Paint thickness gauges

[jaybs02]

I was wondering how many people here are using a paint thickness gauge.

After reading this Automotive Paint Detailing I was wondering if it wouldn't be that bad of an idea to have one.

I know that this is put out by a gauge manufacturer, so there might be a bit "chicken little" information there, but the comments like this:

Because of the potential for removing the majority of the UV blockers, most auto manufacturers recommend that a maximum of 0.3 mils (8 microns) clear coat be removed as prevention from UV damage to underlying paint layers.

Which makes me wonder how far I can go.
They also make mention of the the newer nano clears being more scratch resistant, but also thinner.
I would think that things like this would make me hesitant to even due light wet sanding on someones car, or even use a rather aggressive combo more than just a few times.

Due to the fact that I purchased my car used, I'm not too sure how much there was to start with.

Anyone have any thoughts on this or ever how much clear manufacturers put on?

"J"

 

[Troy@Protekt]

This is an excellent question. :bigups

It reinforces how important it is that you take care of the finish so that major paint correction is not needed. There is only so much polishing a paint finish will take so the less agressive you have to be each time will definitely be a factor as to how many times your car's finish can be corrected.

Perfecting paint without knowing how much paint is actually on your car is possible on a certain level. Unless you have a good idea of how much paint is there you should never wet-sand or compound your car without a paint gauge. Even then you have to understand what the exceptable levels are according to the type of paint that is on your vehicle

 

[Clean Dean]

This is a great tool when working on a factory finish, but can get a bit tricky when working on a repainted surface.

If you plan on doing a lot of paint correction its a must, but please be careful with the guage itself. They are small and fragile and I broke 2 of them in the past 3 years at $400+ a pop.

:wall

 

[BlueZero]

Sorry no input on the gauge but... You might want to look in to getting a nice case for it if you do get one. Do a google search for Pelican cases. I use them with my photography equipment. You can pretty much throw them out of a moving vehicle and not worry.