Along with having the clear bra and window tint installed on Skeeter , decided to try the Madico Clear Plex window film. Since we have two vehicles that need to have windshileds replaced now becasue of the Altamont pass, figured the film was well worth a testing.

Well washing Skeeter on Sunday morning before his outing for the day, noticed that in less than 1,100 miles the film has saved the windscreen. Fortunately the chip is just below the wiper blade so not easy
to see it.
Appears the rock did penetrate the film, but without it I'm sure Skeeter would of endured more damage than he did.

 

When I get my window replaced again (sure that isn't far off, as I also frequent tha same road) I will go with the shield.
Norcalminis had a tint get together at "925 tint" in San Ramon and they do the shield as well ... I think for a discount price for Norcalminis.

 

That is where I had the work done, Henry was great to work with, he wanted to keep Skeeter overnight and gave me his PT cruiser as a loaner. Very professional and quality work in my opinion.

NORCAL members do get a discount.

 

You sure the rock wouldn't have just bounced off, WITHOUT the "sheild"???

 

Well let me think......8 years of the Altamont, six cars....six windshields with damage.....I doubt it. YMMV
Also if you look at the pic you can see it has still chipped the glass, so not sure why you would think without the film it would have not done damage.

 

i think what he was getting at was that maybe that rock wouldnt have been big enough to do anymore damage anyway. Not all rock chips result in a huge spiderwebbing crack. If the rock is going to crack the windshield, i dont think a plastic film is going to stop it unless the plastic film dries harder than the glass its protecting.... which i highly doubt. If anything, it *might* help prevent the crack from branching out, although im not to sure about that either.

 

I made this post for the simple reason that I have had several PM's asking that I post my thoughts on it. The film is not going to solve all problems, I had it installed to simpy reduce the damage. The last car, a 2006 Z with 18,000 miles of treking over the Altalmont had so many "pits" in the windshiled it was diffacult to even clean it.
The film is like the clear bra, some people think it is a waste of money, others feel it is a worth while investment. So members on NAM can take my opinion for what they think it is worth.

 

I can definitely see benefits to it. As Tharkun has said, windshields get pits in them, and the film would likely prevent that. Pits from pebbles and sand can be a real distraction, especially at night (that's been my experience anyway). I'm going to consider the film...

 

Seems like a great product but it's hard to find on the net. Is this something best discussed with an installer?

 

Does this film really stand up to the wipers going across and not scuffing? Also, when you really need to rub hard to get off bird droppings, bugs, etc, no scuffing or marring? How much $$?

thanks

 

I've been quoted $150.00.

 

Have not needed the wipers as of yet, won't be able to answer that for a few more months yet.
As for cleaning in my opinion it's not any differant than cleaning the glass, and have not had any signs of damaging the surface yet.
Price was $150 but was tossed in a pcakage deal for free.

 

I don't know. At 60 MPH, I doubt that 2 micron thick peice of plastic will do much. It might help in some light situations, but not many.

BUt, how about pay $25 exta a year on your insurance, and get glass coverage? The $150 would take 6 years to make up at $25 per year.

Just a thought.

 

I'm gonna do it with my next windshield - for me, the big thing isn't protection against chips/breaks (though that would be nice, I have $0 deductible) - but I'm willing to pay the $$ to eliminate the sandblast pitting all over the windshield... which is driving me nuts after less than a year on my current glass... some who have the film say that it has prevented pitting for them...

 

Thanks for the report, Tharkun.
Please report back in a few months and let us know how it's holding up.
Sounds like a good idea, but I'm curious how it works with bugs and inevitable road debris, as well as (gasp!) rain.
I use rain-ex and love the beading action. Any idea how water acts on this surface? Does the debris that causes pits just bounce off, or does it scar/mar the surface? Does it scratch (easily)? If so, are the scratches visible?
Thanks for any info.

 

If you statements are for me, thank you for assuming that I have not checked into the cost of full glass replacement thru my insurance. Also if you were quoted only $25 per year for full glass replacement with unlimited occurances, you have a bargain price.
I made the post as I stated above, for members that have requested it. I will update this thread in a few months after we have our rainy and have 5 - 6 thousand miles of use on the film. This will give anyone considering the product an opinion from someone that is/has used it and not just an "opinion" from persons that have never used the film.