Technical No way to check washer fluid level?

[Rockplough]

Did a search but nothing came up. Am I correct in assuming there's no way to check the windscreen washer fluid level on my 100HP? Seems straightforward enough to top-up, but the neck goes down into the bay and I can barely see the reservoir, let alone any way to check levels.

 

[rick500]

Just top it up to the top of the filler neck

 

[jrkitching]

Did a search but nothing came up. Am I correct in assuming there's no way to check the windscreen washer fluid level on my 100HP? Seems straightforward enough to top-up, but the neck goes down into the bay and I can barely see the reservoir, let alone any way to check levels.

:idea: Fabricate a disposable dipstick out of a strip of cardboard .

Works when checking the coolant level, too.

 

[Rockplough]

Guess I'll just top it up. Thanks anyway.

 

[portland_bill]

Jack up the offside.
Remove the front wheel.
Locate and remove the screws and one bolt that hold the front part of the wheelarch liner.
Peel the liner back and the washer reservoir is now visible.

Bit of a faff every week.

 

[Sweetsixteen]

Why not just keep it topped up?
A bit of regular weekly maintenance, where you also check for tyre wear, radiator fluid and oil levels, marks on paintwork etc is a sensible thing to do.

I keep a milk container in the boot, full of water. Great for washing off really mucky marks on windows - and if I use my washers often on a long dirty journey I've got a bit of reserve.

 

[portland_bill]

I keep a milk container in the boot, full of water. Great for washing off really mucky marks on windows - and if I use my washers often on a long dirty journey I've got a bit of reserve.

Seems a bit excessive, unless the roads are particularly dirt around your area.

 

[Sweetsixteen]

Love it!
Actually, a 2litre plastic bottle.
I recently followed, at a good distance, an empty cement truck. I still had to use the wipers and washers a lot, and when I got to my destination I found that it wasn't just road spray but a kinda of cement moisture mix. The spare bottle came in very useful then!

 

[g8rpi]

Don't know about the Panda, but on my Croma if you pull the little filter basket out of the filler there is a dipstick attached to it

Robert G8RPI

 

[jimboy]

I really wish this was the only thing I had to worry about at times when I'm in any of my vehicles..

Yes it's a facetious comment....

 

[portland_bill]

I keep a milk container in the boot,

Or perhaps one of these?

 

[varesecrazy]

Did a search but nothing came up. Am I correct in assuming there's no way to check the windscreen washer fluid level on my 100HP? Seems straightforward enough to top-up, but the neck goes down into the bay and I can barely see the reservoir, let alone any way to check levels.

I've got an '04 1.1 ..so this may not be 100% relevant..

when doing the checks..with the bonnet open - carry £10 in coins,

once you've dipped the oil , and checked the coolant,

you can grovel about under the car retrieving the coins you've dropped,

from there you SHOULD get a perfect view of the ACTUAL TANK - not the filler neck

 

[Sweetsixteen]

Just tell us where you park?

 

[Rockplough]

I really appreciate all the responses. I've decided to rectify this glaring design error one of two ways.

1. Rig up a fibre-optic camera (with LED lamp) adjacent to the tank, and have a permanent video feed to a small monitor I can check from the luxuriously appointed Panda cabin. Peace of mind whilst remaining in air-conditioned comfort. The camera will be kept clean by a secondary wiper/washer system fed by its own tank.

2. IKEA have these great angle-poise lamps. I can adapt one of these to fit a damp rag on the end, and mount the whole thing in place of the nearside wiper arm. It will be manually operated. The rag can be kept moist by replacing the driver side mirror with a dipping beaker. The genius of this is it rains so much the beaker will always be brimming full. I feel the whole contraption will only add to the Panda's quirky charm, and I need never worry about washer fluid levels again!

 

[dave]

topping it up is part of weekly checks, if you have gone to the bother of opening bonnet its madness not to top it up even if you could see it was still half full

 

[DaveMcT]

I really appreciate all the responses. I've decided to rectify this glaring design error one of two ways.

1. Rig up a fibre-optic camera (with LED lamp) adjacent to the tank, and have a permanent video feed to a small monitor I can check from the luxuriously appointed Panda cabin. Peace of mind whilst remaining in air-conditioned comfort. The camera will be kept clean by a secondary wiper/washer system fed by its own tank.

2. IKEA have these great angle-poise lamps. I can adapt one of these to fit a damp rag on the end, and mount the whole thing in place of the nearside wiper arm. It will be manually operated. The rag can be kept moist by replacing the driver side mirror with a dipping beaker. The genius of this is it rains so much the beaker will always be brimming full. I feel the whole contraption will only add to the Panda's quirky charm, and I need never worry about washer fluid levels again!

I once met an MZ motorbike rider (they are generally known to be the tightest skinflints in existence) who had "Dun up me bike" "Look ere" He had daubed silver paint over the rusty scabs on the exhaust. Ooh very nice. The downpipe from the cylinder was red rusty. I hadn't the heart to ask why he'd not painted that was well.

I couldnt resist asking why he had a plastic bathroom beaker screwed to his petrol filler cap. "That's me winder-screen washer."
He explained at great length how he fills it with soapy water and uses a washing up sponge on a stick to clean his helmet visor. He wasn't joking.