Can I burn out wiper motors by not switching them off before I turn off my car?

27 years of driving... 20 or more vehicles...

Heck, I guess I've just been one lucky guy........

The winter can be a bad time to go this sort of thing as

Mustange has written, but other than that, I'm still lucky

Oh great, now I'm gonna go outside and my wiper motor is

going to be toast.........

The reason for turning the wipers off is that before you shut off the car you should cut everything electrical off. This is not to prevent anything from burning out. It is so that when you go to restart the car, you don't have a bunch of electrical stuff pulling on the battery and the car's starter won't have to work as hard. It's also not good for the battery. In answer to your question, no it won't hurt the wiper motor.

that drivers ed teacher is wrong. when you turn off the ignition switch then it cuts off any juice to the wiper motor. heck i leave my wipers up on the windshield because the glass is easier to scrape snow and ice off of it.

You'll probably do more damage to your wiper blades than your motor. If the blades are drug across a dry windshield they get damaged very quickly but it really doesn't damage the motor. If in the winter the blades freeze to the windshield the motor may rip them free and totally destroy them.

You CAN burn out your wiper motors if you drive a Camry, however. Be careful, Camry drivers. VERY CAREFUL.

Pfft. Once you turn your car off you take power away from your wiper motors.

Effectively turning them off.

wiper motors have contact points and circuit boards inside on newer cars and yes it is bad for them anyone who tells you different should read my answer