Have just aquired a Fabia hatchback and find the entire rear of the car collects road dirt and spray like a magnet. The front of the car is clean.
Is this a problem with all modern shaped cars as my previous 309, which had a sort of notch back, didn't suffer in this way?
A roof spoiler is available as an option, but will this have any effect in reducing "rear end turbulance"?
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It's definitely down to the aerodynamics but I don't know the details. Presumably a low pressure area is created behind the rear of the car into which the dirt-laden air gets pushed. I too noticed a huge contrast between two company cars that I had, a Rover 820 (kept clean) and a Volvo V40 (got filthy).
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I own a fabia saloon and wouldn't say that it is any more dirty round the rear than any other car I have owned. Maybe like you say it's the shape?
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I believe it's to do with the airflow over the car, the air would have flown smoothly over the roof and down the back window of an 800 fastback and a 309, all the dirt would have collected from the lip of the bootlid downwards, ie on the lights, numberplate and bumper. That point at which the turbulence starts on a Fabia hatch would be at the top of the back window, like it is on my Octavia estate, so the muck is still collecting in the same part of the airflow's "shape", it's just that with a Fabia you look through part of it. That's why they all have rear wipers.
Compare and contrast Citroen CX.
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VW Golfs are notorious for this. On the plus side, sp**d c%%%%s have real trouble with very dirty plates.
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Fitting a roof spoiler will make the problem even worse, IMHO. It will create a vacuum at the rear of the car as the airflow flows over the roof and upwards.
Why not try fitting rear mudflaps?
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Not all Fabia's have rear wipers! Mine doesn't! It's a pain not because of the dirt, just water from when the car has been stood still.
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I have noticed that grime accumulates on the trailing two inches of the rear doors of my ZX. I assume that the slight gap between the door and the rear panel creates just enough local turbulance to dump the stuff there. I have also noticed this on other models of cars. The excess grime is no doubt due to the pattern of airflow over the back of your car. I am not too sure that spoilers, which are to improve airflow patterns to reduce drag, etc, will also conveniently produce the optimum pattern of airflow to reduce dirt.
My theory is to wax it with a decent wax and then hopefully the muck will slide off when it rains (or not stick in the first place!).
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