Reading paint meter ?

Although I've never used one of the paint meters, I am seeing more and more of these instruments in use at classic auctions and used vehicle auctions.

You might already have "Googled" for information, however; if not here is one site that may give you some information.

http://www.defelsko.com/applications/dft-app/automotive-paint-meter.htm

Best wishes

 

I use them all the time. I have two which I like, the Elcometer and the ElectroPhysik Exacto. These tools are designed to measure tolerances at manufacturing plants, so they are more than up to the task of measuring the thickness of the paint on a car.

To be precise, it'll measure the distance between the very top layer of paint and the underlying metal.

If you're only planning on measuring newer cars, you can get away with a model that can only measure up to 20 Mils. If you're looking to use the tools on older cars (which all contain some amounts of bondo), you'll need a tool that can measure between 60 and 80 Mils. Also, you'll need to buy an "FnF" tool if you wish to measure Steel and Aluminum bodies.

Expected readings on new Ferraris: 6-14 Mils
Expected readings on vintage Ferraris: 15-40 Mils

There's nothing like the satisfaction of walking away from what appears like an A+ car, because you've discovered there's a 1/8"+ layer of bondo concealing a shoddy repair job and/or respray. The car may gleam now, but that much bondo will certainly increase the likelihood of the paint cracking with use.

 

What if there is no Bondo? What if a panel was repainted due to a scratch or something that required no body-work, but required paint? Will the meter let you know if it's been repainted?

 

My close friend owns Elcomoter, and I have used one for years when I ran Paint Dept's for Ford's Assembly Plants. We had 50 places on a vehicle that we would check to verify uniform thickness at each process (Ecoat, Primer, Base, Clear). From that we would make adjustments in the robots.

In a car at the auction that has not had bondo used you may still be able to tell if there is a consistant layer of paint applied. You may not be able to tell which coat is how thick, but you can tell the overall thickness.

 

I'll put it this way - I've found it to be infinitely more reliable than taking the sellers word for it.

P.S. Paint meters only work on metal cars, not fiberglass.