Windshield Skin Report


Midnite Blu said:
Let's recap this window film situation. Is everyone happy? My results are less than satisfactory...We did Midnight Blue but not Heritage. Prof. installer did the work but too many spots and the film does not cover the entire glass. I'm saving the second film to apply later if there is progress made on a better install...Any input....Thanks
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George,
I've been real happy with my results. It will take a while for all of the moisture to dissipate. (1 to 2 weeks depending on temperature) The soap mixture Proline recommended was to strong. 2 to 2.5 cc to a 32oz spray bottle is enough. I have a few small spots in the film that are like little kinks in the film but are not in the line of site and not that noticeable. They may be 1/16 " or so in diameter.
I placed my film tight to the top of the windshield. There is a gap at the bottom but that area is actually covered by the hood and fenders so no horizontal flying rocks could hit that area.
I just took some people for rides last night and they never knew it was there. Some other GT owner have seen my car and can vouch for the clarity. I've had mine on since the first of Jan. after it dried for a few weeks I put on a coat of Rejex. It's our dry season and I have not been caught in the rain so I can't report on that yet.. feel free to pm me if you have any questions. regards, Brian
 
Thanks Brian, placing it tight to the top is a good thought but after six weeks too many spots. Must have dust in the air? Keep me posted about how it works in the rain, wipers and all....Thanks again...George
 
If we don't like it....how do we get it off? I have not installed it yet, but see the need for it.
 
Midnite Blu said:
Thanks Brian, placing it tight to the top is a good thought but after six weeks too many spots. Must have dust in the air? Keep me posted about how it works in the rain, wipers and all....Thanks again...George
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George,
I went through some extra steps to make sure the windshield was clean. I washed it with a dish washing detergent and dried it . I than took some CLR mineral dissolver and put it on a rag and wiped down the windshield to dissolve any mineral spots. I than wiped of this residue with a damp cloth because I didn't want to wash any of the CLR on the vehicle. Than I sprayed the windshield with the baby shampoo solution and razor scraped it off. I did the razor step twice to insure the glass was completely free of any contaminants.
Now I was sure the glass was clean. The next important thing is do make sure you don't get any debris under the film. I placed the film up side down on the windshield. I than washed the bottom side of the film to remove any debris that is stuck to the liner before removing the liner. These films generate lots of static electricity and seem to attract every piece of lint with in 30 miles, so the water and washing help eliminate the charge and remove the debris.
Before I flip over the film I lift it up and rinse water with a hose between the film and the windshield. Than a quick rinse on the back side which is still facing up than I flip over on to the clean windshield so it's right side up. The goal here is to get out and debris or dust between the back of the film and the windshield.
Now I rise off the face of the film and wipe it down to remove and last debris that still maybe stuck to the top. At this point your are just about about ready to remove the liner. Just to ensure the debris is removed I rinse between the windshield and the backside on more time with the hose and I'm careful not to lift it the film to high so no floating debris floats in between the glass and the back of the film. Now a quick rinse with some distilled water between the back of the film and windshield and your ready for the shampoo mixture.
Lift up the film and spray a generous amount of the Shampoo slip solution between the glass and the back of the film. I started with the top passenger side corner and pealed back the liner form the back side towards the drivers side side have a helper hold the corner and spray the solution o the back of the films as you go.

This may sound complicated but It's goes much quicker to do than to explain. The goal is to get the film clean and get it right side up and minimize the exposure of the back side to the open air.
Cleanliness is next to Godliness. Make sure you use lint free towel and keep you're hands clean and wet. I did not use the reverse roll method. You can use their instruction to squeegee out the film . To me all of the real work it getting the film clean and keeping out the debris.
It's kind of like painting all of the hard work is in the prep squeegeeing out the film on that big flat area is the easy part.. PM me if you need any more info.

Regards, Brian
 
I hear that to replace a windscreen on the GT is a complex and expensive job - far more so than most cars. The protective screen sounds like a good investment.
 
Beach-GT said:
If we don't like it....how do we get it off? I have not installed it yet, but see the need for it.
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It would just peel off.
 
Storm is right. My installer told me the easiest way is to simply heat the film with a heat gun or a hair dryer...start at one edge...heat & pull back ...heat & pull back until the puppy is totally off. Then do the windshield cleaning stuff as B4 and install your new film.
 
Neilda said:
I hear that to replace a windscreen on the GT is a complex and expensive job - far more so than most cars.
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'Betcher boots! The front fenders have to come off to replace it!!!!! Camillo goofed big time on THAT lil' feature!
 
I understand why guys are doing this but I doubt the film will protect a windshield against anything but the normal sandblasting that cars as low as the FGT are prone to acquire over the years. If a semi kicks up a large pebble and you're travelling at a pretty good clip when it hits the w/s, that's likely gonna result in a ding to the underlaying glass that over time will migrate into a crack due to constant vibration while driving. Again, if it's sandblasting you're trying to eliminate, this product makes some sense, but it seems to be a lot of work and a fair amount of skill required to install the film so that it's optically clear without any dirt or distortion.

I also agree that whichever Ford body engineer is responsible for designing a windshield system that allegedly requires both front fenders be removed for glass replacement ought to revisit Mechanical Engineering 101. Hopefully, there's a creative glass pro out there that will figure a shortcut to do this without having to completely remove the fenders (or "wings" for Neilda and you other Brits and Aussies out there). I know my Pantera shop manual said to pull the dash, which I did many years ago when I was replacing that windshield. When I arrived at the glass shop, the installer says "...why did you do that?" He used a piece of venetian blind cord in the rubber gasket channel and after soaping up the body opening, the gasket with new windshield attached slid in perfectly over the steel lip as he pulled the cord out from the 6:00 o'clock to the 12 o'clock position. Unfortuantely, most contemporary windshields use Urethene or similar sealant as part of the attaching system.
 
The stuff IS suppose to work for SMALL pebbles & such, Fred. But, you're pbly right as far as protection from LARGE stuff. 'Way I figgered it though, getting pelted by the small crap is just UNAVOIDABLE. That is GUNNA happen for SURE. And, the film is suppose to stop that stuff. So, it's worth the $$ and hastle to install it 'far as I'm concerned.
 
usmcfred said:
the installer says "...why did you do that?" He used a piece of venetian blind cord in the rubber gasket channel and after soaping up the body opening, the gasket with new windshield attached slid in perfectly over the steel lip as he pulled the cord out .......
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:lol

I can sort of imagine that! I'll bet you were delighted!!

Tricks of the trade you'd never know....
 
I took a 1/2 inch rock on my Ranger and got a star. Later I took a 1/4 inch pebble and got a chip. I figure the GT window angle and film would preclude either of these. If not --- we'll I tried. :ack
 
usmcfred said:
I understand why guys are doing this but I doubt the film will protect a windshield against anything but the normal sandblasting that cars as low as the FGT are prone to acquire over the years. If a semi kicks up a large pebble and you're travelling at a pretty good clip when it hits the w/s, that's likely gonna result in a ding to the underlaying glass that over time will migrate into a crack due to constant vibration while driving. Again, if it's sandblasting you're trying to eliminate, this product makes some sense, but it seems to be a lot of work and a fair amount of skill required to install the film so that it's optically clear without any dirt or distortion.

I also agree that whichever Ford body engineer is responsible for designing a windshield system that allegedly requires both front fenders be removed for glass replacement ought to revisit Mechanical Engineering 101. Hopefully, there's a creative glass pro out there that will figure a shortcut to do this without having to completely remove the fenders (or "wings" for Neilda and you other Brits and Aussies out there). I know my Pantera shop manual said to pull the dash, which I did many years ago when I was replacing that windshield. When I arrived at the glass shop, the installer says "...why did you do that?" He used a piece of venetian blind cord in the rubber gasket channel and after soaping up the body opening, the gasket with new windshield attached slid in perfectly over the steel lip as he pulled the cord out from the 6:00 o'clock to the 12 o'clock position. Unfortuantely, most contemporary windshields use Urethene or similar sealant as part of the attaching system.
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It will protect more than sandblasting check out their website. www.prolinestyling.com
 
usmcfred said:
I understand why guys are doing this but I doubt the film will protect a windshield against anything but the normal sandblasting that cars as low as the FGT are prone to acquire over the years. If a semi kicks up a large pebble and you're travelling at a pretty good clip when it hits the w/s, that's likely gonna result in a ding to the underlaying glass that over time will migrate into a crack due to constant vibration while driving. Again, if it's sandblasting you're trying to eliminate, this product makes some sense, but it seems to be a lot of work and a fair amount of skill required to install the film so that it's optically clear without any dirt or distortion.

I also agree that whichever Ford body engineer is responsible for designing a windshield system that allegedly requires both front fenders be removed for glass replacement ought to revisit Mechanical Engineering 101. Hopefully, there's a creative glass pro out there that will figure a shortcut to do this without having to completely remove the fenders (or "wings" for Neilda and you other Brits and Aussies out there). I know my Pantera shop manual said to pull the dash, which I did many years ago when I was replacing that windshield. When I arrived at the glass shop, the installer says "...why did you do that?" He used a piece of venetian blind cord in the rubber gasket channel and after soaping up the body opening, the gasket with new windshield attached slid in perfectly over the steel lip as he pulled the cord out from the 6:00 o'clock to the 12 o'clock position. Unfortuantely, most contemporary windshields use Urethene or similar sealant as part of the attaching system.
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It will protect more than sand blasting they have a video on their website www.prolinestyling.com It may sound like a long process but it's not. Scrubbing the windshield and razoring is not that lengthy I just described the extra details to ensure cleanliness.
 
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Windshield Film

Just had my car covered with the plastic bra. The fellow that did it was David Dearing www.speedfilm.net He has switched from the 3M product to a much better one. It stretches better and is more durable. He covered almost the whole front end of the car and it is terrific. He also did Don Clifford's car. However after he did this he proceeded to install the Proline film after watching the video and the results were terrible. The glue came off in spots and it has bubbles all over it. He thought they might disappear in time but that's not the case. He called Proline and I believe they are going to send him a replacement. Since I'm going to track the car in May I will leave it on until then but after that it will come off.
Incidentally David is very experienced and does the film for the local Porsche dealers in Atlanta.
Flash
 
Had problems with my install due to bad instructions from Proline. Spoke to Bo, he promised to get back to me,... he never did. I have it on for now, but am not a pleased customer.
 
The film on mine came out 99.1% prefect. There ARE under a 1/2 doz very tiny bubbles here & there around the perimeter of the film. But one has to look for them to see 'em. 'Only exception is a couple on the perimeter about 1/8" X 1/4" (looks like there was no "glue" there for some reason). But, as I say, they're out on the very edge of the film. Otherwise the whole thing looks good. Nice & clear. Since the film supposedly will have to be replaced in 3-4 years anyway, I'm not going to mess with it now because of this stuff.
 
My first one came out great! I'll be doing my second one on the new GT next week. There are many clear bra installers that are very competent with clear bra type film but have had issues with this install. This film is slightly different. It's very rigid and exact placement is critical. Also the adhesive is not as thick or aggressive as the clear-bra because it would cause to much visual distortion. The original Proline video was not very good. The written instruction are ok but the soap amount they recommended was to high. I use 2cc per 32oz of distilled water

Proper glass cleaning is the real key for two reasons it will insure good clarity and proper adhesion. I don't think most installers are taking the time to get the glass perfectly clean and free of all mineral deposits and debris. I used some CLR mineral remover on a rag followed by two razor scrapping passes than a scrub with the abrasive pad. I also use distilled water only for rinsing and making of the soap solutions. Only use Johnson's baby shampoo. I have to tell people my film is on the glass because it's clear as a bell. Feel free to contact me if you have need any other tips. I posted some other comments a while back on another post
 
They came to my house as i am local to get the fit for their first windsheild . Told me to contact them in a week or so for local install at their shop tried to set appt 4 or 5 times have never heard from these guys again guess they got what they needed. John
 
Car Wash King said:
They came to my house as i am local to get the fit for their first windsheild . Told me to contact them in a week or so for local install at their shop tried to set appt 4 or 5 times have never heard from these guys again guess they got what they needed. John
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Humm.. they told me that they went out and bought a windshield for a template?? Did they offer you a free skin and install for your trouble? If so and they haven't stepped up let me know I'll follow thru with a call to Proline.. regards, Brian
 
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