In looking for an answer to the near-vertical windshield problem with cracks (And high windshield cost.) I came across a company that applies a laminate shield. I spoke with the distributor about FJ Cruisers specifically. Though he mainly is looking for fleet-sales, he did express an interest in the forum, and maybe attending some get-togethers to show off his product. Go to Glasstoration Technologies and then click on the windshield protection button for more info.
He told me for @ $150.00 it's a very tough film applied onto the windshield. As long as you remember it's there, reference scraping ice off, etc... you can keep it fairly scratch free. I think he said a 12-month, 12,000 mile guarentee. Anyway, the closest place that put it on for me, in Colorado, is somewhere near Salt Lake City Utah. I'll be heading out to Moab in May, so may run over to SLC and get it put on.
In the meantime, if anyone else wants to check it out before that, let us know.
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A true patriots job is to protect his country from its Government. Ed Abbey
86 4Runner (With 319,000 miles.)
96 Ford F250 Diesel (The farm truck.)
2000 4Runner (Wife's, 156,000 miles.)
07 Black Cherry FJ...MT, roof rack License Plate: AHHMOAB
The windshield deflection angle is 72 deg. The reason we get so much impact damage (compaired to jeeps/semis/old series rovers, and the like) is because of the curvature of the windshield. AND ALSO There is no "air buffer" the laminate is sub-par that is why we get so much abrasion damage. Feel free to debate, that is my conclusion. I'd love to have another laminate applied over a brand new windshield, one that has has suffered no abrasion damage, anything is better than OEM/Busted/OEM over and over again, to heck with a yellow WS, At least I'll know I'll have about two years till it happens...
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"You can run but you'll only die tired."
Someone needs to find a supplier for the type of films that NASCAR uses on the front windshield of their Nextel cars. It is a multilayer system that you can peal off - one layer at a time - as it becomes scratched / dirty.
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Black Cherry Pearl FJ Cruiser, 6-speed Manual, EZ-Lift 2.5" Front Leveling Kit......
I contact the company with the legality issue, and the yellowing issue. He stated that; 1. As long as there is no tint, it's not an issue, legal-wise, and 2. His product is a new product and won't yellow. He also reiterated that it's not meant as a permanent solution, but would probably last @ 18 months to 2 years, and then need to be taken off, and reapplied. But how many windshield cracks could that save in that time? I'm still researching products, and the NASCAR idea was what I was thinking of, but haven't found such a product for on-road usage. I still may get this applied in May and try it out. $150.00 is a lot less expensive than a windshield that goes from $700-1200 depending on where you get it.
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A true patriots job is to protect his country from its Government. Ed Abbey
86 4Runner (With 319,000 miles.)
96 Ford F250 Diesel (The farm truck.)
2000 4Runner (Wife's, 156,000 miles.)
07 Black Cherry FJ...MT, roof rack License Plate: AHHMOAB
I personally would check the local laws myself. I would not leave it up to the company to tell you if it is legal in your state. It is in fact illegal to put any film on the front winshields in some states.
If you do a search on ClearPlex or Madico, you"ll find earlier threads on this. I had it installed three months ago, and it has saved my windshield from gravel hits numerous times at 60+ mph.
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