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Hi, i was out today and it was raining and my front wipers just stopped and the automatic/continuous position only works if you hold the wiper stalk up manually otherwise it gets stuck after you flick it on.
Is this a common problem?
Also if it helps twice in the past year I’ve started my car and smoke appears behind the steering wheel above the indicator stalk then stops after a few seconds?
Any advice will be very much appreciated
Im planning on changing the indicator stalk any due to the smoke.
Thanks, Jack

looks like some wires melted. I would remove the plastic covers and check the wiring to see where the smoke came from and what needs replacing. If it was an electrical fire your car could actually get burned.

I've not experienced any of this - yet - but the wiper stalks on same age Polo/Ibiza/Fabia and probably A1 have been getting a lot of bad press, I've not spotted one causing smoking - yet - so you have been very unlucky.

Edit:- as these controls, like wiper/washer, are all now just low current signal demands being sent to the BCM - and it handles the load switching, I'm a bit surprised that you have spotted any smoke - that might not make fixing this quite so simple.

I have changed both stalks and while i was i there i noticed a burn mark on the steering column and melted plastic on the indicator stalk on the inside. It seems there was a bad earth and was earthing from multiple point on the steering column so i taped up all the possible places on the new one and works a treat.
Cheers