thanks everyone. im just glad to have her back to normal.
ya maybe 1 day.
sorry ryan i dont. # on the van is 1-888-216-0274 - try that?
i wondered the same thing. unfortunately i dont know anyone with a paint meter but as soon as i find someone, im going to have them check the paint thickness. it all depends on how many coats he used.

 

Looks great, Lyndon... She's back in ship shape now...

What is the significance of paint thickness? I never heard of checking the paint thickness...

What's up with that, w0?

 

all i know is that our paint job on our cars is ultra thin !!!!!!!!!!!yikes

 

well more paint = more protection. i was just curious if it was close to factory thickness at the least. but its also important when you get into high quality detailing. if you ever read any of those threads, you see they're always checking. more clear coat allows them more room to correct errors in the paint.

 

Looks good.

 

So they can actually measure the thickness of the clear coat on the car. That's pretty cool.

I always wondered if these guys every buffed through the clear coat... I guess that answers that... good info... Thanks!

 

ya look at some of the more professional threads, you'll see where they take readings as they go along. usually the fix the more serious damage but removing very thin layers of the clear coat til its smooth again while leaving enough to protect the paint.

 

I was thinking about that the other day as I was reading about detailing/polishing...

It would seem that every time you polish your paint, you are removing some of it (the clear coat that is). Would it be necessary to one day put on a new coat of clear coat after polishing it a few times? With the damage I have in my paint, I'm thinkin it may need a new coat after the polishing it would need...

 

Car dealers check paint thickness to determine if a car has been repaired or repainted, which helps them decide if they want to buy it. I was told that the paint thickness meter doesn't work on platic bumpers.

Thicker paint can also cause paint chips from rocks to form easier.

The guy did a nice job on the repaint, w0.

 

^from a guy whos pays a lot of attention to the details, im glad to hear that.

 

I have thick paint on my bumper because it was previously DG. I have all kinds of rock chips in it that show DG underneath.

 

Most dealers have a paint thickness reader. I'm sure they have some sort of technical term for them, but it does measure the paint's thickness. They use it all around the car to see what side has been repainted due to damage. So they may get a higher reading on the front quarter panel than say the rear bumper because of an accident and having a new paint job. In those cases, they try to low ball you when you want to trade in your car. Which is interesting, because if you bought your car used, and the other person had an accident that wasn't reported by Carfax, you'll find out once they use that little handheld.

 

+1 Now get a 3M Clear Bra.

 

no thanks, waste of $ to me.

 

Ian hit a tire tread on Sunday on our way back from HIN and he has a clear bra and it spider-veined all underneath it...