Why don't saloon cars have rear window wipers?

specialman

specialman

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Pat MacInnes
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It's a question I've had high on my list for many years....

I just don't get it; why not. It's annoying when you go to reverse out in the morning and you can't see. I've resorted to using a squeegee, and I feel like a tit, especially as it's only October!!

I was once told as a child (probably just to shut me up) that saloon cars don't have rear wipers because the aerodynamics push the water off, which is blatantly just a cooked-up statement. If it isn't, it's certainly not the whole story and I've been somewhat duped......

Help :(
 
Well it's certainly true that my civc coupe doesn't have a rear wiper and it's also true that the rear window doesn't get caked in mud like a hatchback, so maybe there's some truth in the aerodynamics bit. It is annoying not being able to clear the rear screen of water though.
 
My Civic hatchback doesnt have a rear wiper. And is really annoying.

However years ago i had a honda CRX which did have a wiper but only needed it when stationary or slow as in the rain on the M/way it would stay dry (aerodynamics)
 
Some coupes have rear wipers. My skyline did. Infinitely sensible.

I'd stick some rainx on to encourage water not to stick.
 
There have been several saloon cars over the year which had rear wipers, one such car was the Ford Orion back in the 90's

it spoiled the look of the car somewhat and wasn't really needed due to the shape of the screen which shed water quite effectively anyway.
 
digitalfailure said:
There have been several saloon cars over the year which had rear wipers, one such car was the Ford Orion back in the 90's

it spoiled the look of the car somewhat and wasn't really needed due to the shape of the screen which shed water quite effectively anyway.
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It spoiled the look of an Orion?????? :puke:

:LOL:
 
The old 130ps Ghia and Si variant was a decent looking car compared to what was around at the time. :razz:
 
Long time since I was in the motor trade but was told as a youngster that it was harder to fit the motor etc into the roof area. They go into a hatchback's tailgate much easier.
 
digitalfailure said:
There have been several saloon cars over the year which had rear wipers, one such car was the Ford Orion back in the 90's

it spoiled the look of the car somewhat and wasn't really needed due to the shape of the screen which shed water quite effectively anyway.
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The original Orion Injection Ghia had a rear wiper as standard. A rear wipe was also available on mk1 Mondeo 4 dr saloons for a while.

It is all down to aerodynamics as previously mentioned. As the air flows over the roof of the car when it passes the rear of the car it rolls back on itself, picking up any dirt or spray thrown up by the rear tyres. Cars with a bustle or bootlid disrupt this effect, cars without get a dirty rear end which will also include the rear window.
You can try some Rain -X on the rear window, but rear windows are seldom effected by airflow so any water / dew will seldom roll off without help.
 
Never seen a mk1 or Mk2 Orion with a rear wiper, I had a C plate and an F plate Injection Ghia and they were both minus it.

The 90-> shape had it for a wee while
 
digitalfailure said:
Never seen a mk1 or Mk2 Orion with a rear wiper, I had a C plate and an F plate Injection Ghia and they were both minus it.

The 90-> shape had it for a wee while
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/38389354@N07/5462948863/ - it may be an escort but nonetheless it looks wierd.... seems he was thinking the same as me in a way. Check out the two-door orion thingy a few posts down :)

The Orion was a funny looking car agreed; it was like someone at Ford design had made a bet to see how much metal could be added before the car started doing a wheelie... possibly the biggest overhang ever. Anyway, I digress....
 
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digitalfailure said:
Never seen a mk1 or Mk2 Orion with a rear wiper, I had a C plate and an F plate Injection Ghia and they were both minus it.

The 90-> shape had it for a wee while
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Can't find any pictures or details on the net, but my mate bought a new 1.6i Ghia in 1984 and that had one.:shrug:
 
Hehehe the 2 door is a VW apollo, the whole world likes to rip Ford's design apart, but they get copied in one way or another by everyone else at some point.

Re the Escort...... the orion name was dropped in the 90's, in favour of Escort across that range.
 
I saw a 2dr Orion at Brands Hatch back in 95. Mind you it was a rally cross car. :)
 
Some imprezas had them, most cars don't have them fitted down costs, they new civic is supposed not to require one due to it's shape but that's Honda talking crap.
 
I would struggle to see when there would mount the motor without interfering with the boot opening?
 
This annoys me. Ever since passing my fork lift truck licence a decade ago I have the urge to drive around backwards everywhere going "beep beep beep". Can't see a damn thing in the rain.
 
Do you know, I never even noticed?
 
Sierra Sapphire Ghia, 88 plate had a rear wiper. It didn't spoil that car... went like ****** off a shovel, and did fantastic fish-tails around corners! Loved it!
 
Ziggy said:
I would struggle to see when there would mount the motor without interfering with the boot opening?
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The Orion and Mondeo wipers were mounted through the window at the bottom so I assume the motor was mounted on the rear shelf or beneath it inside the boot.
 
because 90% of saloons are driven by reps, who by law don't need to use mirrors, making the need for a rear wiper obsolete



...but truthfully, I don't know :)
 
antihero said:
because 90% of saloons are driven by reps, who by law don't need to use mirrors, making the need for a rear wiper obsolete

...but truthfully, I don't know :)
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You sir have made me laugh heartily. Thank you
 
Not my pic, but I have one of these....

http://www.jt-culture.com/images/200sx_240sx_meet/s14_200sx.jpg

with a wiper, and while classed as a coupe, for practical purposes of the discussion the design of the shell and boot is just like that of a saloon car. It hardly seems beyond the wit of mankind to fit a rear wiper to a "saloon" if that's what the designers/manufacturers choose to do.
 
No idea why not, in the same vein why dont all cars have electrically heated FRONT screens (as per Fords, spec dependant of course).

Also - reverse in rather than out please - speaking as a motorcyclist who was knocked off years ago by some wally reversing out (in the days before reverse lights were mandatory).

Matt
 
MatBin said:
No idea why not, in the same vein why dont all cars have electrically heated FRONT screens (as per Fords, spec dependant of course).
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Funnily enough I asked that very same question when test driving a Ford a few months ago and apparently it is because Ford own the patent.
 
Ford do indeed own the patent on the electrically heated front screen. A couple of other manufacturers have licensed it over the years though.
 
Quite a few saloons offered a rear wiper as an option, apparently it was too expensive to fit them onto standard cars due to the engineering (hole in window, hole in supporting parcel shelf for motor etc). If you check out the old mondeos and escort saloons you will see some with wipers and the hole in the window solution but like I said, it was only an option I think.
 
digitalfailure said:
Ford do indeed own the patent on the electrically heated front screen. A couple of other manufacturers have licensed it over the years though.
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Volkswagen must be one of them as I had it in the winter pack on my previous car, an 07 Passat sport. Really useful on an icy morning as melted ice on screen very quickly. Certainly wouldn't have traded it for a rear wash wipe!
 
I always thought it was because saloon cars always have a much steeper angle to the rear screen to allow for the bootlid. Hatches are much longer and shallower therefore the rain is less likely to run off as easily. That and it is easier to put a wiper motor in a hatch.
 
It's because of the airflow. The air right behind the car is swirling around, flinging muck all over the back of the car. On a saloon the air flows over the rear window and onto the bootlid before it reaches the end of the car, and hence the nasty swirly airflow isn't within the vicinity of the rear window.

That's the not-so-technical answer anyway :)
 
DDP said:
It's because of the airflow. The air right behind the car is swirling around, flinging muck all over the back of the car. On a saloon the air flows over the rear window and onto the bootlid before it reaches the end of the car, and hence the nasty swirly airflow isn't within the vicinity of the rear window.

That's the not-so-technical answer anyway :)
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I'd concur with that; IIRC, Volvo were on the first manufacturers to fit rear wash wipes. They first fitted in the late 60's / early 70's to the very boxy 145 estate. It was a classic case of Volvo trying to make a virtue out of necessity.
 
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