2011 Jag XJL Ceramic Clear?

[Justins00ss]

Hey guys. In process of booking a client with a 2011 Indigo Blue metallic Jaguar XJL for a correction and coating. Was curious if this particular car would have ceramic clear coat on it? Thanks.

[Robert DiTerlizzi]

Come on Justin...........test spot will tell you what it is you want to know :)
I don`t think Jag went to using ceramic clears and every one I`ve ever done have been on the softer side

[Justins00ss]

Come on Justin...........test spot will tell you what it is you want to know :)
I don`t think Jag went to using ceramic clears and every one I`ve ever done have been on the softer side


Completely agree Robert! More or less just like to prepare myself ahead of time.

[Mike lambert]

Doesn`t matter what kind of paint a car has, that seems to worry a lot of people. A test spot and a ptg is the best things you can have.

[Mike lambert]

Doesn`t matter what kind of paint a car has, that seems to worry a lot of people. A test spot and a ptg is the best things you can have.

[Ronkh]

Doesn`t matter what kind of paint a car has, that seems to worry a lot of people. A test spot and a ptg is the best things you can have.

Are paint gauges really that valuable a tool? This interests me. The other day I was doing a friends car, and the hood felt really bad, and I refuse to do more than PB pro polish with a black pad, because I was afraid.

What did they do before paint gauges?

[Stokdgs]

Are paint gauges really that valuable a tool? This interests me. The other day I was doing a friends car, and the hood felt really bad, and I refuse to do more than PB pro polish with a black pad, because I was afraid.

What did they do before paint gauges?

Yes they are if nothing else to be able to set a baseline ( I read 134 microns average on this entire hood), and after a correction, see what it reads and you might be able to tell if you took much off the top.. It might not be perfectly accurate but its better than just guessing at it like we did before the gauges came out..

I like to use mine to find all the bodywork in the car, if any, (the gauge will read much higher on that spot) and then know this spot, area, etc., may have to be treated differently and will react differently..
It also helps me to (if I cant see it with my eyes), figure out if there was body and paint work here, there might be a Blend here, and I need to be really careful to not hurt that, etc..

A good trained eye and feel from very sensitive fingertips can also tell you much about the paintwork and whats under it, but the gauge just helps get us a little closer to what the total thickness is on that spot, in microns...

And now you have a number to work with and you dont want it go down too much to get the correction the Client is paying for...
Dan F

[Ronkh]

Yes they are if nothing else to be able to set a baseline ( I read 134 microns average on this entire hood), and after a correction, see what it reads and you might be able to tell if you took much off the top.. It might not be perfectly accurate but its better than just guessing at it like we did before the gauges came out..

I like to use mine to find all the bodywork in the car, if any, (the gauge will read much higher on that spot) and then know this spot, area, etc., may have to be treated differently and will react differently..
It also helps me to (if I cant see it with my eyes), figure out if there was body and paint work here, there might be a Blend here, and I need to be really careful to not hurt that, etc..

A good trained eye and feel from very sensitive fingertips can also tell you much about the paintwork and whats under it, but the gauge just helps get us a little closer to what the total thickness is on that spot, in microns...

And now you have a number to work with and you dont want it go down too much to get the correction the Client is paying for...
Dan F


Thanks Dan

[bswombaugh]

Are paint gauges really that valuable a tool? This interests me. The other day I was doing a friends car, and the hood felt really bad, and I refuse to do more than PB pro polish with a black pad, because I was afraid.

What did they do before paint gauges?

A PTG has saved my butt more than once. I personally would not want to run my business without one. Its not as big of a deal if you know the history of the paint that you are working on but its the unknowns that will get you in trouble. If you don`t know the customer or the vehicle has had multiple ownerships you really can only guess at what has been done to the paint in the past. A perfect example for me recently was a Nissan that was brought in for a complete detail and a paint correction. This was a second owner car.

The paint was relatively thin all over but dangerously thin in a couple of spots (2.6 mil ). I was only able to use a cleaner sealant (Duragloss 501) in these areas just to clean the paint without any abrasives. I would not be surprised that this car has some clearcoat failure in the future in these areas. Had I not had a PTG I would not of had any idea of the problem areas and might have polished through the clearcoat. I just do not feel comfortable any more without taking paint thickness measurements before I begin a correction on a customers vehicle. I also do wet sanding occasionally and definitely would not attempt this without knowing how much I was removing.

[Bounty]

Hey guys. In process of booking a client with a 2011 Indigo Blue metallic Jaguar XJL for a correction and coating. Was curious if this particular car would have ceramic clear coat on it? Thanks.

No.

[Ronkh]

A PTG has saved my butt more than once. I personally would not want to run my business without one. Its not as big of a deal if you know the history of the paint that you are working on but its the unknowns that will get you in trouble. If you don`t know the customer or the vehicle has had multiple ownerships you really can only guess at what has been done to the paint in the past. A perfect example for me recently was a Nissan that was brought in for a complete detail and a paint correction. This was a second owner car.

The paint was relatively thin all over but dangerously thin in a couple of spots (2.6 mil ). I was only able to use a cleaner sealant (Duragloss 501) in these areas just to clean the paint without any abrasives. I would not be surprised that this car has some clearcoat failure in the future in these areas. Had I not had a PTG I would not of had any idea of the problem areas and might have polished through the clearcoat. I just do not feel comfortable any more without taking paint thickness measurements before I begin a correction on a customers vehicle. I also do wet sanding occasionally and definitely would not attempt this without knowing how much I was removing.

That`s what I did the other day with no guage. I didn`t like the way it felt, so a non abrasive polish on blavk pad, gently.

Car was 6 years old and tunnel wash weekly.

[Mike lambert]

I have walked away from a few thanks to my gauge! After dealerships have polished too much I won`t touch them! It also as said helps to pick out reprints and filler and clients love knowing that!