Windshield Coatings - Pros/Cons? (5th gen Crack prevention)

[mattleegee]

I have a few ideas relating to your 110 mile commute

Move closer to work
Get different job
Rent hotel during week

I know i was doing a 90mile round trip commute but our roads are decent i just didnt like the time it took away from my life including stop and go traffic made it so it was abut 1.5 hours each way or 3 hours a day given there is 251 working days in 2014 that is 753 driving to work or 31 days (a month) spent a year driving to WORK.

I now live 5 miles from work :grouphug:

 

[Randyman...]

I have a few ideas relating to your 110 mile commute

Move closer to work
Get different job
Rent hotel during week

I know i was doing a 90mile round trip commute but our roads are decent i just didnt like the time it took away from my life including stop and go traffic made it so it was abut 1.5 hours each way or 3 hours a day given there is 251 working days in 2014 that is 753 driving to work or 31 days (a month) spent a year driving to WORK.

I now live 5 miles from work :grouphug:

Thanks for the tangential input.

Unfortunately ( ), I'm very fortunate to have the job I do (could not do a similar line of work for anywhere near the pay within a 200 mile radius - likely more), and also unfortunately ( ), I absolutely love the neighborhood I live in. I've been at my current job for 17 years now and own our home (and have very nice neighbors and a lovely community in general).

Renting a hotel during my work week is out of the question (way too many fun toys at home to pass up anyways!), and simply not practical or remotely desirable (and $$$ - more than gas money for sure!).

Luckily, I'm generally driving in off-peak traffic hours (10AM and 10PM), and my 53 mile one-way drive (to be exact) ends up taking around 45-50 minutes most days (65-70MPH straight down I-45 / speed limit varies from 60 "in town" to 65 outside of Beltway-8). There are people that live 10 miles from my work, and it still takes them close to 45 minutes to get to work on the AM shift! If I worked the AM shift with rush hour everyday, I'd have to move down the road - no questions asked (or spend 3+ hours on the road everyday!!!)

Then, my recording studio is still downtown, and that's another 30 mile one-way drive at least twice a week if not 4 times a week (also with plenty of I-45 construction either way) regardless if I live down south or move way up north close to work. I sincerely appreciate your concerns and suggestions, but I'd simply like improved windshield crack resistance at this point in my life - not trying to re-invent the wheel just yet


Any further input on the Films or Chemical coatings and their effectiveness at reducing likelihood of windshield cracks at freeway speeds is greatly appreciated

:cheers:

 

[Ol'Baditude]

Murphy's law: Buy a windshield, put it in your garage and you will never break another again.

Love this.

 

[Randyman...]

Love this.

My wallet doesn't :wof: (that's a ~ $900 bill [2 windshields and an installation] on top of the $500 I just spent on the new windshield last month!). And I thought gas was expensive I'm spending more on windshields than BFG tires!

 

[LandCruiser]

The best strategy in my mind is to get that chip or crack dealt with ASAP. As you mentioned, I've seen a crack spread by a foot in less than 6 hours, but we have those little tents set up in just about every mall marking lot that need less than half an hour to do the fix for around $40. The one I go to actually notes exactly where the chip/crack is, and guarantees that it wont spread.

What happens is you have a truck that has been sitting in -20 degree temps and turn on the heat on the windshield and heat it up unevenly in a short time.

Colorado just dumps tons of gravel on the roads in winter, and it turns to missiles in the 4x4's tires everyone runs around here.

 

[Randyman...]

What happens is you have a truck that has been sitting in -20 degree temps and turn on the heat on the windshield and heat it up unevenly in a short time.

Colorado just dumps tons of gravel on the roads in winter, and it turns to missiles in the 4x4's tires everyone runs around here.

I'm in southern Texas. Temps on the way to work (when the chips happen) are 80-100 *F, and both instances turned into cracks the same night with temps still around 75-85* F.

My issue is not salt/gravel from ice prevention, but multiple instances of freeway construction along my route and the associated debris that unfortunately results.

As a reference, I drove my '99 Tacoma 4x4 on the same I-45 route from 2007-2012 (we moved into this facility in 2007), and only had a few objectionable chips and 1 crack during those 6 years. Go figure...

 

[Shogun]

Something about Houston.
A Couple of months ago my wife had a company outing at Minute Maid park. It was raining when she left and returned so I didn't notice it immediately but got in my 4R the next day and I have a nice dime size spot on the passenger side.

I have been trying to decide what to do since the windshield has the built in heater I am sure it will be very expensive. It has been there for about 3 months and about 5,000 miles but I need to do something before it gets cooler and it cracks. I will probably try a spot fix and hope that if it cracks it doesn't come into my line of sight.

I just can't get use to the way people drive here in Houston. Forget offroading purposes, I'm thinking about getting metal bumper replacements and sliders just for urban armor.

If I had a commute like that I think I would just buy a used mazda,VW jetta or something fuel efficient and battle it out with the rest of them.

 

[Randyman...]

Something about Houston.
A Couple of months ago my wife had a company outing at Minute Maid park. It was raining when she left and returned so I didn't notice it immediately but got in my 4R the next day and I have a nice dime size spot on the passenger side.

I have been trying to decide what to do since the windshield has the built in heater I am sure it will be very expensive. It has been there for about 3 months and about 5,000 miles but I need to do something before it gets cooler and it cracks. I will probably try a spot fix and hope that if it cracks it doesn't come into my line of sight.

I just can't get use to the way people drive here in Houston. Forget offroading purposes, I'm thinking about getting metal bumper replacements and sliders just for urban armor.

If I had a commute like that I think I would just buy a used mazda,VW jetta or something fuel efficient and battle it out with the rest of them.

Houston rush-hour traffic certainly can be a battle Had to work the AM shift last week, and was hating life all week. Thankfully, I'm back to my normal "non peak traffic hours" schedule...

I just can't bring myself to sell my first brand new vehicle because the windshield won't stay intact on my commute. This is my favorite vehicle to date - bar none! I've spent so much time customizing it and doing an insane audio install (ripped out the interior for sound deadening when it was just a few weeks old and everything!). It really is a part of me at this point.

Buying a "beater" for all of my commuting needs would basically leave the T4R in the garage 5 or 6 days a week - not much point in that IMO.

Thus why I created this thread to try and lessen the likelihood of cracked windshields through films or chemical coatings. Any further input on the topic of this thread is sincerely appreciated from the bottom of my T4R loving heart!

PS - This is my 2nd 4Runner. I also have a 1987 1st gen 4x4 in storage (been parked since I bought a '99 Tacoma in 2001, then got my 5th Gen T4R in late 2012). It will get a full rebuild and a V8 swap one of these years. I LOVE my Toyota trucks!!!!

Grazie :cheers:

 

[NoDak]

my last vehicle (2010 legacy 3.6R), I had numerous chips from driving on the bypass in town. the biggest issue I had was the oncoming semi's flinging rocks at you when you pass which you cant avoid unlike keeping a big distance between you and the vehicle in front of you.

on this 4runner, I never ever take that road anymore. I rather go thru town and deal with the horrible traffic at 5pm rush hour than drive that road and yes it adds between 15-30 mins to my drive home but I don't have any chips, dings, scratches anymore.

I know in your case you don't have that option, but in the meantime you could check out the following :

www.tintworld.com (San Antonio, Austin, Houston)

speedshieldusa.com (Addison)

www.clearplex.com (Houston)

 

[Randyman...]

my last vehicle (2010 legacy 3.6R), I had numerous chips from driving on the bypass in town. the biggest issue I had was the oncoming semi's flinging rocks at you when you pass which you cant avoid unlike keeping a big distance between you and the vehicle in front of you.

on this 4runner, I never ever take that road anymore. I rather go thru town and deal with the horrible traffic at 5pm rush hour than drive that road and yes it adds between 15-30 mins to my drive home but I don't have any chips, dings, scratches anymore.

I know in your case you don't have that option, but in the meantime you could check out the following :

www.tintworld.com (San Antonio, Austin, Houston)

speedshieldusa.com (Addison)

www.clearplex.com (Houston)

NoDak, you feel my pain brother!

I'm immensely interested in the coatings you mentioned. That was the sole topic of this thread when I started it.

I'm really looking for real-world feedback from people that use such products and how they perform with regard to crack prevention, and of course how they wear and age. Also if removal is possible w/o fubar'ing a brand new $500 windshield.

I trust individual reports from users far more than marketing copy or "fabricated testimonials" on manufacturers' product pages. So I came here looking for real-world feedback on how the films and chemical coatings perform in real life. I know plenty of us deal with windshield issues on our 5th gens.

I do have a few other routes available to me (combo of I-45N>US-59N>BW-8>I-45N, or I-45N>BW-8 East around town>I-45N on the north side). I've been driving the former route (in reverse) on my way home all week because I-45 Southbound has been shut down @ 610 North from 9PM-5AM. It's only an additional 5 miles or so - so maybe I can keep trying that for now. Still lots of I-45 on that route!

I'm at a temporary impasse until I can round up enough valid data to sway me towards Film or Chemical coatings, or running naked and seeing how long until I need another $500 windshield...

Thanks again for everyone that has responded so far!

 

[Japes]

Just putting in my 2 cents.

I had the 3m film on my Tacoma, it was great the first year. However it started to get pitted and hazy. Also I still did get some rock chips but the good thing was that they never spread.

I wouldn't do it again. My experience with that guys that put them on here.

- They charge something like 200 for the install (I can't remember if I actually paid this much, this is just a guess)
- You still can get some rock chips (so it's not guaranteed protection)
- You get a rainbow glare with polarized sun glasses.
- when it's all pitted, wipers don't really clean the windshield well
- When I inquired to get it removed, they were charging 80 dollars, and they would not guarantee that they won't break the windshield because it had rock chips. which was the whole reason for the 3m shield in the first place....

Haven't tried anything else yet.

Up here in Calgary we get a lot of rocks on the roads from the winter so you typically get rock trips when you drive your truck away from getting the windshield replaced anyways.

 

[1engineer]

ClearPlex After 7 Months - Toyota FJ Cruiser Forum This should help you decide.

Bottom line: Anything you put on your glass that would help is going to be soft and scratch, glare and pit. It will be expensive. It will be ugly. Now its your money so do what you want but if it were me I would buy better insurance with a lower deductable and bring on the breakage.

Next!

 

[Randyman...]

ClearPlex After 7 Months - Toyota FJ Cruiser Forum This should help you decide.

Bottom line: Anything you put on your glass that would help is going to be soft and scratch, glare and pit. It will be expensive. It will be ugly. Now its your money so do what you want but if it were me I would buy better insurance with a lower deductable and bring on the breakage.

Next!

Intensely scouring that thread now! Thanks for the tertiary data source 1E! I don't seem to see any shills in the thread (certainly not in the first post!)

I also had no idea there was separate "Windshield Insurance" coverage available - somehow I doubt I will be able to get it in Houston - but this is #1 priority on my to do list for Friday (my day off!).

 

[Randyman...]

The "Bugs sticking to it like glue" will be a huge problem for me. This was a 2008 review and was from when the product was relatively new. I wonder if the film has improved over the last 6 years?

The pitting on my factory windshield (w/o any coatings) was absolutely horrible by the time it cracked (approx 50K miles/approx 20 months old - my naked glass looked worse than the pics on that thread IMO). When I had the Safelite windshield installed in August, it was literally like a fog had been lifted! If the naked glass was in that bad of shape, I'd imagine I'd need to replace these films at least twice a year. I can't see the pitting being too much worse than the shape my stock windshield was in after those 20 months (was really bad to me - you should see the rock chips on my bumper and hood! ).

I'm also curious on the chemical coatings - namely "Diamond Fusion International" with their claim of 750,000 vehicles treated. I really can't see these chemical coatings improving crack/chip resistance - but I'm a drummer and an audio dude!

1E - As far as you understand, is it possible for a chemical coating to increase the Mohs hardness rating of windshield glass, and is harder glass really what you want to ward off cracks? Doesn't hardness also relate to brittleness to a degree?

I'll keep searching and see if I can sift thought the incessant shilling that seems prevalent on this topic.

Looking into windshield insurance is still #1 on my to-do list for Friday. $50/year is like a drop in the windshield budget bucket!

Rock and roll

 

[NoDak]

also inquire on what happens on more than 1 claim per year on that windshield insurance.

if its anything like normal insurance claims, if you get too many or just under the "drop them number", how much will it jack up your normal insurance?

 

[Randyman...]

also inquire on what happens on more than 1 claim per year on that windshield insurance.

if its anything like normal insurance claims, if you get too many or just under the "drop them number", how much will it jack up your normal insurance?

Making a list of stuff to cover with my agent - This is now on it

Grazie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[1engineer]

The "Bugs sticking to it like glue" will be a huge problem for me. This was a 2008 review and was from when the product was relatively new. I wonder if the film has improved over the last 6 years?

The pitting on my factory windshield (w/o any coatings) was absolutely horrible by the time it cracked (approx 50K miles/approx 20 months old - my naked glass looked worse than the pics on that thread IMO). When I had the Safelite windshield installed in August, it was literally like a fog had been lifted! If the naked glass was in that bad of shape, I'd imagine I'd need to replace these films at least twice a year. I can't see the pitting being too much worse than the shape my stock windshield was in after those 20 months (was really bad to me - you should see the rock chips on my bumper and hood! ).

I'm also curious on the chemical coatings - namely "Diamond Fusion International" with their claim of 750,000 vehicles treated. I really can't see these chemical coatings improving crack/chip resistance - but I'm a drummer and an audio dude!

1E - As far as you understand, is it possible for a chemical coating to increase the Mohs hardness rating of windshield glass, and is harder glass really what you want to ward off cracks? Doesn't hardness also relate to brittleness to a degree?

I'll keep searching and see if I can sift thought the incessant shilling that seems prevalent on this topic.

Looking into windshield insurance is still #1 on my to-do list for Friday. $50/year is like a drop in the windshield budget bucket!

Rock and roll

Snake oil, smoke and mirrors, redirection, etc. The soft plastic would work to a point but you have other issues to deal with. I'm sure you could probably coat your glass with some NASA clear ceramic but you probably don't have a cool $15M laying around. That would work though. Actually they make glass that could handle a rock thrown at 100 mph and not chip but again, its not affordable nor do they make it in windshield form.

I see you are probably a younger man. Think for a minute: If all this crap they market and sell really worked don't you think the guys at Boeing or Cessna would eat it up and use cheap glass and just coat it with $150 stuff? Some of that c o c k pit glass goes for $$$$$$ and its smaller than your windshield.

 

[Randyman...]

"Younger Man" perhaps - but my gray hair says otherwise

Makes sense. These chemical coating companies are selling crap to unsuspecting fleets and dupable military higher-ups and such - just as I suspected on page 1 or 2 Nice profitable scam with over 750K vehicles under their belt!

Will be calling my insurance agent Friday and will hopefully put this worry (and this thread ) behind me with a nice $50/year policy

All input was much appreciated :drummer:

 

[Randyman...]

Windshield Insurance policy in Texas = Nope

Just spoke to my My Nationwide insurance rep about the Windshield Policy mentioned in the FJ Thread 1E pointed to. She stated "I've never heard of such coverage being offered", and stated Windshields are covered in the comprehensive coverage under that deductible.

Prodded more, and "Maybe this is offered out of state, but I'm not aware of this being offered in Texas". What kind of crap is that?

So - My options are:

1) Naked glass and cross my fingers - Budget for more windshields
2) Lower comprehensive coverage Deductible to $50 or $100 and pay higher premiums (and even higher premiums once I file multiple Windshield claims)
3) Take a chance on Films or Chemical Coatings and their associated costs (on top of a new $500 windshield)
4) Move closer to work, or change jobs, or sell my T4R, or drive 45MPH to work (none of those are gonna happen )

Any further input before I pull my hair out

 

[Randyman...]

Bumping this:

I'm postponing Windshield #3 installation on my '13 T4R until the I-45 re-paving project is done (hopefully later this month or early in November - inspection is up in November regardless).

Regardless, I'll still have multiple instances of construction on my daily 106 mile commute for the foreseeable future (many years), but the re-paving project is just too much for any windshield to take IMO (at least a perpendicular windshield like we have ). My currently cracked windshield (#2) is only getting more chips and pits due to this I-45 re-paving project (among the remainder of the construction on my route).

So, now that I have a few weeks until the windshield #3 is installed, I was hoping to get more input from users of these coatings (films or chemical coatings).

I have taken all of the previous comments into account (especially considering how horrible my factory windshield looked after 18 months and then considering what a film would look like after the same asphalt assault!), and just want more input from users at this point.

I'm leaning towards no coating at all (neither film or chemical), and would need to be convinced otherwise. Let's hear from any proponents of these films!

If anything I might try the cheaper DIY chemical coatings for nothing more than better bug removal using the wipers/washer fluid (not expecting the chemical coatings to actually help with crack prevention at this point).

I actually manually clean my windshield at least once a day using glass cleaner and a microfiber cloth because it gets that filthy after just one trip to work and back. I love (need) a clean windshield, and this makes me think the films will be a poor choice for slightly OCD personalities like mine

Anyone willing to convince me otherwise? Thanks for any input...