Which Paint Depth Gauge?

yakky said:
There are no absolutes. We have two A4's, one has 20 more microns of paint. What has worked well for me is to measure around the emblems and under the mirrors (places where a polisher won't really fit) to get somewhat of a baseline for that particular car. The best plan of action, if you have the time is to draw up a paint map. Take lots of measurements on each panel and record them. Then you will be able to judge what condition the car is in and if it has been repainted. That said, most new stuff is in the 110-130 range.
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You must get paid lots of money for your work or just like to waste time (or both) .



Paint map???



I have over 25 years of polishing experience and maybe have used my paint thickness gauge 10-15 times.



The times I have used it was to correct deep paint defects.



A paint thickness gauge isn't an essential part of a paint polishers arsenal.
 
Superior__Shine said:
You must get paid lots of money for your work or just like to waste time (or both) .



Paint map???



I have over 25 years of polishing experience and maybe have used my paint thickness gauge 10-15 times.



The times I have used it was to correct deep paint defects.



A paint thickness gauge isn't an essential part of a paint polishers arsenal.
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Depending on the level of your detail I do not see how this would be that difficult. I would venture to say that customers would be very impressed by this and it would take about 3-4 min max on a preprinted car diagram. That having been said it wouldn't actually tell you that much, but if the customer would be impressed...
 
If I am already working on the car the customer is already impressed. I dont need smoke and mirrors to make m elook good.



So OK you give the customer the print out, now what? What does it mean? Means you like to waste time.



Wasting time is wasting time even at 4 minutes a pop. We do 4 cars a day so 4 minutes a car is 64 hours a year wasted... (4 cars x 4 min = 16 minutes a day / 16 x 5 days a week = 80 minutes a week .... 3840 minutes / 64 hours a year)



Our labor rate is $80 an hour, that X 64 hours is a $5120 loss.



If that works for you all the best of luck to you!
 
"If I am already working on the car the customer is already impressed. "



I see we really like ourself now don't' we. Good for you and I'm glad things are working out for you in SoCal, but just because another guy wants to keep a record of paint thickness and have something to show the customer that he's a step above the average buffer monkey - don't act so holier than thou, it makes you look arrogant and condesending.
 
Sometimes I forget this is autopia where I need to tread lightly or risk hurting some tender ones self esteem.





If you got hired to work on a car and you haven't already impressed the customer with your ad, sales presentation, reputation, uniform, super clean mobile rig or shop...... then you must have bagged them by being a low priced hack.



If your a hack its OK your still special (is that tender enough?)
 
Superior__Shine said:
You must get paid lots of money for your work or just like to waste time (or both) .



Paint map???



I have over 25 years of polishing experience and maybe have used my paint thickness gauge 10-15 times.



The times I have used it was to correct deep paint defects.



A paint thickness gauge isn't an essential part of a paint polishers arsenal.
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Did someone have a bad Valentine's day and get all crabby...awww. I guess you were so upset you missed this:



"The best plan of action, if you have the time is to draw up a paint map. "



I do indeed get paid lots of money for my work, but I don't detail cars for a living, I just like detailing for fun. However if I was a professional, I sure would make paint maps, it takes about 10-15 minutes on a car, and it impresses the customer and assures you that you won't be burning through paint. I would gladly give them a copy and hang on to one. Its a handy way to build a relationship with your customer.



If you don't want to use a tool that will save you from getting too close, fine by me. I'm glad you are so busy and have so much work that you can't bother. If you are cranking out 4 cars a day, you aren't doing the high end details some people would be interested in anyway.
 
In life you will find people that disagree with you. No need to get defensive. I'll my best to avoid replying your posts in the future.



Have a glorious and blessed day.
 
Superior__Shine said:
In life you will find people that disagree with you. No need to get defensive. I'll my best to avoid replying your posts in the future.
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Lets not twist the truth here, you attacked my post, to the point that two other people chimed in about it. Now it seems you are back peddling, saying you were posting an opinion. You either have zero tact or are now changing your tune.



I'm beyond getting upset at what someone posts online, but just not beyond calling them out for it, sorry, it makes the interwebs fun. :har:
 
OK my last post about this........



I will not waste (take) the time to make a "paint map". Time is money and I found out over the years that it isn't necessary. Also I believe that to impress the customer with a useless step is smoke and mirrors. That isnt my style.



If that works for you -GREAT. Lets agree to disagree.
 
Originally Posted by Superior__Shine



A paint thickness gauge isn't an essential part of a paint polishers arsenal.
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we dont need car insuriance but you wish you had it when you get into accident. its only $225 for lifetime insuriance policy with PTG, pretty sure cheaper then repainting something if you mess up. im sure experience counts but you never know, for example you would think MB would have nice thick paint on it. i measured 2010 mb c300 and thickness was only 90-100 (105 was highest reading).



specialy some SS paints its good idea to have



paint map probably is not needed unless you realy OCD, you just have to know where coat is very thin





:)
 
I guess we all have our markets and customers with expectations that differ. Personally, I like the high end jobs where the customer is a car guy/gal and knows a thing or two, but would rather let me take care of their nice car. There's no point in trying for a show car finish on some daily driver, they just want clean and shiny. But for the few that do want the best, that time spent mapping out their car means you're a cut above the rest.
 
yakky said:
Did someone have a bad Valentine's day and get all crabby...awww. I guess you were so upset you missed this:



"The best plan of action, if you have the time is to draw up a paint map. "



I do indeed get paid lots of money for my work, but I don't detail cars for a living, I just like detailing for fun. However if I was a professional, I sure would make paint maps, it takes about 10-15 minutes on a car, and it impresses the customer and assures you that you won't be burning through paint. I would gladly give them a copy and hang on to one. Its a handy way to build a relationship with your customer.



If you don't want to use a tool that will save you from getting too close, fine by me. I'm glad you are so busy and have so much work that you can't bother. If you are cranking out 4 cars a day, you aren't doing the high end details some people would be interested in anyway.
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I agree, doing things like a paint map let the customer see and helps them understand what you're doing. Remember that a lot of people have no idea how polishing even works.... or what it does, other than make the paint shiny and reflective. Given the opportunity, I'd do a paint map without hesitation.



Sure, I may lose 64 hours a year doing it (assuming I did those many), but that's what happens when you own your own business, you invest time and effort, not always getting that time or effort back in the form of money. If one doesn't like that part, there's always the 9-5 job working for someone else.



We don't do many paint corrections, but we do tons of interiors, and I often take before and after pictures. Customers know what their interiors looked like beforehand, but they still appreciate being able to see before and after shots, and it gives them that extra comfort that you're a business that takes things seriously.
 
I agree that a paint diagram is useful, but for those detailer's out there, having a diagram for defects or damages is even more important backed by some photos. How can you prove that scratch or dent was there before you started unless you have it in writing. For those that don't want to take the time to make one...just copy this:

carplan9br-3.jpg
 
MuttGrunt said:
.5mm vs .1mm ????? huh? This PTG takes readings in both mils and microns. When reading in microns (thousandths of a millimeter), you're giving a reading of a number and a decimal. I think that's quite accurate enough for any of us.



If anyone has questions: call up Highline and talk to Brad: very knowledgeable guy that can help you out.
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Apparently my post never went through the other day. I did a bit more research, and the highline meters do have an accuracy of +/- 3% which is 0.1mils. To clear up my previous point: If a meter has a resolution/accuracy of 5% or more, then they can have up to a 0.5 mil or about 12 micron discrepancy between the true paint thickness and what it is actually reading. This means that you can go through nearly 0.4 mils of clear and it still show the same reading - which is not very helpful imho. Many of the cheaper meters out there fall into this category, which is why I asked the question about the Highline meter's accuracy.
 
subygirl said:
Apparently my post never went through the other day. I did a bit more research, and the highline meters do have an accuracy of +/- 3% which is 0.1mils. To clear up my previous point: If a meter has a resolution/accuracy of 5% or more, then they can have up to a 0.5 mil or about 12 micron discrepancy between the true paint thickness and what it is actually reading. This means that you can go through nearly 0.4 mils of clear and it still show the same reading - which is not very helpful imho. Many of the cheaper meters out there fall into this category, which is why I asked the question about the Highline meter's accuracy.
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I'm a total newb when it comes to paint meters, so forgive this question if it's incredibly stupid. How would one know the difference between the paint and clear coat anyways ? I assume the meters simply give you a mil or micron reading.... So how do you determine how much of that is clear and how much is base and how much is primer ?
 
WAS said:
I'm a total newb when it comes to paint meters, so forgive this question if it's incredibly stupid. How would one know the difference between the paint and clear coat anyways ? I assume the meters simply give you a mil or micron reading.... So how do you determine how much of that is clear and how much is base and how much is primer ?
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There is a mighty expensive meter out there that can measure each layer separately. For the rest of us, it comes down to knowledge of each auto company's paint process, and knowledge of the detailing history of the car. Most never before compounded cars will have between 1.5 and 2mils of clear.
 
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