How to Disable the Headlamp Washer on Infiniti QX56 and Nissan Patrol
The headlamp washers can be switched off entirely or set to a shorter or longer spray — it’s a BCM setting. No need to pull a fuse, and you can undo it in a minute.
On the Infiniti QX56 and Nissan Patrol, the headlamp washers fire automatically along with the windshield washer. On a long trip that just burns through fluid; in winter it’s a real risk. Ice and snow pack the bumper, the washers spray straight into it, and it’s easy to break a nozzle or rip off a cover. There’s no switch for it in the cabin, so a lot of owners simply pull the fuse.
There’s a cleaner way. The headlamp washers can be turned off with a body control unit (BCM) setting, and you can also adjust how long the pump runs. Here’s how to do it from your phone with an ELM327 adapter and the Canfiti app.
Why turn them off or shorten the spray
- Winter. Nozzles and covers frozen into the bumper are easy to damage, and the washers fire whether you want them to or not.
- Saving fluid. On the highway, with the reservoir running low and nowhere to stop, you’d rather spend what’s left on the windshield.
- Mud. On a long muddy stretch, quick squirts at the headlights don’t accomplish much but still use up fluid.
If you don’t want to give up the headlamp washers entirely, you can just shorten the pump time — the app does that too.
What “Headlamp washer mode” can do
The setting is on the “Body control unit” screen as a drop-down list:
| Option | What happens |
|---|---|
| “OFF” | Headlamp washers don’t run at all — not from the button, not with the windshield washer |
| “Duration 0.2s”, “Duration 0.3s”, “Duration 0.5s” | Short pump burst |
| “Duration 0.6s” through “Duration 1s” | Medium |
| “Duration 2s”, “Duration 5s” | Long |
According to the Canfiti developer, the unit itself accepts a wide range of pump times — from about 0.1 to nearly 12 seconds. He recommends against long settings, and they drain the reservoir faster anyway. In his demo video he ran 5 seconds.
There’s currently no way to keep the button and disable only the automatic spray — no such setting has turned up in the unit. It’s all or nothing: the washers work from both the button and the windshield washer, or they don’t work at all.
Disable, shorten, or pull the fuse?
Pulling the fuse is the blunt option: the washers stay dead until you go back into the fuse box, and there’s no adjustment. The app gets you the same result, but you can turn the washers back on in a minute from your phone without hunting through a fuse diagram.
How to choose:
- Snow, ice, a frozen bumper — “OFF”. In freezing weather it’s easier to wipe the headlights by hand at a gas station.
- You want the washers, but fluid goes too fast — a short duration such as “Duration 0.3s” or “Duration 0.5s”.
- You want things back the way they were — the value from the screenshot you took before changing anything.
Where it’s been confirmed
| Vehicle | Result |
|---|---|
| Infiniti QX56 Z62 | Works; the video shows the 5-second mode |
| Infiniti QX56 Z62, 2011 | Owner turned the headlamp washers off |
| Infiniti QX56 Z62 | Another owner turned them off |
| Infiniti QX56 Z62 | A third owner’s unit reads fine, set to “Duration 0.5s” |
| Infiniti QX80 Z62, Nissan Patrol Y62 | No specific reports yet |
On the QX80, Patrol Y62, and other CAN-bus Nissan and Infiniti models, it may work — connect and see if “Headlamp washer mode” is on the screen. US-market Armada (Y62) owners: no reports yet. More on these vehicles: Infiniti QX80 / QX56 Z62 and Nissan Patrol Y62.
Before you start
- An ELM327 adapter. iPhones work with BLE and Wi-Fi; Bluetooth Classic is Android-only. See ELM327 adapters.
- Canfiti 0.6.0 or later — older versions don’t have this setting.
- Ignition on.
Step by step
- Plug the adapter into the OBD2 port under the dash on the driver’s side and turn the ignition on.
- In Canfiti, tap “Connect” on the “OBD2 Device” card. Pick your adapter on the “Scanning devices” screen. For a Wi-Fi adapter, join its network first and give it 10–20 seconds.
- Tap the BCM card (“Body control unit”) and wait for the settings to load.
- Find “Headlamp washer mode”. The current value is shown under the name — write it down or take a screenshot.
- Tap the row and choose “OFF” or the duration you want.
- Wait for the write to finish. Back out and reopen the screen: the value is re-read from the unit and should match what you picked.
How to check the result
The most reliable test is a before-and-after comparison. Before you change anything, note when the headlamp washers fire: from the button and along with the windshield washer. After the change, repeat exactly the same thing under the same conditions.
- With “OFF”, the headlamp nozzles shouldn’t spray from the button or with the windshield washer.
- With a new duration, the spray should be noticeably shorter or longer. It’s easier to judge with a helper watching from the front.
Troubleshooting
The app won’t connect to the adapter
Close other OBD apps on your phone, make sure no second phone is connected to the adapter, and update Canfiti — version 0.6.1 improved adapter handling. Bluetooth Classic adapters don’t work on iPhone. For the full rundown, see the one-touch lane change signal guide.
“The unit is not responding”
Check that the ignition is on and tap “Retry”. If the ECU part number at the bottom of the screen looks suspiciously short — say, “1Z” instead of a full number like “1LA0ASB” — the adapter is probably cutting off replies. Try a different one.
There’s no “Headlamp washer mode” row
Update the app to 0.6.0 or later. If the row still isn’t there in the latest version, your vehicle’s unit may not support this setting. Post your model, year, and ECU part number in the DRIVE2 discussion — it helps track down why.
How to switch back
Open “Headlamp washer mode” and pick the value you had before. Fuses, wiring, and nozzles stay untouched — only the setting in the unit changes.
Also on this screen
- One-touch lane change signal — three flashes from a light tap on the stalk.
- Rain sensor and wiper modes, including the extra drip wipe after washing.
- All hidden BCM settings.