Paint Thickness Gauge Needed?

[dawgboy]

Ive been looking at different posts on the Before & AFter, and Click & Brag. I`ve seen the different supplies that people use, but I only remember coming across 2 posts that stated they used a Paint Thickness Gauge. In DavidB posts it is suggested to use a paint thickness gauge. Is this actually necessary and do yall use it?

[Dan]

It depends. I just got one, and its comforting to know that I can measure and know when to stop. I think being a little too autopian means I want perfection and sometimes I might go a bit overboard. The paint guage lets me set a firm stopping point.

[Aesop F1]

I use it every time I do paint paint correction. I would recommend it, mostly if you are ever going to detail someone else`s car.

[Accumulator]

Mine has saved me from a real "oops!" on a pal`s showcar..it woulda been a serious disaster; one area on his trunk lid had super-thin clear for some reason.



But OTOH, I got by for decades without one.



*GENERALLY* I don`t think you need one unless you`re a) buying a used car and need to check it (this has saved me from buying a car that woulda needed a repaint), b) doing *very* serious correction, especially on a car with unknown history, or c) working on other people`s vehicles, where it`s simply smart to CYA.

[gmblack3]

I would not do serious paint correction without them.



I have the Defelsko PosiTest DFT for metal and the PosiTector 200 advanced for composite and fiberglass.

[imported_Jakerooni]

I think they are like all the the other tools in detailing. They definatly have their place. You don`t absoultly *need* one per say to detail a car. I`ve personally have never used one but I do want to get one. I think just like everything else in detailing the more prepared you are the better off you`re going to be. I wouldn`t put it in the class of *must have* tools by any means but I would put it right up there with *if you can find a deal grab it up quick like!!!* Kind of like D/A`s and carpet extractors.

[CosminTX]

save me twice so far, i would say it paid in full already and i am not full detailer yet.

well ... it let u know things that u can`t tell and can`t see :

repaint panels , thin panels so u don`t try to hard to get the scratch out , thin spots on panels , gives u a map of the car`s paint u deal with , if u remove scratches or do paint correction i think is a must.

[Barry Theal]

I think there a good thing for beginners, but once you have the knowledge and understanding of what truly correcting a car is about there worthless. Now keep in mind thats just my opinion.

[Dan]

I think there a good thing for beginners, but once you have the knowledge and understanding of what truly correcting a car is about there worthless. Now keep in mind thats just my opinion.



So you can tell how much clear is left by just looking at paint?

[GS4_Fiend]

If you are serious about polishing, you should get one. It`s an essential item. And also could save your "buns buns".

[SoCalB6]

I would not do serious paint correction without them.



I have the Defelsko PosiTest DFT for metal and the PosiTector 200 advanced for composite and fiberglass.



Dayyyummm.... That`s like $3K+ in just PTG`s!:buffing: I know they have paid for themselves though.

[Accumulator]

So you can tell how much clear is left by just looking at paint?



Heh heh, I can only tell on metallics, and only when I`ve gone a bit too far :o



Yeah, that`s right...this *is* one topic that bufferbarry and I don`t exactly see eye-to-eye on :argue :hifive:

[04yfz]

So you can tell how much clear is left by just looking at paint?



Unless you have a PTG that will tell you how thick an individual coating is(Defelsko Positector 200 advanced), you can`t tell how much clear is left even with a PTG.

[Accumulator]

Unless you have a PTG that will tell you how thick an individual coating is(Defelsko Positector 200 advanced), you can`t tell how much clear is left even with a PTG.



But you can extrapolate to some degree. If a clearcoated panel reads 80-90 microns you`d better think twice about aggressively correcting it.



Crude/extreme IRL example: Last summer I was looking at a *VERY* nice black car I planned to buy. Zero serious cosmetic issues, which I found suspicious. A few ETG readings showed that the paint was *VERY* thin...as in, too thin to correct again, maybe even soon-to-fail. Seller`s response: "well, yeah, I did some wetsanding on it due to acid rain pitting". Without the ETG I almost certainly would`ve bought it, so the readings saved me from a big "oops". Could`ve just as easily been a car I was about to compound, like the readings that showed my pal`s Jag wasn`t safe to correct in a few places.

[Dan]

But you can extrapolate to some degree. If a clearcoated panel reads 80-90 microns you`d better think twice about aggressively correcting it.





Exactly. I`m a hobbyist, but I can tell you if I was a pro, there would be no way I would touch a car without taking readings first. Who knows how many times a car has been polished. Sure you don`t know how much clear is left, but you pretty easily tell which areas are thin, which areas are factory and which areas have been repainted.