Windshield film

Topic: Windshield film (Read 1490 times) previous topic - next topic

Windshield film

August 08, 2016, 03:02:56 pm

Recently purchased a 16 Odyssey Van. Man that WS is big, heat load is tremendous. Honda says tough, that's the way it is.
Local auto sound, window tint shop was visited. they recommended the following.
LLumar Window Films -

I was real Leary of putting a film inside the windshield but now I am glad I did.
4500 mile trip thru the west ( OK,CO, NE etc ) in 100+ heat showed a great reduction of heat in the vehicle, an added bonus ( maybe just my perception ) was lack of glare at night. I could detect no reduction in vision thru the film and you really have to look hard to see that there is any film at all.
Only drawback is that DW has photo grey lenses and so little UV is transmitted that she had to go back to wearing sunglasses.

I know that putting a film on a windshield is counter intuitive but my experience has been positive. I have no connection with this manufacturer and this is only my opinion. I am sure others also make these kinds of films.
If I still had a FT I would not hesitate to install this stuff on the WS's.
Gary B
ex FT owner.

Re: Windshield film

Reply #1 – August 08, 2016, 03:11:40 pm

I like the idea, but won't try since my local sheriff says any tint film on the windshield or front side windows is illegal in California.

Re: Windshield film

Reply #2 – August 08, 2016, 03:12:52 pm

Gary, what shade did you get?

Re: Windshield film

Reply #3 – August 08, 2016, 11:47:56 pm

I was considering windshield film for my coach but I get a broken windshield about every other year and I'd lose the film along with the windshield(s) each time. I put on a lot of miles and the windshields are huge targets that no rock can miss unfortunately. I actually have both windshields broken currently and will get them replaced next time I go to Foretravel... I also realized that I actually like the solar heat for about half of the year... the cold half... but I will definitely get windshield film installed on my car based on what I've read on this forum... if I ever bring my car with me that is.

Re: Windshield film

Reply #4 – August 09, 2016, 08:21:45 am

GKcigar, There is no tint to these ceramic films, it is clear and does not impede your vision at all.
I know that most states prohibit film on WS's but this I believe is new technology and they have not caught up. Georgia has rules but as long as it meets visibility requirements they don't bother you. The police are more concerned with film that obstructs the view of the driver and occupants which this clear film does not.
Gary B

Re: Windshield film

Reply #5 – August 09, 2016, 08:41:45 am

Hey Gary! Good to "hear" your voice!

Our coach has the same (or similar) product installed on the inside of windshield. Sorry, I don't remember the specific brand name. The film was installed by the PO, John Kerbs, and I think Dave (& Dolly Cobb) and Bill (Chaplin) also had theirs done at the same time. Perhaps one of them knows the brand name.

ANYWAY, it does seem to cut down on the solar gain through the front glass. I am comparing driving the coach to driving our car, under the same conditions. John said he noticed a BIG difference in heat gain in the coach after having the film installed.

Like you said, it is not tinted at all, although we do also have a strip of conventional dark film across the top 10% of the glass. We've been to California twice with the coach, and nobody noticed (or cared).

One possible disadvantage: if I wear my polarized sun glasses when driving I get a disorienting "rainbow" effect when looking through the film. I solved this by getting a pair of non-polarized (prescription) sun glasses specifically for use in the coach.

Re: Windshield film

Reply #6 – August 09, 2016, 06:10:21 pm

Thanks Gary. Good to see you still helping us out!

Re: Windshield film

Reply #7 – August 09, 2016, 07:06:23 pm

Like Chuck mentioned, yes I have had both my Foretravel coach's windshields covered with inside film. I am not sure what brand was done on either coach. It does make a huge difference. There are a number of choices that are clear for use on the windshield of cars. The company that did my old U225 does nearly all the new Porsche, and Audi windshields for the local dealer.

Re: Windshield film

Reply #8 – August 09, 2016, 08:58:43 pm

I drive around 35000 miles a year. Have had my 3rd windshield installed last week in Nac. Has anyone ever tried to install clear film around a 3 inch area around the outside of the windshield for protection. I am told that is where most of the stress is, and is exactly where rocks are hitting and run almost immediately. Thanks

Re: Windshield film

Reply #9 – August 09, 2016, 10:25:54 pm

Larry, that's exactly what happens to my windshields, the rock hits on the edge and before long the whole windshield is cracked. I lose a windshield every other year on average, and I don't tailgate or drive on dirt roads. It's just that the windshields are such huge targets and the more I drive the more windshields I lose. Film around the outside edge of the glass sounds like a promising experiment.

Re: Windshield film

Reply #10 – August 10, 2016, 08:07:31 am

Quote from: Larryjgreen – August 09, 2016, 08:58:43 pm

Has anyone ever tried to install clear film around a 3 inch area around the outside of the windshield for protection. I am told that is where most of the stress is, and is exactly where rocks are hitting and run almost immediately. Thanks

Howdy Larryjgreen,
When we bought our coach from MOT in 2009 the PO had installed this 3" film on the center and bottom of both windshields. In the last 7 years/over 90,000 miles we have replaced two windshields (driver and passenger). Both cracks started in the center and not on the edges. After windshield replacement at MOT/FOT I always go to Xtreme and have the film installed. I think it works and is worth the cost.
YMMV, Dave A

Re: Windshield film

Reply #11 – August 10, 2016, 09:52:35 pm

Dave, you don't put the film all the way around the outside of the windshield, only on the bottom center? Both of my windshields are broken from rocks hitting the edge of the windshield at the very top. One of them was a rock that flew across a divided highway from traffic going the opposite direction. The other was thrown up by a vehicle far ahead of me traveling my same direction on the Interstate. Several rocks have hit the windshields far away from the edge and only made a chip instead of a crack.

Re: Windshield film

Reply #12 – August 11, 2016, 08:19:43 am

Quote from: RRadio – August 10, 2016, 09:52:35 pm

Dave, you don't put the film all the way around the outside of the windshield, only on the bottom center?

Howdy Scott,
Yes, the film is only on the center and bottom of windshield. Probably, would be a good idea to put around the whole glass, but this is what PO installed, and I just replace when needed.
It's really hard to know for sure if the film works, but both of my broken windshields, were from rocks in the center, not near the edges. It seems the front of these Unicoaches are "rock magnets", so I think anything will help with broken windshields.
Dave A

Re: Windshield film

Reply #13 – August 12, 2016, 08:15:17 pm

Thanks for the responses. I'm going to give it a try and will let u folks know if there is any improvement. Can't get much worse than a new windshield every 10.000 miles

Re: Windshield film

Reply #14 – August 13, 2016, 12:32:05 am

3M™ Automotive Window Film Crystalline Series

I had it installed on my previous U225 & will get it installed on our 03 soon. It is ineradicable! Expensive but a must as far as i am concerned.

Re: Windshield film

Reply #15 – August 13, 2016, 12:46:27 am

Quote from: propman – August 13, 2016, 12:32:05 am

3M™ Automotive Window Film Crystalline Series

I had it installed on my previous U225 & will get it installed on our 03 soon. It is ineradicable! Expensive but a must as far as i am concerned.

Wait a minute...ineradicable? I threw out my elbow, grabbing my sizable thesaurus to figure out that word, "Ineradicable."

Turns out that the word is Latin, meaning "Harder to Remove than Decals." Go figure!

Re: Windshield film

Reply #16 – October 05, 2016, 11:20:05 pm

Dave / Larry,

Where did you get the film you put around the outside edge of the windshield? I'm at Foretravel now getting my $2,700 windshields and gasket installed... (gasp)... Fortunately I only have to pay the deductible but I'd like to keep these new windshields a while.

Re: Windshield film

Reply #17 – October 05, 2016, 11:21:42 pm

As my Cummins service writer says. "You have an expensive hobby."

Re: Windshield film

Reply #18 – October 06, 2016, 12:37:08 am

Quote from: RRadio – October 05, 2016, 11:20:05 pm

Where did you get the film you put around the outside edge of the windshield?

Howdy Scott,
I had the film installed at Xtreme. The film is on a roll, and they can just cut to length. Just takes a few minutes.
Good Luck, Dave A

Re: Windshield film

Reply #19 – October 06, 2016, 08:14:36 am

A local installer did it, the film should be available any where that can install it.
Key to doing it right is to be sure that glass is ABSOLUTELY clean and dust free, if not anything on the glass will be trapped forever.
Gary B

Re: Windshield film

Reply #20 – October 08, 2016, 11:27:23 am

Foretravel said my nose has delaminated and needs to be disassembled, glued, and clamped back together before they'll install new windshields. It will take a couple of days to do that and they didn't have the time now, so I left with both windshields still busted... but I didn't spend all that money and there's a certain freedom to having two busted windshields when dumptrucks pull in front of me dropping gravel all over the road...

...of course they'll get me for a gazillion dollars the next time I pass through Nacogdoches so I'm only off the hook temporarily. Apparently driving the coach wears it out ...who knew? There was a 1993 U280 in there with some delamination too and one of the new flat nosed coaches was there with delamination issues, so I guess it's pretty common. All I ever hear about on this forum is the bulkhead issue. The delamination issue is much easier to test for. Just walk around the coach and thump on it to see if the outer skin moves and if it does it's probably delaminated. This is something that should be on the coach buyer's checklist if it isn't already. I don't remember it being on the list when I bought my coach in 2012. Maybe it's been added since then? ...Moderators please include delamination to the coach buyer's checklist if it isn't already on there. When you go to Foretravel have them demonstrate how to check for delamination on your coach so you'll see how easy it is. Ironically the delamination repair costs a thousand dollars less than the windshields and gasket replacement, so it's not really a deal breaker, just a price negotiation tool, like bad tires, airbags, batteries, or other mechanical issues. If the nose delamination isn't repaired before the new windshields are installed the windshields won't be properly supported and they'll pop out when driving over a steep grade change... so there's something else to consider for those of you who had your windshield pop out, dunno if that's been mentioned on this forum before but I don't recall reading it. I learned a bunch of other stuff too that's not related to windshields so maybe I'll post some of that elsewhere later. Going to Foretravel is always a learning experience, at least for a dummy like me!

Re: Windshield film

Reply #21 – October 08, 2016, 11:33:05 am

Scott,

Delamination in the nose/dash is very different from side wall delamination which is pretty rare or delamination of slides on newer coaches.

Nose/dash delam can be cause by a number of factors, including:

Excessive condensation on windshield leading to dry rotting of leading edge of dash plywood.
Poor or failed fiberglass nose to dash bonding.
Excessive body twist.
Combination of all the above.

And, yes flexing of the windshield support structure is a common symptom.

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