In the past, not so very long ago, you could still order them on your new car: headlight wipers. A completely useless option, but you greatly appreciated your car. Nowadays, since the arrival of xenon, they are no longer available.
Germans tend to interpret these washes with one of the longest words in my foreign vocabulary: Scheinwerferreinigungsanlage. In normal Dutch headlight wipe/wash. Windshield wipers for your headlights. A completely useless option. A fairly annoying option too, because after spraying once, the entire front of your car is covered with foaming window cleaner. Yet purists swear by the presence of a set of headlight wipers on their youngtimer. Not because it's so useful. But simply, because it fits so well into the era of the car. Do you have a youngtimer in mind and is it equipped with a headlight wipe/wash? Check its operation. The trade in empty wiper arms is thriving and before you know it you are wrong/was.
Chris de Raaf.