Put the Wipers in Service Position

To change the wiper blades on your Maserati Quattroporte (M156, 2013–2024), the arms first need to be lifted into their service position. Park them normally and they sit low under the bonnet lip where you can’t reach them. Here’s how to raise them.

The service position — sometimes called the maintenance or winter position — drives the Quattroporte’s wiper arms up to the top of their travel and parks them there, standing proud of the glass and the bonnet. It’s the mode you want whenever you renew the blades, and it earns its keep in winter too: leaving the arms raised overnight keeps the rubber from freezing flat against the screen, so you don’t rip a wiping edge or overload the motor trying to free them in the morning. It also opens up the scuttle so you can sweep out the leaves and grit that gather beneath the arms. This is entirely normal behaviour, not a fault — the arms simply aren’t reachable from their parked spot, so the car brings them to you. On this Maserati the sequence uses the wiper stalk and the ignition together, and it’s time-sensitive.

Why There’s a Service Position

At the end of each sweep the Quattroporte’s wipers drop into a parked recess along the bottom of the windscreen, sheltered under the trailing edge of the bonnet. That keeps them tidy and out of the airflow, but it leaves barely any clearance to lift an arm by hand. Prise a parked arm straight up and it fights its end stop — enough to bend the arm, tire the linkage, or scuff the bonnet lip as the blade slides past. The service position avoids all of that by using the wiper motor to raise the arms to a point where they swing away from the glass cleanly, so the delicate parking mechanism never takes the strain.

Before You Begin

• Close the bonnet. The arms rise into the space a raised bonnet would fill, and many cars won’t enter the service position with the bonnet up — keep it shut until the arms are standing.
• Set the ignition state correctly. The steps below depend on the stalk being in OFF and the ignition then being switched off, in that order.
• Deal with frost first. If the blades are iced to the screen, thaw or gently free them before triggering the lift, or a stuck blade can stall the motor.
• Have the new blades ready and confirm they’re the right length for the Quattroporte, so the arms aren’t left up any longer than necessary.
• Work one arm at a time so a hand is always steadying an arm and it can’t drop back onto the glass.

Moving the Wipers to Service Position

1. Turn the wiper stalk switch to ‘OFF’.
2. Turn the ignition off.
3. Within 15 seconds, hold the wiper stalk in the ‘MIST’ position.
4. The wipers move up to the service position, clear of the bonnet, where you can lift the arms and swap the blades.

Returning the Wipers to Normal

With the fresh blades fitted, fold each arm gently back down onto the glass — let it settle rather than snap under its spring. Then switch the ignition on and operate the wipers once. They’ll run a sweep and drop back into their normal parked position at the base of the screen, which tells you the service mode has cleared.

If It Doesn’t Work

• You missed the window. The car only accepts the MIST command for around 15 seconds after the ignition is switched off — start again from the stalk if you’re too slow.
• The stalk wasn’t in OFF first. The sequence needs the stalk set to OFF before the ignition goes off; reset it and repeat.
• The ignition was still on. The arms lift after the ignition is off, not while the car is running.
• The bonnet is open. Close it fully and try again — an open bonnet can keep the arms parked.
• The blades are frozen down. Free them by hand so the motor isn’t working against a stuck blade, then repeat.
• The wipers weren’t parked. Let them finish a normal sweep and settle before running through the steps again.

Changing the Blades

With an arm raised, hold it steady so it can’t spring back and crack the glass. Most Quattroporte blades use a common clip or hook fitting: release the catch where the blade joins the arm, slide the old blade off, and press the new one on until it clicks home. Tug it lightly to check it’s locked, then lower the arm slowly back onto the screen. If you’re not certain of the fitting type or the blade length, check your handbook rather than guess.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I put the Quattroporte wipers in service position?

Set the wiper stalk to OFF, switch the ignition off, then within 15 seconds hold the stalk in the MIST position. The arms drive up to the top of the screen, clear of the bonnet, ready to lift.

Do I need any tools?

No. It’s all done with the wiper stalk and the ignition — nothing to press under the bonnet and nothing to unbolt. You just need a free hand to lift each arm once it’s up.

How do I get the wipers back down?

Fold the arms gently back onto the glass, switch the ignition on and operate the wipers once. They complete a sweep and re-park at the base of the screen, cancelling the service position automatically.

Can I just lift the arms at their parked position?

Better not to. Parked arms rest against their stop under the bonnet lip, and forcing one up from there can bend the arm or strain the linkage. The service position lets the motor carry them clear first.

Why won’t the wipers enter the service position?

Usually it’s timing or order: the stalk must be in OFF, then the ignition off, then MIST within 15 seconds. Also make sure the bonnet is shut and the blades aren’t frozen to the glass.

Does this reset anything on the car?

No. The service position only repositions the wiper arms. It changes no settings, service counters or stored data, and once you re-park the wipers the car behaves exactly as it did before.

If a wiper fault light appears afterwards, look up the code on autodtcs.com.