Car shopping with the PTG

Dan

Dan

Well-known member
So I've always wanted to take a Cayman S out for a spin. They have dropped to some pretty affordable levels now and I noticed my local Jag dealership had one. From the posted carfax I noticed it had been involved in a front end collision, but of course, no details as to the damage.



I setup an appointment to take the car out. Once I get there, I notice the car is pretty rough around the edges, definitely not autopian kept by a long shot, but I was there, time for a test drive. Took the car out, it was fun, but not my cup of tea. I get back, park over to the side and take out the paint guage.



Turns out the only panels NOT re-painted on the car were the roof, rear fenders and passenger door. DOH. I go in tell the guy the car is a bit too rough around the edges and that it has more paintwork than I am comfortable with. He replies back with...



"Ohh, it was just involved in a minor accident as you can see on the carfax, only the front bumper has been painted"



I reply back with:



"Ummm, yeah, I walked the car with a paint guage...." and name of all the panels that had paint.



The guys face: :jaw:



And then he ran to go talk to his sales manager.



Highline II Paint guage:$220

The look on the guys face: priceless!
 
yakky- Good on you :xyxthumbs



Accumulatorette and I took my ETG when looking at a Volvo wagon...result- No Sale.



Took it to look at a Magnum RT....result- No Sale.



Took it....etc. etc.



Repaints, too-thin clear....ETGs are invaluable when shopping.



And yeah, my experiences with the salesmen (and others who wondered what I was doing) mirrored yours, that part of it's kinda fun :chuckle:
 
I took mine with me in my carry-on on a plane once, I'm sure glad they didn't think I had a bomb! :eek:
 
I took my advanced 200 with me to detail a blue car down in FL. TSA looked at my funny when it went thru the X-ray. I told him what it was and asked if he wanted a demo, he said no.
 
gmblack3 said:
I took my advanced 200 with me to detail a blue car down in FL. TSA looked at my funny when it went thru the X-ray. I told him what it was and asked if he wanted a demo, he said no.
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Must be nice to be enough of a high-roller to have one of those. I'd love to get one especially for the project I've got coming up here soon (a '56 Corvette that will be getting some pretty extensive paint correction on old SSU) but the $2500 price tag is a bit rich for my blood :(
 
Shiny Lil Detlr said:
Must be nice to be enough of a high-roller to have one of those. I'd love to get one especially for the project I've got coming up here soon (a '56 Corvette that will be getting some pretty extensive paint correction on old SSU) but the $2500 price tag is a bit rich for my blood :(
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After some of the things my ETG has brought to light, I'd be kinda nervous about working on certain 'glass vehicles that needed significant correction.



One could almost argue that such an ETG is merely an insurance premium for some of you Pros. Heh heh, it's easy for me to spend somebody else's money, huh?!?
 
Accumulator said:
After some of the things my ETG has brought to light, I'd be kinda nervous about working on certain 'glass vehicles that needed significant correction.



One could almost argue that such an ETG is merely an insurance premium for some of you Pros. Heh heh, it's easy for me to spend somebody else's money, huh?!?
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I totally agree; I just don't do enough of these cars to justify the cost for a handful of jobs. If I were constantly getting 'vettes and other similar cars I'd pick one up in a heartbeat. Instead I've been looking around to see if any body or restoration shops in the area have a meter so I can just take the car there and get some readings before I start working.
 
Mine's the much less expensive one but still not cheap, it's useless on fiberglass. Mine was a gift at least, or else I never would've bought one.
 
Shiny Lil Detlr said:
.. Instead I've been looking around to see if any body or restoration shops in the area have a meter so I can just take the car there and get some readings before I start working.
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Yeah, that's exactly what I did before I got mine; my "good" painter is a nice guy who's cool about lending me stuff, he gave me my Mirka sanding disks too :D
 
Accumulator said:
After some of the things my ETG has brought to light, I'd be kinda nervous about working on certain 'glass vehicles that needed significant correction.
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I've grown to really count on it as a tool for any corrections as well as car shopping. Sure I could guess as to what condition a panel is in, or I can take 10 minutes and make a paint map and know what I'm working with. Its also great to have a hard stopping point when trying to get deeper scratches out. Lastly, for pros, I think it adds a sense of credibility, providing your customer with a quantitative analysis of their paint condition is something most "detailers" don't do, it sets you apart from the crowd.
 
Accumulator said:
Yeah, that's exactly what I did before I got mine; my "good" painter is a nice guy who's cool about lending me stuff, he gave me my Mirka sanding disks too :D
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Awesome; I'm waiting to hear back from a shop right now that specializes in Corvettes, and thus should have a unit that will read on fiberglass. The boat I'm in is the same as most of us, I have a PTG that works great on steel, but is worthless on plastic/fiberglass.
 
There are electronic, digital paint thickness guages that you can purchase for about $225. They are accurate and easy to use.



Regards

Bud Abraham
 
buda said:
There are electronic, digital paint thickness guages that you can purchase for about $225. They are accurate and easy to use.
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Right, and there are even some affordable (should I put that in scare-quotes :think: ) ones that will read on aluminum.



Be careful about the "easy to use" bit though, my PhaseII is *NOT* user-friendly in the least compared to some others I've tried.
 
I'd jump on that $225 gauge if someone *must* have one because the general cost of these things seems to be going up and up. Here's mine which I've seen inflated elsewhere for double! Mine was less than the price listed in that link but that was a few years ago. I'm sure glad mine was a gift too! The prices are unjustified IMHO.
 
Accumulator said:
Right, and there are even some affordable (should I put that in scare-quotes :think: ) ones that will read on aluminum.



Be careful about the "easy to use" bit though, my PhaseII is *NOT* user-friendly in the least compared to some others I've tried.
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Yes you can purchase thickness gauges for "non-ferrous" as well as ferrous metals but they are more expensive. A USA-made instrument lists for $695.



Regards
 
Prices going up for sure but if it's integral to ones business--body shop/ used cars/auctions. It's a needed business expense.
 
buda said:
Yes you can purchase thickness gauges for "non-ferrous" as well as ferrous metals but they are more expensive. A USA-made instrument lists for $695.
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AND



Bill d said:
Prices going up for sure..
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Yeah, I'm really sure mine didn't cost nearly that much :think: I had to get the nonferrous capability due to the Audis.
 
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