Paint meters

M

MCWD

New member
As I have continued to make my detailing skills better, I am feeling that I should start to investigate paint meters. I am hoping that some of you may have good feedback to help me along here. Truly I want a good quality product, but I don't feel that it has to be the most expensive. Also, I have seen posts where the readings are on their computer screens. What programs are needed or suggested for the computer? Are there any meter's that are reasonable in cost and deliver top notch performance? And if you have any feedback on what the pros and cons are, I would love to hear them. Lastly, I would be curious as to what some of you have noticed after using a meter. Things such as more consistant results, quicker rehabs, etc... I appreciate it fellas!

:work:
 
I believe the DeFelsko meters are compatible with the PosiSoft software. I'm not sure if there are any other thickness gauges that can export readings to a computer.



The High-Line meter is one that I currently use. It works as advertised and can't complain about the price.
 
I have a PhaseII 3550 (external probe on a cable) and I gotta confess I find it very hard to get consistent readings. I keep meaning to call them and see if they can help me with this, but *sheesh* is it a PIA compared to other gauges I've used.
 
Unless you're working with high dollar high end collector cars My suggestion is not to worry about the paint meter. If you're customers are already more than happy with your results do you think you can improve those results even more by sinking a few hundred bucks into your inventory? For most of your daily drivers the results just aren't going to be there. However if you're working on a $50,000 paint job or absoultly need to know just what you have to work with (like some of the guys on here that deal with those types of cars) then I would suggest the best one your money can buy. But I would say that 90% of the detailers out there will see no real added value to this. Just my opinion of course.
 
Jakerooni said:
Unless you're working with high dollar high end collector cars My suggestion is not to worry about the paint meter..
Click to expand...



Different opinion here: I've run into a few instances on my cars where I either shoulda taken measurements (took off too much clear on my M3 in an attempt to remove all the marring) or was lucky that I *did* take 'em (woulda kept going on my DenaliXL had the meter not warned me how thin the paint was getting). I'm not a pro, but if *I* find it necessary to measure thickness when doing correction I sure wouldn't want somebody else to work on my vehicles without doing the same.



When I did my pal's old Jag (a recently repainted showcar) for the Glenmoor Gathering show, it was a good thing I took measurements...I found a few places where the clear was already too thin, any correction woulda spelled disaster. Kinda surprised me that I couldn't see any difference between those areas and the rest of the car (I *can* often spot too-thin patches of clear), but the surprise woulda been a lot worse had I assumed that I could correct those areas.



And a few cars I considered buying this summer had been overly thinned as part of their presale prep...they looked fine but the readings were really scary-thin.



I'm kinda surprised how useful I find the meters now that I'm using them regularly. Now if I could just get the hang of that PhaseII :think:
 
I would have to say that investing in a paint meter is a must for me. I work on extremely high-end cars and quite honestly I don't want to risk causing damage to anyones car. Whether it is a VW Jetta to a Rolls Royce Phantom, I feel that based off of things that I am learning off of here with paint correction that I don't want to create additional headaches. Yes this is a costly initial investment, but when I consider the fact that I will be able to confidently address issues and know my limits I will be more secure. I always take precautions! You can never be too safe, and as other threads have shown in some scenarios you can never be too safe. I am looking to set myself up with a good quality meter that will provide easy use and the ability to keep track of the car's paint on my laptop. I would appreciate any additional suggestions, as I never overlook advice. Thanks to all that ever provide any advice to the threads I post!
 
MCWD- Hope you get a meter that's more idiot-proof (well, Accumulator-proof at any rate) than my PhaseII. Wish I could remember the name of the one I used this summer that I liked so well :confused:
 
Accumulator said:
MCWD- Hope you get a meter that's more idiot-proof (well, Accumulator-proof at any rate) than my PhaseII. Wish I could remember the name of the one I used this summer that I liked so well :confused:
Click to expand...



any brands that you are familiar with that would be worth looking into? I have read up on the Defelsko and it sounds like they have quality meters... if you have any feelings about them feel free to dish it out. Thank you!:waxing:
 
MCWD said:
any brands that you are familiar with that would be worth looking into?
Click to expand...



Sorry, but if I had any good ideas I woulda bought something other than my PhaseII :o



Note that I need something that'll work on aluminum.



I just can't remember the name of the one I used that I liked so much :confused: It was orange plastic, *VERY* easy to get uniform/repeatable readings.
 
Accumulator said:
Sorry, but if I had any good ideas I woulda bought something other than my PhaseII :o



Note that I need something that'll work on aluminum.



I just can't remember the name of the one I used that I liked so much :confused: It was orange plastic, *VERY* easy to get uniform/repeatable readings.
Click to expand...



If it was orange, my guess is it was a Elcometer.
 
was it the FS 488? Maybe thats red? I'm not sure which one to invest in either? I inspect cars so I need to know if there is prior damage or respray. Something that works on both metal and aluminum. I do not need anything fancy or hooked to my computer but a holster strap looks useful, a long battery-life and easy to read and use, in addition to being reliable is what I had in mind. Is there anything out there under $300 or do I just need to bite the bullet and hand over the cash?

thanks
 
How do you guys go about using the paint meters? I am obviously looking to purchase a meter to be a more effective detailer, but I am curious as to how you typically go about using them. thank you!
 
shine & abphoto- I simply didn't register which brand it was (I borrowed it on the spot, used it, gave it back) so I really dunno :nixweiss Also dunno if it woulda worked on aluminum as I don't recall seeing any "Fe" type indicator that woulda meant a dual-metal gauge was reading steel.



MCWD- I first measure someplace where I'm confident the paint is at max original thickness to get a baseline (gotta give this some thought). I then measure various areas where issues are likely, especially sections that are often repaired (think "rust repair", etc.) or corrected (like the hood and around the fuel filler). If I'm buying a vehicle (or otherwise really concered about this stuff) I'll take a *LOT* of readings.



I took about six different readings on the trunklid (oops, I mean the "boot" :chuckle: ) of that Jag before I found the scary-thin area...still surprises me that I didn't notice a diff in how the metallic-effect looked but that's why I needed the gauge.



The tricky part is when you find a *thick* area that indicates respray...how much of your reading is the clear of the respray? Somebody who knows a lot more than I do oughta be able to give us some guidelines, but it'll still be a crapshoot as you just never really know anything except the total thickness on top of the metal.
 
Accumulator said:
The tricky part is when you find a *thick* area that indicates respray...how much of your reading is the clear of the respray? Somebody who knows a lot more than I do oughta be able to give us some guidelines, but it'll still be a crapshoot as you just never really know anything except the total thickness on top of the metal.
Click to expand...



When I was out at Meguiars headquarters back in '04, in the advanced pro class they (both Mikes) told us to assume no more than 1.5 mil clear coat thickness and do not remove more than .3 mil via wetsanding so you have .1 mil to remove buffing out the sanding marks and .1 mil cushion over the 1 mil limit you should never go under.
 
Scottwax said:
When I was out at Meguiars headquarters back in '04, in the advanced pro class they (both Mikes) told us to assume no more than 1.5 mil paint thickness and do not remove more than .3 mil via wetsanding so you have .1 mil to remove buffing out the sanding marks and .1 mil cushion over the 1 mil limit you should never go under.
Click to expand...



Don't you mean "1.5 mil of *clearcoat* thickness" ;)



I err even *more* on the side of caution than the 0.4 mil removal limit (well, at least I try to). I know a lot of guys take off a lot more than that, but I heard (I think it was from Ron K. at AutoInt) that taking off more than a third of a mil is risky, plus I'm thinking long-term (and dealing with my own cars).



My meter (well, as best I can employ the [darn] thing) says the M3 is still OK according to what some people here say, but I can *see* that the clear is mighty thin in the places where I really hammered it. It's worrisome enough that I'm gonna tell the next owner about it (no way a normal person would see it).
 
Thanks for keeping the post interesting... Lets keep it going! What areas of the car do you feel provide the best initial reading? Would you say it is a safe assumption to measure an area around the windshield? I just have not seen people heavily buff that area at quick detail shops, so when it comes to me I address it accordingly.
 
MCWD said:
What areas of the car do you feel provide the best initial reading? Would you say it is a safe assumption to measure an area around the windshield? I just have not seen people heavily buff that area at quick detail shops, so when it comes to me I address it accordingly.
Click to expand...



That's the idea...pick some place that's unlikely to have been hammered but not so out-of-the-way that the factory paint is likely to be thin. Another area would be under the sideview mirrors on the doors (I'd assume correction around the door handles).



I just take a bunch of readings and see what I get, paying special attention to any areas that seem suspicious.
 
I've not read all the postings so I hope this is not redundant



I often use for my initial reading something under the hood, trunk, or quarter panel that has not been clear coated. This gives me a "rough Idea" of how much clear was put on the car. I always get worried if I see readings (on top side of a car) of under 4mills I get concerned, if they are 3.5mills I don't get aggressive with the paint at all.



I would love to hear what others do.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top