Rear wash wipe - but not on saloons? why?

G Luxel

Why are only estates or hatchbacks equiped with rear wash wipe?
its impossible to see them on saloons. The Ford Orion/Mondeo Ghia, Renault Chamade and Mazda 323 had them but was it just as some sort of limited edition or were there problems with the mechanism.

I saw one on the door mirror of a Hino Lorry in Japan.
Big wiper on the passenger mirror.

There were also offered as standard on the door mirrors of a Nissan Cima II
in 88. Huge Luxury car for the japanese market

mike65

The reason is simple but flawed - the boot is supposed to protect the back screen from the backwash and thats all the designers think about. But of course other stuff lands on the rear window all the time.

I suppose a wiper arm would look 'odd' but only cos we're not used to seeing them on saloons.

Mike.

_Kaiser_

Funny this has been brought up cause I've noticed that I really miss it from my Mirage coupe vs the hatchback (Colt-style) version I had previously.

Would probably be a big job as there's no allowance for it on the existing wiper stalk?

Lump Basher

It pisses me off. Small cars have them, but bigger ones don't - WTF?? Back wipers always come in handy, and it took me a while to adjust to not having one - muddy back window after a rainy trip to boggerville stuck behind trucks!

Alun

They had them on the previous model Nissan Primera saloon, and very handy it was too.

TempestSabre

I noticed some of the Jap import saloons do have them. I really miss it too.

_Kaiser_

Can they be fitted or is it a big expensive job?

Big Nelly

What pisses me off is the clown you see going down the road with the rear wiper going non stop. Always a sign of a learner driver.

prospect

Big Nelly wrote:

What pisses me off is the clown you see going down the road with the rear wiper going non stop. Always a sign of a learner driver.

Why would that piss you off?

JohnBoy

yeah,

I mean what harm is it, especially on a hatchback on a dirty day the back gets manky fierce quick, not all cars have an intermittent rear wipe and in that scenario i'd normally just leave it on. gets annoying real quick switching it on and off. ohhh how i love the intermittent wipe on my focus

alias no.9

Big Nelly wrote:

What pisses me off is the clown you see going down the road with the rear wiper going non stop. Always a sign of a learner driver.

You might want to look into therapy for that , it seems like an awfully silly thing to get upset about. I had a P11 Primera saloon with a rear wiper. It had it because it needed it. When it rained, it was impossible to see anything in the rear view mirror without switching it on. In heavy rain, it was on all the time.

I've had hatchbacks in the past where I rarely needed to use the rear wiper and I have a 156 now which doesn't have or need a rear wiper. It's a case of horses for courses.

Big Nelly

I have never had a rear wiper and never had a problem seeing out of the back of a car/van/jeep. Try using the mirrors people. They are there for a reason. Try looking out the rear window in a transit van, or when you have a trailer on back full of equipment.

Also just a tip, better to look out front window:D

Big Nelly

alias no.9 wrote:

You might want to look into therapy for that

They wouldnt take me. Said I was gone too far:(

el tel

Big Nelly wrote:

What pisses me off is the clown you see going down the road with the rear wiper going non stop. Always a sign of a learner driver.

It could also be a sign of something else e.g. my first car was a VW Polo hatch and once the rear wiper was started it wouldn't stop. The only way to make it quit was to turn the ignition off.

jesus_thats_gre

G Luxel wrote:

Why are only estates or hatchbacks equiped with rear wash wipe?
its impossible to see them on saloons.

Have one on my 01 Nissan Primera saloon...

alias no.9

Big Nelly wrote:

I have never had a rear wiper and never had a problem seeing out of the back of a car/van/jeep. Try using the mirrors people. They are there for a reason. Try looking out the rear window in a transit van, or when you have a trailer on back full of equipment.

Also just a tip, better to look out front window:D

The rear wiper is also there for a reason, some cars need them more than others, some cars dont need them at all. The level of grime or water that deposits on the rear window is function of aerodynamics.

For the record, I passed my driving test in a van, so I'm well aware of how to use door mirrors. That doesn't mean that I shouldn't use the rear wiper to clear the back window of a car so I can use the rear view mirror, even if it would cause annoyance to you if you happen to be driving behind me.

AMurphy

The general idea is that the slope of the saloon car keeps the window clean, however, I did recently see a saloon with a RW. older model Toyota Corolla I think, not a common sight that's for sure, even on Toyotas. maybe it was a DIY job.

TempestSabre

Some of the original import integra's had them. 90-92

Eoin

alias no.9 wrote:

I have a 156 now which doesn't have or need a rear wiper. It's a case of horses for courses.

I dunno, the rear visibility is pretty poor in the 156 as it is. I think a wiper would be handy enough...

alias no.9

eoin_s wrote:

I dunno, the rear visibility is pretty poor in the 156 as it is. I think a wiper would be handy enough...

Rearward visibility is only fair but I don't find that dirt and water collects on the rear screen in the way it did on the primera.

gibo_ie

reason is that vans/hatchback cars are almost flat rear surfaces (to a point) and the way aerodynamics work will create a type of tail widc "vortex" of spinning air directly behind the car. This is the reason for flat back vehicles to have a wiper and salon cars not to have one.

Example is if you ever look at the back doors of an artic lorry trailer in wet weather, the doors will be filthy... this is not splash from the wheels as they are too far forward, this is the "vortex" behind the vehicle.

*Vortex may not be the right word but you get the idea...