Paint Depth (Experts only please)

S

solekeeper

New member
Hey guys.. i have a few questions for those of you who have ample experience with clearrcoat depth etc..



First, i was curious as to how many mils thick an OEM finish is? (I know it varies, but approximate) From a toyota to a Lamborghini..



Also, how many mils is ONE coat of aftermarket clearcoat?





Next, what is the minimum depth a clearcoat finish can be sanded without risking delamination?



And finally, how much clear is removed if you were to sand a panel down with 2k grit and then polished?
 
Experts only??? I wouldn't stick my neck out and say I'm a paint depth expert, but I do own a paint gauge and play with one on a regular basis. You've already found the answer, it varies. A paint gauge is not an absolute tool. You use the relative measurements to gain information about paint condition. If you need a baseline for a car, the best spot to get them is under emblems and the paint hasn't been polished there most of the time.
 
YUUUPPPP!

And when taking readings, measure 5 places on each of the top panels, hood, top, trunk.

Not on the edges, as the guns reduce material when they get to the edges.

Average out the readings.

To prove this, take readings from the center of the hood or trunk lid, then one each from about 5 or 6 inches in. Follow those readings with a 6th and 7th reading from the back edges of the panel. Most will show less film build than in center areas.

Sides are not as important as the top surfaces for obtaining readings.

Once knew a guy who thought that if he took reading from the inside of the door jams he would be safe. Not so, most do not get two coats of clear, so the readings are usually off by a half to a mil.

My gauges are convertible to mil or microns, but I found in working with the paint suppliers to OEM and the paint/body OEM division people that "mil" is going to be what they work with unless in a lab while developing new coatings.

(or some desk jockey from the office in Japan)

Grumpy
 
Another thing, no two cars are alike. I've had same model and generation Audis that were off by 15-20% .
 
I'll add to this one too....
Also, how many mils is ONE coat of aftermarket clearcoat
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One painters coat of clear is not equal to another so there will be a lot of variation to that one.
 
Well OP, I hope by now you're starting to realize what the others are saying:



It varies and there's no good answer to give you.



I understand that even still you may have that feeling that you just want a general number, nothing specific, just a rough estimate. Please understand that most of us would probably agree that to do this would be hugely irresponsible as it could be very far from what your finish is. I've found most modern cars have much thinner paint lower on side doors than they do closer to their windows. Also take into account many mirrors, bumpers, wings/spoilers, side skirts, and other plastic pieces are sourced from suppliers who painted them separately (depending on the vehicle / brand) and thus thicknesses on these pieces can be WAY off from the metal body panels.
 
I'm feeling generous, so I'll throw out some numbers for most newer cars (2000+)...



<100 microns - time to figure out what has happened to the paint, was the car polished several times, is it aftermarket panels/paint?

>200 microns - repaint likely, proceed with extreme caution.
 
That is generous! LOL
Dan said:
I'm feeling generous, so I'll throw out some numbers for most newer cars (2000+)...



<100 microns - time to figure out what has happened to the paint, was the car polished several times, is it aftermarket panels/paint?

>200 microns - repaint likely, proceed with extreme caution.
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RaskyR1 said:
Some new Infiiniti vehicles are less than 90 microns from the factory! :eek1:
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Yikes, I think the lowest I've seen on virgin paint so far is 110. I guess zee Germans are more generous.
 
RaskyR1 said:
I'll add to this one too....





One painters coat of clear is not equal to another so there will be a lot of variation to that one.
Click to expand...



Agreed, but most painters/paint companies/trainers instruct to apply 2 coats of clear for proper coverage. I never see anyone putting just 1 or more than 2. In retrospect, depending on a shop's workflow, they might even lay it down heavier or apply a 3rd coat when they are sanding to match a flat original finish. Generally, isn't 1 coat of refinish clear quasi-equivalent to 1 mil?
 
When I got my gauge a few years ago, I was at a clients who had a brand new Merc S550, Porsche turbo cab and Honda Civic. Upon measuring all three, I was amazed that the three cars readings were almost identical. Having said that, I've done five first gen Infiniti G35s and none had readings over 70 on the roof. YIKES!!
 
David Fermani said:
..e. I never see anyone putting just 1 or more than 2...
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Unless some customer like me tells 'em to ;)



Most recently- the bumpers on the Tahoe; especially the back one that the dogs might mess up. I haven't measured them, but I said to do it as thick as they could without causing issues, and yeah it does look a bit different from the areas they reshot on the body proper.
 
That's weird that it looks different by them just applying extra clear? You'd figure on flexible parts like a plastic bumper, you'd want to go as thin as possible due to the potential to cracking/lifting. Not like a metal panel where it won't be flexing.
 
David Fermani said:
That's weird that it looks different by them just applying extra clear? You'd figure on flexible parts like a plastic bumper, you'd want to go as thin as possible due to the potential to cracking/lifting. Not like a metal panel where it won't be flexing.
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Not plastic, that Old Body Style Tahoe (yeah, OBS even though it's a '00) has steel bumpers (body-color on the Z71 package).



The diff is very subtle and might just be one of those "differences" that, uhm....happen, if you get my drift. Different situation (off the vehicle), different day,..."just different". Maybe I shouldn't read too much into my request that they go extra on those parts :nixweiss
 
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