Hatch owners - is it required or worth bothering with?

Spoils to lines in my opinion, so I went without it. Early days with my car (only 150 miles in) so too early to say whether I made the right decision in terms of whether the wiper is a necessity in terms of keeping the rear screen clear. There is always the Squeegee before setting off in a morning as I would clear the side windows with that anyway.  

Looks like you have no choice now, if you want the rear camera, as it only comes with a washer, which only comes with the rear wiper :(

I've got it and don't regret it

I opted for no wiper. Thought it looked naff.

No choice now it seems.

If that was the case with me I would have gone for the estate.

I opted for no wiper. Thought it looked naff.

No choice now it seems.

If that was the case with me I would have gone for the estate.

I chose not to have the wiper for the aesthetics ... a decision I have not regretted, with a rain repellent on the glass it clears quickly all on its own

As I wanted the camera as well I too would probably have ordered the estate as it was a close call anyway.

I seen a few things saying the slope of the screen on the hatch was too shallow for the water to run off effectively, so I ordered the wiper. But I've got a few months to wait to see if it was necessary or not

Mine came without and it's a bloody nuisance. If you care about rearward visibility order the wiper, if you don't, don't. Rain repellent is only useful once the vehicle is up to speed, not much use when you're trying to manoeuvre in the dark and rain. Also, unless you clean your car once a week you'll find all the crud from windscreen gets washed along the roof and down the rear screen where it dries. Rear dash cam footage is also heavily compromised without a rear wiper.

I don't have it and don't miss it. The screen is clear after a short while and if it was awful (wet or filthy) before setting off I'd probably squeegee or wet wipe it

I can imagine if you lived down a dirt track or don't get a chance to clean it often it might be a pain. I clean the car quite regularly due to Her Majesty's 434 Seagull Squadron that use my car for target practice...

Mine came without and it's a bloody nuisance. If you care about rearward visibility order the wiper, if you don't, don't. Rain repellent is only useful once the vehicle is up to speed, not much use when you're trying to manoeuvre in the dark and rain. Also, unless you clean your car once a week you'll find all the crud from windscreen gets washed along the roof and down the rear screen where it dries. Rear dash cam footage is also heavily compromised without a rear wiper.

Don't assume everyone's situation is the same as your le though I assume the roads round Flintshire are pretty dirty when it rains?

Fortunately in Kent our roads are not too dirty, just full of potholes!

I can do over 1,000 miles between washes and I have yet to have the windows be that dirty that visibility is drastically reduced, I never use just the rear window for reversing, that's why i have the camera and mirrors are tor.

My rear window is all but dry from about 40MPH, which is less than ½ mile away, I nearly posted a couple of dash cam videos up last week when we had torrential rain / hail, but even that would not be enough proof for some people.

To summarise if you need the wiper to clean the windows because how dirty the car is then you may wish to consider ordering the wiper,

If you purely want to keep the windows clear from rain and are not stuck around town at 30MPH then trust me the aerodynamics of the car along with a good rain repellent does a very good job of keeping the rain and dirt off the glass.

Looks or practicality? One man's meat is another man's poison.

I prefer practicality. Waiting until I reach a certain speed before I can see clearly out the back is not for me, nor standing in the rain with a cloth to clear the windows of water. I want to maintain a clear view to the rear at all times, at any speed.

Sit at a junction or lights for any short period of time and watch the water on the roof get dumped on your rear screen as you pull away. One flick and it's gone with the wiper.

So it's safety before aesthetics for me. As a £0 option it was a no-brainer choice.

Don't assume everyone's situation is the same as your le though I assume the roads round Flintshire are pretty dirty when it rains?

Fortunately in Kent our roads are not too dirty, just full of potholes!

I can do over 1,000 miles between washes and I have yet to have the windows be that dirty that visibility is drastically reduced, I never use just the rear window for reversing, that's why i have the camera and mirrors are tor.

My rear window is all but dry from about 40MPH, which is less than ½ mile away, I nearly posted a couple of dash cam videos up last week when we had torrential rain / hail, but even that would not be enough proof for some people.

To summarise if you need the wiper to clean the windows because how dirty the car is then you may wish to consider ordering the wiper,

If you purely want to keep the windows clear from rain and are not stuck around town at 30MPH then trust me the aerodynamics of the car along with a good rain repellent does a very good job of keeping the rain and dirt off the glass.

Yes Flintshire being semi-rural has dirty roads, no more than anywhere else though I'm guessing. Saying that, we don't have the budget of the home counties so maybe Kent roads are super clean in comparison

In your case I'd expect the rain to roll off nicely given you've spent several hundred pounds getting the car coated. Don't assume we've all got money to **** away on stuff like that. I'm in the for camp, you're in the against, let's just leave it at that eh?!

Edited 4 May, 201610 yr by Pete T

Here in Australia, no matter what the option, they will come without the rear wiper.

Thank god.

Despite the dust, or because of it, it's not a good idea. If you have dust on it, the last thing you want is the wiper to go across and scratch the glass.

Side mirrors and reversing camera are more then good enough for reversing.

I specced the wiper and I'm glad I did!

Opted for it because the E Class didn't have one and it was a pain

Haven't had a rear wiper for 13 years. Last vehicle with one was a Volvo V40. Specified one on the S3 and very happy with it so far. Good for low speed clearing, high speed clearing is looked after with the vehicles aerodynamics.

have it, company car so no brainer for me as was free, done 1500 miles and have used it 2 or 3 times def no regrets.

exactly same tread

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/382576-hatchback-rear-wiper/

in current version without camera washer i prefer without wiper

in new, as Gizmo68 told, no choice - must have option

Speccing the camera would've cost me an extra £10 per month, so for me the free wiper was the best option

The only experience I have of no rear wiper was an ageing BMW my wife had some years ago. I didn't drive it much but when I did and it was raining it bothered me that I couldn't clear it. It did reduce visibility significantly, but then it was a completely different car with a very different shape, so the Superb 3 may well clear ok on its own but I'm quite happy to have the rear wiper ordered on mine.

Everyone's opinion and situation is different. I guess possibly the best thing you can do is think about the car you currently drive. If it has a wiper, do you put it on when it rains? If you do, you probably want to get the wiper. If you don't, then you probably won't miss it not being there. Just my two cents...

I do alot of mileage (11000km since Feb) and live in Ireland where it rains a bit... I don't have the rear wiper and the only time it's an issue is for example reversing off the drive in the morning with the dew/moisture on the windows. I have the rear camera but worst case scenario open the boot and close it and its fine. Never an issue when driving. I do approx 800km a week and have never looked for it, car is washed once a month. Seen the exact same car as mine with it and not a fan, prefer no wiper.

Edited 5 May, 201610 yr by Almonza

Crikey O'Riley so much debate over a ruddy blade or no blade. Let's move on guys.

It's a worthwhile discussion

 

I talked to my representative and was told it is indeed mandatory with a camera now, but there are still options.

It can be removed and the hold plugged with a special kind of plug so you basically won't know it was there - can decide if you want it and put it back if needed.

 

Haven't seen it up close - would be cool to hear from owners with wiper if they've looked at it and exactly how easily it removes.

Crikey O'Riley so much debate over a ruddy blade or no blade. Let's move on guys.

Aw you've prompted me to reply now and I wasn't going to bother.

I ordered it, but then when I saw one regretted it, but when it came it didn't have it, so result. But I did order the rear view camera which is brilliant with normal angle, super wide angle and even a top down view for hooking up to a trailer

I do alot of mileage (11000km since Feb) and live in Ireland where it rains a bit... I don't have the rear wiper and the only time it's an issue is for example reversing off the drive in the morning with the dew/moisture on the windows. I have the rear camera but worst case scenario open the boot and close it and its fine. Never an issue when driving. I do approx 800km a week and have never looked for it, car is washed once a month. Seen the exact same car as mine with it and not a fan, prefer no wiper.

Even in Ireland where is rains most days I still wouldn't be a fan of the wiper. Just spotted your location, I've probably seen your car around so

I bought a rain repellent before my car arrived but haven't needed to apply it.  That said, I generally use my wing mirrors for reversing (sensors for worst case scenarios) but even so I haven't regretted not opting for the wiper.