3M windshield protector

I know 3M makes a clear bra, but do they make a clear windshield protector ? or should i just tint it? I hate it when you start getting nicks on ur windshield..... now i know i'm gonna get responses like... what about the wipers and such.. but i dun think it'll come off if it's on tight and its raining Edited by - r6tanz on 10/04/2006 5:30:37 PM

Good Ideaif they do. I just had a star right in my line of sight on my windshield. They can not fix it, will have to be replaced. Over $1000 LL

I saw this product offering at the place I had my clear bra installed. I don't know how well it works or how much it costs but I sure like the idea of not having my windshield getting nicked and chipped, etc. over time. http://madico.com/auto_clearplex.asp Tracy

Maury and I had two-stack tear-offs installed on our Caymans by Spider Bob Gravely at Cole Motorsports in Bluefield, WV. The official name of the product is Racing Industry Racing Optics WindshieldStack Tearoffs. The office phone is [phone removed]. We can both see that the tear-offs collected some pitting intended for our windshields. They will probably ship the stuff, but whoever applies it had better know what they're doing. If properly applied, the optics are good (barely noticable), and the windshield wipers work normally. You can even apply Rain-X on the tear-offs, but be sure there's no Rain-X on the windshield glass when it's applied.

LL, I had a similar star in my line of vision on the windshield of my 1995 saturn sports coupe. Had the windshield replaced for $340. Not sure why it costs three times more for the cayman windshield other than the fact that its in line with $200 oil changes vs $40 for the saturn. The cayman is a great looking car but its high maintenance costs and monochromatic interiors are definitely drawbacks. Based on my base cayman test drives I'm glad that my saturn is a good proxy for the cayman in the fun to drive department and I really hope that some of the cayman shortcomings are corrected before I need to find something else. At least the cayman exists as a good, albeit expensive, replacement.

uuuuuuuh, OK. You can have a windshield replacement rider put on your auto policy and it's cheap. Some states require it since they don't want people driving around with obscured vision. I imagine the tear off stuff is good for the track where your auto policy might be void.

I've found that with my saturn sports coupe its worth it to me to have the windshield replaced every couple of years just due to the many very small chips and scratches that seem to accumulate in that time frame. It's just nice to have a crystal clear new window put in. I assume that since the saturn and the cayman are the same size and height off the road there would be a similar amount of those small chips and scratches accumulating on the cayman . I'm not sure if the insurance rider would cover this sort of a replacement since the window does not have any obvious large obstruction in it. My point is that paying $1,000 every couple of years versus $340 to keep a clear windshield on the car is not a good thing. I guess I'm also unclear about why one costs so much more than the other. I assume that qualify of the glass and the labor involved are comparable.

I'm guessing it is volume and number of manufacturers. There's a lot more Saturns (and thus potential windshield replacements) than there are Porsches.

Also, you can have your windshield replaced for less with a non-OEM part from Safelite or others. I imagine the Saturn OEM part may be more pricey too. I would try extending your following distance as a way to cut down on the amount of windshield damage you sustain. It also goes a long way for rock dings in the hood as well/fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/MWPX/thumbsup.gif. Seriously now, futurecayman, everything about the Cayman is going to be more expensive than on a Saturn (tires, glass, waterpump, switches, spark plugs, even the oil!) it shouldn't shock you the the wind screen glass is pricey even if you view it as a maintenance item. Tires and oil are certainly maintenance items and more than 3x as expensive as for your Saturn as well. Porsches, as well made as they may be, are going to require expensive maintenance along the way.

I paid $ 130 at my dealer for oil and filter. Keep in mind their is about 8 quarts of syntetic oil plus you are looking changes every 10,000 to 20,000 miles between changes. 20,000 if you follow the manual. I find it will be cheaper than my Ford F150 which I change every 3,000 miles.

dings in windshields and insurance Fyi, State farm insurance tracks windshield fixes, be they cracks, pits or replacements and 'rates' you. Pirates, I say. Anyhow, consider this into the $30 ding fix costs.

Jim, Thanks for the link, from what I understand these aren't designed to be on yoru car for a long time without showing wear that the film that is more like the clear light cover protectors is designed to stay on for years. I've pinged Madico above, waiting to hear back, but I'll check these guys and premier mobile as well.

The "tear-offs" Jim and I had installed before our first track day worked very well in my opinion. They told us at Cole Motorsports that the material is an optical grade of mylar. I think Jim took both layers off after his last track day. My understanding of the length of time left on issue is that it is more of a problem for race cars with lexan windshields than it is for a normal OE glass windshield. Residual adhesive can easily be removed from glass with solvents and light scraping that would not be compatible with lexan. In any case, I intended to leave both layers on for next season. However, at the last VIR DE I did (Car Guys Oct 14-15) there was frost on the windshield both mornings when I left the motel. Since removing it left some scratchs on the mylar I deceided to try removing only the top layer. It came off clean with a few very small spots of adhesive remnants and a very clear surface. The top layer had several "pitted" spots that could be felt while cleaning that were removed. Not sure how effective it would be for a real rock strike. The usual small pitting of the windshield glass after several track days seems to have been eliminated though. A worthwhile thing IMO.