[jackie999]

I've never had an escape before..and this one won't be my last..I'm hooked! But I wonder...is there anything you can do to keep the back clean in mucky weather? Even after I've just washed it and driven it home on dry roads the back is already accumulating a layer of dust. My husband says that's very common with flat back vehicles (he's a transport driver). Are there any after factory addons that slow down the gunk buildup?

 

[sleeve]

The reason for the dust accumulation on the back of your Escape is Aerodynamics. As the vehicle moves through the air the front of the vehicle create a high pressure zone [as your car pushes its way through the air layer] and the back side creates a vacuum as the air tries to quickly return to its original state. That vacuum on the back of your vehicle is what sucks the air, dust, and gunk onto your freshly washed paint. If you are bored you can play around with the Nasa site: Guide to AeroDynamics

The best remedy to solve this is a rear air deflector. That would force some of the faster moving high pressure air onto the rear portion of your vehicle, breaking up the vacuum effect [which would keep your Escape cleaner.]

However, I don't think any of the aftermarket companies have made the deflector for the 09+ models yet. Or at least a google search didn't reveal anything.

 

[jackie999]

I suppose once you start messing with the aerodynamics ...you're going to affect your gas mileage. Since (as far as I know) the few changes between the '08 and '09 were changes to the front spoiler and the addition of tiny little rear mud flaps to tweak the mileage. So adding a deflector of some sort will create the negative affect..so I guess I'll forget that and just carry around a wash bucket..thanks for the comeback sleeve.