Paint Thickness Meter

P

pwr4all3

New member
I was just wondering what's the preferred brand and model(s) for paint thickness meters. Where did you buy yours from? Do you find your meter usefull in day to day work on customer's cars?



Thanks,



- Randy
 
Below is a link to the manufacturer:



http://www.promotorcarproducts.com/etgmini.htm



Note that the NEW mini is $400, and the ETG is $600!



I'm still torn. I used the tool last week at Meguair's. It allows you to establish a baseline, and lets you monitor how much you are removing. It measures total film build.



I'm not sure if I need it... and would love to hear from pros who use it.



(thanks to Mike Pennington, Meguiar's, for the link to the manufacturer.)



Jim
 
Just a quick note, but I seem to recall when looking at them a while back out of curiosity that some had a precision of about 1 mil. The one we got to use at Meguiar's had a precision of .1 mil. This would make it a lot more useful. I could be recalling incorrectly, though. :)
 
I am also sold on the need to use a paint thickness meter when serious paint correction is needed. If and when I decide to also get a rotary, I will get a paint thickness meter too. A $400-600 investment is cheaper than going through the clearcoat on a high end car.
 
I have a $1000 elcometer digital coating thickness guage and it is helpful but not something I use everyday. I am glad I ahve it for when I need it though. My guage will also measure thickness on aluminum which most don't.
 
u could buy one from detailking.com. it is a cheaper pop up type for about 40 dollars and does work. I saw it in action at the seminar. Some people say they dont work ,but in fact they do. They are not as accurate,but will produce results.
 
When you say that it measures in units of mil do you mean milimeter or 1/1000 of an inch?



I asked that question at a meguiars demo and he said milimeter but I'm still pretty sure that 1 mil = 1/1000 or an inch
 
I meant a mil as in 1/1000". I think paint would be way less than one millimeter, so that might not be a great measurement. There are about 25mm in an inch, so that would be like 1/25" or ~40 mils.
 
quamen said:
u could buy one from detailking.com. it is a cheaper pop up type for about 40 dollars and does work. I saw it in action at the seminar. Some people say they dont work ,but in fact they do. They are not as accurate,but will produce results.
Click to expand...



You normally only have .5-1 mil of paint thickness to work with to remove defects and not comprimise the clearcoat so I would prefer something very accurate. A high quality paint thickness guage is cheaper than repainting a hood.
 
I just sent Pro Motor Car Products an e-mail asking to send me prices. This is a great thing to have. If you guys are interested in what they say let me know and i'll post.
 
I would!

E-mailed several companies yesterday but haven't heard back yet.

The one that I was most interested in would take readings on fiberglass panels and hoods.

I believe it was the EGT
 
quamen said:
u could buy one from detailking.com. it is a cheaper pop up type for about 40 dollars and does work. I saw it in action at the seminar. Some people say they dont work ,but in fact they do. They are not as accurate,but will produce results.
Click to expand...



Wouldn't this be sufficient enough for the enthusiast working on his/her own cars?
 
Well, if it isn't that accurate, what are you really accomplishing with it? You could probably see if you had areas on your car that had been painted after leaving the factory since they might be much thicker. But for telling how much clear you've removed, I'd think accuracy is a requirement. :nixweiss
 
I havent heard back yet but I was curious to see what they had to say about the different models they offer & pricing. Jimamary THANKS. I was looking at the pop up type also. Im not crazy about putting A magnet on my paint. Then again if im the one using it, it doesnt matter.
 
Re: putting a magnet on your paint: I think that

a). if you have any wax/sealant protection, you'd be ok, and

b). be gentle.



Jim
 
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