Washer bottle drained in under a week

[Witchfinder]

I'm assuming this has to be a leak of some sort, because I've not even used the washer jets since I brimmed the reservoir a few days ago. Anyone had similar experience? What's the likely cause - a hose popped off/leaking, or a hole in the reservoir itself?

[Burnzybubbles]

Is it actually empty? They have a tendency to block up and get full of slime, pull the wheel arch liner back on the passenger side and peel it back revealing the washer bottle, hopefully it'll all become obvious what the problem is

[mannyo]

UK drivers side for the washer bottle, and split pipes are very common on the D3 (usually the headlight washers).

[Burnzybubbles]

Yes my apologies, it is drivers side

[tersono]

Yep, I've had the same issue. Apparently very common. Was a leak in the pipe leading to the headlamp washers.

[tonupkid]

I had leaks twice now, and a gunked up washer filter. Seems to be a VAG thing to push fit the washer pipes together. In particular in VW's with pipes to the rear washer located in the headlining. A bit reminiscent of the delightful days of BMC. BLMC. Leyland. Rover (choose whichever you want. All the same)

[Witchfinder]

I'm fairly certain it's a leak. I brimmed the reservoir, haven't used the washers, but managed to add another litre to the reservoir earlier, and it wasn't even near the brim. No sign of any fluid dropping though. Thanks for the info, guys. I'll check to see if my warranty covers it before messing about with it myself.

[Lloyd]

I have a similar issue with my d2 think I've found the leak on near side bumper but can't access the pipe without stripping the bumper off

[moltuae]

Originally Posted by Witchfinder

No sign of any fluid dropping though.

Had a similar problem with my D2 a few years ago; kept emptying, but couldn't see any signs of leaking under the car.

Don't know if this is applicable to D3s or whether they even have a similar headlight washer setup, but mine turned out to be sticking headlight washer mechanisms. After washing the headlights, the washer jets would stay up for a while, causing the reservoir to empty. A few miles and potholes later, the normal vibrations and jolts of driving would seat them back down again, so by the time I'd parked up, there was no indication of what had happened.

I found that by pulling the washer jets up and cleaning/lubricating the mechanism helped for a while, but I eventually replaced them with new parts.

If D3s have similar pop-up jets, I would try washing the headlights while parked and make sure they're returning quickly and smoothly after each wash. You'll need have someone pull the stalk while you watch. If they're intermittently sticking, the only sign may be a jerky/slow return.