Typical OEM paint depth should be 4-5 mils (thousandths of an inch) on an original paint finish. I spent many years in the auto collision business as my father had a shop. I went though several factory training programs and currently operate a powder coat and industrial paint operation. I have a $1,000 Defelsko paint thickness tester and my 84 308 QV and 84 400i both are consistent with this except in areas where I can tell there has been some aftermarket paint work. It is possible that occasional touch up was required before a car left the factory (or the docks) adding 1-2 mils in areas but anything more than 6 mils usually indicates additional paint repairs or aftermarket body/paint work. Hope this helps your inquiry! Cheers, Dan Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Out of curiosity, is that the same for earlier cars with TPA or NCL? FWIW, one of my late model cars, the OEM paint was 4.5 mils while another had 6 mil when tested. I was told 4.5 was very thin for untouched OEM.
My first sentence should read 4-6 mils, both of my cars are 4.5-6.0 in all of the original paint areas. Above 6.0 is still possible on an original finish particularly on upward facing facing surfaces where gravity assists the application of paint. If you are getting readings out of the 6 mil range it is a good indication of possible additional paint work. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
