[TomOwens]

It may be just a perception thing but I am starting to believe that there is something about the aerodynamics of my 2013 Volt that causes much more dust / dirt to cling to the back of this car than any other that I own.

I live along an unpaved road in eastern Colorado. I would call it gravel, but the road is actually much more of a fine grained sandy sort of thing. And it is very dry here. The kind of thing where you can see a vehicle coming from miles away by the large cloud of dust kicked into the air.

Every drive from home starts and ends with about 2 miles of this unpaved road. The back of my Volt always seems to be much dirtier than any of my other vehicles, pickups, jeeps, cars, etc. Stopping at the car wash is just fine until I head for home again. Once I get there, he's just as dirty as before the wash.

 

[edaniel]

True, its the aerodynamics.

 

[Joe67]

It may be just a perception thing but I am starting to believe that there is something about the aerodynamics of my 2013 Volt that causes much more dust / dirt to cling to the back of this car than any other that I own.

I live along an unpaved road in eastern Colorado. I would call it gravel, but the road is actually much more of a fine grained sandy sort of thing. And it is very dry here. The kind of thing where you can see a vehicle coming from miles away by the large cloud of dust kicked into the air.

Every drive from home starts and ends with about 2 miles of this unpaved road. The back of my Volt always seems to be much dirtier than any of my other vehicles, pickups, jeeps, cars, etc. Stopping at the car wash is just fine until I head for home again. Once I get there, he's just as dirty as before the wash.

Just like any other SUV I've owned. Due to the aero and design.

 

[caskConditionedAle]

It's not just dirt and dust, it attracts snow too. I was driving in a blizzard last week and visibility was down to about 25 meters. It was at that distance I was able to see the taillights of the car in front of me. Unfortunately, I don't think anybody was able to see mine!

When I got home, I noticed that the entire rear end of my car was covered with about 10 inches of snow, completely obscuring my taillights. I cleaned them off before I started my trip, but the suction on the drive home covered them up again.

 

[JD4JC]

It may be just a perception thing but I am starting to believe that there is something about the aerodynamics of my 2013 Volt that causes much more dust / dirt to cling to the back of this car than any other that I own.

I live along an unpaved road in eastern Colorado. I would call it gravel, but the road is actually much more of a fine grained sandy sort of thing. And it is very dry here. The kind of thing where you can see a vehicle coming from miles away by the large cloud of dust kicked into the air.

Every drive from home starts and ends with about 2 miles of this unpaved road. The back of my Volt always seems to be much dirtier than any of my other vehicles, pickups, jeeps, cars, etc. Stopping at the car wash is just fine until I head for home again. Once I get there, he's just as dirty as before the wash.

It's a "Kamm Theory" aerodynamic design and the dust accumulation is a tradeoff for improved drag coefficient. I think there are lots of posts around here on this.

I also have a long stretch of unpaved road leading to my home, and have started carrying a battery-powered leaf blower around with me in the Volt, and blow off her keister before putting her away for the night. A little touch up with a California Duster, and another trip to the car wash is avoided! This solution doesn't work quite so well in the winter months.

 

[Aseras]

Just hosed it off this morning.....

 

[Dutch]

How dirty is your butt? (I mean the car...you pervs)

 

[Elemental]

Come on ladies, show Daddy your dirty butt.

 

[Taser54]

Move or pave.

 

[edaniel]

Looked up Kamm Theory on Wikipedia:

"A Kammback is a car body style that derives from the research of the German aerodynamicist Wunibald Kamm in the 1930s. The design calls for a body with smooth contours that continues to a tail that is abruptly cut off. This shape reduces the drag of the vehicle.

"Kammback" is an American term. In Europe the design is generally known as a Kamm tail or K-tail."

 

[Barry]

The problem is common on SUVs, but many of them have deflectors to solve it. My Odyssey has it. My Volt is just slightly worse. Fortunately the window stays clear. If you google "rear window dust deflector" you will see a lot of aerodynamic solutions on SUVs. The main thing to be aware of is that your brake lights may not be as visible.

 

[Paulacton84]

you should wait until you drive in a snow storm. I sometimes arrive at my destination with 3-4 inches of snow stuck all over the back end.. just another fun quirk...

 

[Roostre]

Snow butt

 

[TripleTrucker]

My old dodge Magnum did the same thing. California duster was always handy.

 

[mr_raider]

Pretty much renders th reverse camera useless after any drive in bad weather.

 

[TomOwens]

Snow butt

You've got the wrong end plugged in.
And yes, mine also looks like that in the snow.

 

[sparks]

Like any butt,..., you have to wipe it.

 

[mazda3-turncoat]

How dirty is your butt? (I mean the car...you pervs)

Lolololololol

 

[Elemental]

sometimes arrive at my destination with 3-4 inches stuck all over the back end..

Sometimes that happens to my wife when we travel...... With or without the Volt.

 

[Pooj]

Dirty Butt

I have noticed the same thing. We have a lot of dirt roads here in VT and the winter roads with sand and salt all show up on the back. I have thought about carrying a squirt bottle of water to clean off the camera as it is useless most of the time.