Disco 2 Electrics: Partial failure.

First post, so hope I'm in the right place!

My windscreen wipers failed yesterday, along with the heater/aircon system, the cigarette socket and the compass. Other circuits may have been affected, but these are the ones I noticed. All the fuses were okay (great fun checking those in a downpour). Luckily many systems, lights, indicators etc. were fine. The solution was to stop and re-start the engine, after which everything worked again. An hour later exactly the same thing happened, with the same solution successfully applied.

Can anyone suggest what issues I should be looking at please?

Swap relays R7(auxiliary circuits) with R8(heated screen) for test and if this cures it then relay R7 was shot and you need a new one

Many thanks for that. I'll try when I next see the car next weekend and report back. R7 & 8 are under the bonnet on my '03 D2 V8 Auto? Simple plug in part, less than a tenner?

Yes, you might need a YWB101300 instead of R7 cos that's the suspect, the relays disposal is shown on the fusebox's lid

Thanks once more sierrafery. The problem has ceased of its own accord, but I'll follow your advice if it reappears. Now just the brittle radiator return pipe I broke last weekend to worry about. And the leaking sunroof. And, and, and......

Be aware that electrical faults very rarely cease of their own accord. It will reappear in the future. At the moment all you can do is regard the fault as "intermittent" and continue trying to locate it.