Am I just used to German cars, or are the windshield wipers supposed to return to the down positon when the vehicle is turned off? My windshield wipers in my '03 X stop wherever they are when I shut off the vehicle. I just noticed this, and was wondering if this is normal or if I need to replace something to get them to return to the down position at vehicle shutoff.

They should return if you shut off the switch. If you just turn off the ignition, they stop in place.