be frustrated if someone broke something trying to overcome this, or if it resulted in people attempting this to be a regular occurrence.
No, don’t touch someone’s car without their prior permission, even if your intentions are good
Hell no, Do not touch someone else’s car. Hell, you may set off their car alarm by accident.
There are alot of idiots with good intentions. Don’t touch my stuff. Ever.
If you lock your dog inside your car on a hot day, I will smash the window and feel no remorse.
Oh yeah, that’s fine, you have to do that
If a dog is left in a car on a hot day, it’s ok to smash the window without checking to see if the door is unlocked.
A lot of cars these days have “dog mode” where the AirCon is still running, so before you do, maybe make sure that it’s not being cooled.
You’d better…
-make sure there aren’t any cameras around,
-have good legal representation,
-and exercise more common sense than heroism or self righteousness.
Just kidding. As the vast majority of respondents to the poll above agreed, the answer is “What? No. You know what the road to hell was paved with.”
I locked my two dogs in the car once. It was a hot day. But I had parked well within the deep shade of a large tree, all the windows and sunroof were open by about four inches to catch what was a significant breeze, and I left them a bowl with a gallon of cool water. I judged the temperature inside the car to be under 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
At the time we lived in a farmhouse with no air conditioning. The indoor summer temperature there typically hovered around 80. When it got into the triple digits outside, the house could surpass 90 in the afternoon. Ideal for dogs? No. It wasn’t ideal for people. But those were common living conditions there and we were acclimated to them. My dogs’ favorite thing to do at the end of those hot days was to run ahead of my bike as we raced around the perimeter of that 60 acre ranch. In the heat.
After about half an hour, I returned to find a very angry note under my car’s wiper, promising glass breakage should I ever “do this again”. Once I sat down behind the wheel to read it, a very angry person marched out of a nearby office and began lecturing me, repeating the threats they’d written. I just stared at them, awkwardly and wordlessly, until they sputtered a recap and stomped off.
I raised those dogs from feral pups. It took a month just to domesticate them enough that they’d accept treats. They lived to be seventeen and eighteen. I spent tens of thousands of dollars on their medical care, including one ear hematoma bill that broke eight grand. I made their food. We went everywhere together. They’ve been gone for years and I still think of them almost hourly. They’re still the lock screen on my phone. No one was more committed to caring for those dogs than I was. I will never forget them.
Hopefully someday I’ll forget that lovely cubicle dweller who explained the severity of my negligence to me. I’ll bet if there was a heeler or border collie baking in the sun on the back of a flatbed in the same parking lot (a common sight in farm country), they’d tap a coworker’s shoulder and point out the cute doggy.
So if it looks like an animal in a hot car is facing mortal peril, do what people absolutely must do if they see a baby in the same situation: Call the police. If they don’t show up fast, consider vigilante action. But also consider the entirety of the situation and try not to let bravado step ahead of legitimate concern.
Messing with some one else’s car is like sleeping in their bed. You need clear permission.
As a motorcycle rider, I know never to touch anyone bike without their say, so the same should go for cars.
I would bend to rule in the case of active fire….
I once came across a bike on its side in a lot. As much as it pained me to leave it like that, I’d never want anyone to right my bike if it happened to me, as I’d want to know it had gone down.