[yodar]

No, no; I mean problems with my 08 xB.
The back window, deck lid and bumper collect dust, road scum and every bit of airborne flotsam imaginable!
I'm getting mud guards, which might help with all the crap being spit up by the tires, but I need ideas about how to reduce the crap coming off the roof.
Any and all suggestions are welcome.
Yodar

 

[boblamb58]

Re: Rear end problems

Er.. park it?

The mud flaps will help, and a good waxing will make clean-up easier, but there's no real sure way to prevent it.

 

[Geezer]

Re: Rear end problems

Does the spoiler deflect any air across the back end to help minimize resident dust accumulation?

 

[scion]

Re: Rear end problems

I doubt that the spoiler is going to give any relief from the dirt/dust collecting on the back of the xB since it looks like a small sunshade for the rear. Years ago, station wagons had a similar visor except it was angled down toward the window to direct the airflow over the rear window. Don't know if that worked either since I have never known anyone that had one.

If the spoiler works, I would put one on in a heart beat.

 

[yodar]

Re: Rear end problems

I know you're kidding around with your "park it" comment. But even then, it wouldn't work. I wash the car and park it overnight. By the next morning airborne dust and pollen are noticeable on the back end, especially the rear window. If I leave the car there another 24 hours, the accumulations are enough to bother me. Additionally, where I live (Oregon's Willamette Valley) there is often condensation on the roof in the morning, and when it trickles down it smears the dust and pollen and makes it look even worse.
I doubt that the rear spoiler would make any difference because of the gap between it and the top part of the deck lid. It's an expensive item for such a vague possibility.
It may be true that all boxy butts have the same problem ... no, wait; that's not so. I have an old midsized SUV and it doesn't have that problem.
Yodar

 

[Goldtouch]

Re: Rear end problems

I don't know about the dust or pollen, my girl is garage kept . I do know that the spoiler makes a difference in the rain. I get hardly any road grit, grme or spray on the back window in the rain or when the roads are wet. I even removed the rear wiper as it wasn't needed. Will have to wait and see what hapens in the snow...

 

[damasho]

Re: Rear end problems

My mother-in-law's boxy butt has that same problem. 

 

[Direness]

Re: Rear end problems

My mother-in-law's boxy butt has that same problem.

MAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! :rofl:

Anyhoo *wipes tears from her eyes*, I was thinking about getting a spoiler for the exact same reason. It's not terrible, but I was hoping it would make at least a little difference in the air flow, keeping the grime from accumulating there.

 

[yanges]

Re: Rear end problems

I know you're kidding around with your "park it" comment. But even then, it wouldn't work. I wash the car and park it overnight. By the next morning airborne dust and pollen are noticeable on the back end, especially the rear window. If I leave the car there another 24 hours, the accumulations are enough to bother me. Additionally, where I live (Oregon's Willamette Valley) there is often condensation on the roof in the morning, and when it trickles down it smears the dust and pollen and makes it look even worse.
I doubt that the rear spoiler would make any difference because of the gap between it and the top part of the deck lid. It's an expensive item for such a vague possibility.
It may be true that all boxy butts have the same problem ... no, wait; that's not so. I have an old midsized SUV and it doesn't have that problem.
Yodar

hey Yodar

mine does the same thing - just washed and the rear is getting dusty from the wind blowing - the rear end does tend to accumulate more debris when driving, but i suspect it is the aerodynamics of the xB - i am eventually going to get one of these spoilers [pic below]. i had a similar spoiler on my original xB and it seemed to be a little cleaner in the rear plus, i like the look of the Rumion spoiler better :yes:

the problem when you keep your xB sparkiling like a lot of us like to do, even a spec of dust makes me take a second look to make sure it is not a chip or ding luckily i have a car port to park in, so it keeps it fairly clean except when it gets real windy!

 

[Guest]

My spolier keeps the back window from getting dirty its a noticable differnce with it on and off plus it keeps water from flowing down the back window (even though we have rear wippers) Oh and its for sale!!

 

[MidlifeCrisis]

Re: Rear end problems

I don't know about the dust or pollen, my girl is garage kept . I do know that the spoiler makes a difference in the rain. I get hardly any road grit, grme or spray on the back window in the rain or when the roads are wet. I even removed the rear wiper as it wasn't needed. Will have to wait and see what hapens in the snow...

Today I drove in the rain for the first time and noticed the back window was completely clear, and I have the spoiler. I haven't noticed that the rear gets any dirtier than the rest of the car.

 

[yodar]

Yanges refers to the "aerodynamics of the xB."
I'm trying to wrap my mind around THAT oxymoron (next he'll be talking about "military intelligence").
But I like my silver brick anyway.
I'm confused by the photograph of the Corolla Rumion. Except for a couple of cosmetic details, it's the same as an xB. I thought the Rumion was for the Japanese market only. The exhaust tailpipe is on the left, which means the gas filler is on the right (my xB is the opposite). That makes sense if it's a "sold in Japan" Rumion because they drive on the left side of the road and have the steering wheel on the right. But the car in the photo has Texas plates. Hmmm???
Any explanation for a curious soul like myself?
Yodar

 

[yanges]

Yanges refers to the "aerodynamics of the xB."
I'm trying to wrap my mind around THAT oxymoron (next he'll be talking about "military intelligence").
But I like my silver brick anyway.
I'm confused by the photograph of the Corolla Rumion. Except for a couple of cosmetic details, it's the same as an xB. I thought the Rumion was for the Japanese market only. The exhaust tailpipe is on the left, which means the gas filler is on the right (my xB is the opposite). That makes sense if it's a "sold in Japan" Rumion because they drive on the left side of the road and have the steering wheel on the right. But the car in the photo has Texas plates. Hmmm???
Any explanation for a curious soul like myself?
Yodar

you need to drag the scroll bar at bottom of pic to right to see rest of rear end - he has dual exhausts and his is an xB being converted to a Rumion look-a-like

 

[yodar]

Converting an xB to a Rumion look-alike?
Making people scroll to the right to see "the rest of the story?"
Sometimes life becomes confusing, especially for those of us who think INSIDE the box.
Luckily, it's time for my nap.
Yodar

 

[yanges]

Converting an xB to a Rumion look-alike?
Making people scroll to the right to see "the rest of the story?"
Sometimes life becomes confusing, especially for those of us who think INSIDE the box.
Luckily, it's time for my nap.
Yodar

all large pics need to be scrolled to be seen fully

 

[yodar]

Yeah, I guess.
I suppose that's better than sizing them so the viewer can see the whole photograph at the same time.
Yodar

Addendum: Just got four mud flaps. Will report on how they work.

 

[TartanJack]

Toilet paper . . . ?

 

[Shancopp]

Toilet paper . . . ?

 

[yodar]

After installing my four mudflaps I washed the car, let it dry completely, and drove at 25 MPH down a dirt road for a couple of miles.
No improvement; there was dust all over my rear end (the car's also).
When it rains, I'll check if the road/tire splatter is as bad as it was before I installed the flaps.
Cross your legs and wish me luck.
Yodar

 

[TartanJack]

SOME of the problem is part of the basic aerodynamics of a box. As the front punches a hole in the air and the body fills it briefly. After the rear passes though, air MUST rush into the hole and fill it. What one is trying to do with lessening the "dirtiness" is to block sources of air containing large amounts of dirt and have the air come from "cleaner" areas.

The idea behind the mudflaps and valance as dirt blockers is to redirect the dirty air so that it comes up after a layer of cleaner boundary air. Thereby, the dirty air falls away from the hatch and not on it.
The idea behind a "wing" as deflector is to either blow the air up and away from the hatch OR to blow cleaner boundary air from the roof ONTO the rear hatch to BE the clean boundary air that fills the hole instead of the dirty air from below.

The effectiveness of the various techniques is up for debate.

Overall, some may be more effective than others, BUT none is perfect and works in all situations. Where I live, there are dirt and gravel roads aplenty, so the roads can be dusty and the hatch quite dirty regardless of what is added.
Instead, I go for clean and light and "put up" with the dirt.
Unless a very effective, light, low drag device is shown to work, I'll put the money into other things.