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Old 20th April 2007, 01:15   #1
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Rear Wiper & Washer ? Why only on hatch backs and NOT on sedans?

hey,

was wondering why do most cars which have their rear glass integrated with the boot come with rear wipers , example all hatchbacks, notchbacks like Getz, Skoda, Audi TT etc come with wipers, while Sedans hardly have em , any specific reason ?
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Old 20th April 2007, 03:27   #2
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Its because of aerodynamics that cars with flat rear tend to deposit dirt on the rear glass.

Required by law in teh US.
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Old 20th April 2007, 15:00   #3
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Air flows smoothly over saloon's boot. But for hatches/estates, the swirling wind creates a vortex which accumulates dust on window.

Honda Civic's latest European version do away with rear wiper in spite of being a hatch - claiming design of rear window won't accululate rain water but owners say it does not and they should have provided a wiper instead.
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Old 20th April 2007, 15:20   #4
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This was informative but some hatches in india like wagonR / Estilo / Swift Diesel (All MUL) does not have rear wiper. So should this be something to do with the design of the rear or just a basic cost cutting approach?
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Old 20th April 2007, 15:36   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Firebird View Post
This was informative but some hatches in india like wagonR / Estilo / Swift Diesel (All MUL) does not have rear wiper. So should this be something to do with the design of the rear or just a basic cost cutting approach?
This is India dude. Basic Cost cutting.
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Old 20th April 2007, 18:24   #6
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See here for some other explanations

Why do you only get a back wiper with hatch backs and not with a boot? - Yahoo! Answers UK


[COLOR=#333333]Rear wiper in The AnswerBank: Motoring[/COLOR]
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Old 20th April 2007, 19:29   #7
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it is technically difficult to install wiper in saloon cars as there is the metal tray below and the roof is not having the structural strength and space to put it. skoda is a saloon as far as shape is considered, but it is the rear door design which permits rear wiper installation. it great helps during the rains and slush.
i always have to get out to clean rear glass of mud on long distance runs while my friend in skoda has no trouble. i did tried to install swift wiper (but the rear glass need reinforcement and a neat hole and make cutting into boot for puting in the motor assy,) finally dropped it. its not practical else manufacturer would have given it.
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Old 20th April 2007, 20:01   #8
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Here, like all safety features (which are mandatory elsewhere) come at a price. Hatches come with wipers on the rear only in high end variants
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Old 20th April 2007, 20:33   #9
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Even the cubbyholes you see in cars above the glovebox area actually the places where airbags are housed in. Here we present them as "more useful places to keep things"...
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Old 20th April 2007, 20:56   #10
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I was looking on cardomain and even the maruti 800 imported from india had a rear wiper and now i am getting one for my alto in rain its a pain to drive
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Old 22nd April 2007, 07:36   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by manikjeet View Post
I was looking on cardomain and even the maruti 800 imported from india had a rear wiper and now i am getting one for my alto in rain its a pain to drive
Well, I think that it's a tough job to install wiper on Alto's rear !!!
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Old 23rd April 2007, 11:20   #12
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Not if the company still makes it for the VXi variant as spares.
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Old 23rd April 2007, 12:14   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gigy View Post
i did tried to install swift wiper (but the rear glass need reinforcement and a neat hole and make cutting into boot for puting in the motor assy,) finally dropped it. its not practical else manufacturer would have given it.
the Swift ZXi comes with a rear window wiper. Its not very effective however because the wiper is tiny and the window is very wide, so only the middle portion is swept.
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Old 23rd April 2007, 12:18   #14
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The VIVA has wiper...although has small extended boot.....the position of the wiper is not central...
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Old 21st September 2007, 14:05   #15
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sorry to bump an old thread,... but did not want to start a seperate one as those searching on rear-windscreen-wipers will benefit.

hi all,

whatever be the reason of some cars not having a rear windscreen wiper, im more than convinced and feel a big need to install one on my OHC.

the demister only demists, yeah what else was it for. but who will remove the rain and slush that gets on the rear-wind screen during long highway drives during the monsoons?

so,... what i would like to do is a purely utilitarian mod, though the monsoons are almost getting over in mumbai, i will find use of it by next year.

i will of course choose the rear wipers that get fixed on the glass itself. i came across a post by TBHP member gigy, and he says he tried it but this mod required glass reinforcement

my question regarding this,...
- will the glass blow up while i drill. am asking this 'cause i think the glass is held under pressure from the rubber mountings that clip onto the frame.

- how much does a new OHC's rear windscreen cost? just in case something goes wrong

- what is this glass reinforcement, what is it and how to do it?

- which brand of rear wiper is best suited? the one on GETZ, Santro, Swift?

- i dont think there will be any water leak if the sealing is done preperly as per OEM standards,... but still do you have anything to advice on this?

- i'm planning to use the demister's power itself, and opt between using a flip over switch between demister and the wiper - as i dont have much use of the demister living in Mumbai (a blast of AC in demist mode clears the fog in 10 secs), i might deactivate it altogether - any suggestions?


though this mod may be a bit off track, i'm sure of the need for one. please advice me on whicever point you feel is necessary.



thanks in advance. i will be going on with this as soon as i get some time and some money to spare

Last edited by gbpscars : 21st September 2007 at 14:08.
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