Why do some cars come without a rear windscreen wiper?

Question

What is the reason why hatchback cars all come with a rear window wiper, however a saloon car with a seperate boot lid doesn't? How do they manage to keep their window clean and is there a reason why it can't be fitted?

Answer 1

Looking at the answers above is like a lesson in life there are so many really thick people around in case you cant sort the clever from the thick it is because of aerodynamics

Answer 2

Sorry, but the airflow over the top of a saloon and to the end of the boot lid keeps the window clear. With a hatchback or wagon, the air comes up from under the car and throws water and dirt on the rear window.

Answer 3

The rear wiper is a relatively modern invention. The same goes for rear window defrosters. No older cars, prior to hatchbacks and minivans, had rear wipers.
Some clever person saw a need and came up with the idea to help sell vehicles. It happens all the time.
The window glass on most conventional vehicles is too wide and narrow, and many are curved. It would be difficult, but not impossible to add a wiper on sedans.

Answer 4

It can bee fitted but there is really no reason and the answer is Aerodynamics. A saloon car has the right shape for the air to flow straight over it and the water get caught in the air and blows away. But in a hatchback the air flow dosent make it to the rear windsheild and thus you need a wiper to wipe it away.

Answer 5

The theory is the angle of the rear window means any rainfall will automatically bounce off, so a rear wiper would never be used.

This applies to some hatchback cars as well, like the Civic Type R.

Answer 6

I have a jap import subaru impreza saloon and it does have a rear window wiper where as my last subaru impreza uk spec didnt.

So im sure a rear wiper could be fitted to any saloon car although the window would need to be drilled by an expert.

Answer 7

i would like to humbly claim that you're wrong. nowadays, all cars (hatchback or saloon) come with a reare windscreen wiper. the purpose to have one is to wipe away the droplets during rain, as you do it for the front windscreen. this makes sense when you take your vehicle in the reverse.

Answer 8

It's probably because the car is at the bottom of the range and doesn't come with extras like that. My husband's car is a hatch-back and it hasn't got one, while my car is a saloon and it has. So........there's no general rule about this.

Happy New Year.

Answer 9

It sounds like you have a problem with the instrument pack (Clocks), I would get down to a scrappy or have a rummage about on ebay and try and source another instrument pack, as multiple failure like this is unlikely to be anything else, normally there is only one fuse for the entire pack so if this had blown the whole lot would be out. Your problem with the airbag is likely to be the clock spring on the steering column (its under the steering wheel), if your horn doesn't work, or works erratically then this is definately the problem there, but if not, it could be the detonator pack for the airbag, also known as the squib, that is faulty. Good luck and hope you fix the problems, old pugs are alright as long as you look after them!

Answer 10

because only long cars hav them