They tell me that the only way to know if my washer fluid is full...is when it runs out on the ground? Is my dealer nuts? What if I want to fill it before the light shows?

 

Your dealer is correct. It will overflow when full.

 

found this out the hard way today. i was expecting fluid to overflow the fill spout, and i thought my bottle might have been cracked when i saw it leaking. good find --

 

I had the same experience today, freaked me out when the fluid started pouring out of the car. The sticker says it will hold 4 liters, but I tried to put a gallon (3.78L) in when it was bone dry and it poured out on the garage floor. Had to quickly come in and check the forum....

Spring is right around the corner!

Rusty

 

I either read it in our owners manual...or someone told me...the proper procedure for filling the washer fluid is wait for the low fluid light to come on, I think it triggers when only a quarter of the resesvoir tank is left, then add 1/2 gal of washer fluid. If someone has thier owners manual handy...maybe you could research and post the result for the forum.

 

Directly from my owner's manual....

Do not overfill the washer reservoir. Do not attempt to fill to the top of the filler neck. Fluid may leak out onto the floor or driveway causing a potential slip and fall hazard. When the indicator light first illuminates, the maximum fill amount is 1 gallon or 4 liters.

 

Yes this is another crap design feature in the car, most decent cars have a dip stick in there to check the level, or at least let you fill to the top. To have the overflow running into the inner wing and leaking out of the car pannel joints is a bizzare idea to say the least! One day Ill cure this by fitting a proper overflow pipe like it should have in the first place.
Ill add it to my list!
Cheers steve

 

"ANOTHER CRAP DESIGN FEATURE"?
Man if something as insignificant as this has you calling foul I think maybe a Yugo is more appropriate for you...
By the way, name a couple of cars that have a "dip stick" on the washer fluid tank.
I hope you find your day less stressful than your washer bottle made this one.

 

To explain my point:
A: even the Yugo dos'nt have a washer bottle which has its overflow draining water inside the inner wing pannel
B: My General Motors (Vauxhall in UK) Signum has a dip stick, My Peoguet 206 has one, and so does my little Suzuki Alto' If these bugdet cars have them, why cant the up-market Crossfire?
This doesnt stress me out though, its just one of the few shortfalls of this otherwise great car! Let me know if you want to know the others!
Cheers
Steve

P.s. I've now fitted a plastic tube to the bottle which drains out at the bottom of the sill when over filled.