klenbore

Just curious if anyone has had their windshield treated with the DiamonFusion process and if you are satisfied with it?

The following exerp is taken directly from their web site, www.diamonfusion.com.

Automotive Glass - There are many differential advantages Diamon-Fusion® holds over any other hydrophobic coating. DFI’s technology can be applied in the field, on existing vehicles, as well as new vehicles with an industrial-type application. Every other treatment being marketed as a coating for auto glass are only selling on the attribute of making the drivers vision clearer in bad weather and making the windshield easier to clean. Diamon-Fusion® not only offers those benefits, but also makes the glass harder to scratch or break. (see test results : an object must weigh ten times more to cause the same damage to a Diamon-Fusion® treated surface than an untreated one).

In addition, Diamon-Fusion® has improved durability, being less affected by the abrasion caused by the windshield wipers.

Diamon-Fusion® also aids in the removal of snow and ice, a benefit that is of much greater value in certain regions of the world.

luxury1

This sounds like an advertisement Klenbore

klenbore

Read the posting. wanted to know if anyone had this done to their windshield and if it's woth the $500 it costs.

magneto112

Diamond Fusion is actually really good. It works just like Rain-X, but 20 times better. The rain and water runs off the windshield rather quickly, lessening the amount you have to use the wipers. I work for Volvo during my summer and winter breaks from college and many customers have bought the product. They also say it works better than Rain-X, last longer(about 7 years or something like that), and doesnt need much maintenance(comes with maintenance spray that you spray on every once in awhile). We have not had one person complain about it. We actually get customers/co-workers bring in other cars and their cars of Diamond Fusion. The process can be lenghty(about an hour or more) and they must be qualified to do the procedure. A lot of chemicals are involved. Hope this helps. By they way I think we were charging 450 for ours.

McGuireV10

Which works out to the cost of about 70 16oz spray-bottles of RainX.

I have five vehicles and a 16oz bottle lasts me about four years, so figure that $450 would be enough to keep a single vehicle RainXed for about 1400 years...

klenbore

Thanks for your help. The thing that caught my attention was the dealer will guarantee the windshield against rock chips and cracks for 4 years. If it does happen to get a rock chip or pits, the windshield will be replaced free of charge. No questions asked and no deductible.

SAguirre

Well, I just shattered my windshield Saturday and I finally got around to having my insurance accept the rates that my Mercedes Dealer charges. My regular tech will be changing my windshield and NOT some idiot working out of a van. I have full coverage and I will not have to pay a penny.

However, I find it very hard to believe that this surface treatment will actually stop the glass from cracking. I don't doubt the water repelling qualities, but I would be willing to bet that if the windshield cracks THEY will contract Billy-Bob to change it and then they will charge you another $500 to get the coating re-applied.

There is only one thing that actually really works OK when it comes to preventing windshield cracks. That is to apply the 3M protectant film all around (about 2 to 4 Inches, if possible) around the windshield. The cracks usually only happen when the edges get hit since the glass can't flex against the steel of the car. The middle parts of the windshield are able to flex and avoid cracking, then the chip can be repaired. Needless to say . . . The wiper pattern of the W211 does not really allow this to be done correctly and it sometimes looks stupid. I decided to carry full insurance with a 0 deductible on anything that is glass. That ends up doing the trick.

Steve

klenbore

Interesting scenario. It's being marketed by an very well establised Dodge/Chrysler/Cadillac/Chevy/Pontiac dealer in my area. This is a full service dealership that does all their own service and body work. They have an impecible reputation, that's why I'm even considering it (family owned ,small town and been around for 59 years).

I've been around the block a few times, and if it were a fly-by-night that Billy-Bob and his cousin were running, they wouldn't get their meat hooks within a country mile of my car.

I'll check whether it's another $500 for the coating if the windshield is replaced by their guarantee.

SAguirre

Well, I think that there is money to be made insuring windshields. Most people do not get theirs cracked. I am sure you remember that special treatment that could be bought on your GM cars in the 80s. . . Ziebart . . .

If you had that coated on your paint then you never had to wax the car. Well, not waxing your car does not work out well in Florida. My friend's Oldsmobile Delta 88 had its paint fade, Ziebart paid to have it repainted Once (and very badly), yet the warranty expired if the car was repainted (even by them).

So in the end it was a scam. I am not saying that this product is a scam, but there sure have been a lot of warranties and claims like this before. The only way to really know if the product is good is if it was tested and proven in an independent study. My W211's windshield has been hit numerous times by rocks that I swore would have cracked it but did not. If I had this product on the windshield at the time of those strikes, I would of sworn that it would of cracked if I did not have that coating on it. So customer testimonials are very subjective and have no "control" for them to be considered accurate.

Again, I am only talking about the crack resistance issue here. Also, If your windshield were to crack, would you want a GM dealer changing (while learning on your car) your Mercedes windshield? Mercedes considers a windshield change a 6.5 hour job and only a few technicians are certified to work on them since today's cars have windshields that are considered structural to the body of the car. Not to mention, you need to order new gasket materials and not screw up the rain sensor when it gets changed. If they really want to warranty the windshield, ask them to put it in writing and pay for Mercedes Benz to change the windshield in the event of a crack. My dealer is charging my insurance $992.57 for a 100% OEM windshield change done by a Mercedes Benz Master Mechanic.

Just my 2-cents worth.


Steve

ima55r2

I bet they sell additional coverages for rust protection, seat protection, and special lifetime paint sealant coverage too.

There would be a very small market in Florida for this stuff. Insurance companies are required to replace windshields with no deductible if a crack or chip is in the driver's vision. It doesn't take too much to make sure that happens.

SAguirre

Being an Ex-Floridian myself, I know what you are talking about. That law is not here in Colorado, but I still have full glass coverage.

Steve

klenbore

Spend a winter in Montana where they use gravel on the roads instead of sand.

ima55r2

I’m sure Montana could be a nice place to live, but I can’t imagine myself spending a winter there.

kcsupratt

I actually got the Diamon Fusion applied to my 2004 E500 about 2 months ago. When they first apply the application the windshield is super smooth.
The following day or so we had a small snowstorm/ice storm and the sheet of ice just slid right off.

The main thing you need to do is to keep the winshield clean. They will send you a bottle in about 10 weeks to use to keep you winshield clean. In the mean time you can clean it with some other product.

ima55r2

I hope it's not re-bottled rain-x with coloring.

klenbore

This is purely subjective, but have you perceived any resistance to rock chips? They claim a windshield that has been treated with Diamon-Fusion makes the glass harder to scratch or break. An object must weigh ten times more to cause the same damage to a Diamon-Fusion treated surface than an untreated one.

They will unconditionally guarantee the windshield for a four year period. If it would happen to chip or break it will be replaced with another Diamon-Fusion treated windshield, an unlimited number of times during the four year warranty.

They also told me the replacement installation would be performed by my Mercedes dealer and the windshield would be Mercedes glass. Of course I will need to get this in writing. For $500 it sounds like a no brainier for me, given the fact you can’t drive any distance on these f-ing Montana highways without getting a rock chip.