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About Magnetic Paint Gauges and Paint Color after DA

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  • #1

    About Magnetic Paint Gauges and Paint Color after DA

    I have a question about clear coat. I recently did two test spots on my car with my flex and the 151 cream. One was to remove a side swipe mark which was some what small and the other was to test on the trunk to remove the spider scratches. Both test came out excellent by my eyes. I went to the paint shop to pick up my #80 and #83 and the guy had a paint gauge that looked like a pencile. He said it worked great and I had him try it on my car where I did my paint correction and the other part of the trunk where I had not. He told me I didn't have a lot of paint on the car because it came off the trunk at about 4 something on the unbuffed side and a little below that on the buffed side.

    My question is this - has anyone used one of these gauges and what's the long term value?

    How good are the measurements?

    Is it worth the price of $65.00 after they mention that the cap has to stay on other wise it will lose it's calibration?

    Do the electric type tend to fail and send you back to this type of device?

    My scion 05 paint was complained about when I first purchased it. This year's model had an issue with rock chipping. Would this be due to the low level of paint of quailty? I ask this because in the Digital Paint Gauge video the guy measured a vans paint and it was 4mils.

    Whenever you buff, is it possible to have the paint seem slightly lighter then the area that was not buffed?
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  • #2
    Re: About Magnetic Paint Gauges and Paint Color after DA

    I was looking at those a year ago or so. I brought it up on another detailing forum and the feeling was they where very inaccurate. I would like to get a gauge but don't want one that will mislead me and I can't justify spending the big bucks for one right now as a hobby.
    Scott

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    • #3
      Re: About Magnetic Paint Gauges and Paint Color after DA

      Thanks - blueZero- Any one else please chime in!

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      • #4
        Re: About Magnetic Paint Gauges and Paint Color after DA

        That seems to be the consensus. I think there was a fairly heated topic on here a while back where people argued over whether or not sub $350~ gauges are trust worty or not.

        I believe that the consensus was that *some* of the cheaper units were CONSISTENT, but not necessarily ACCURATE.

        I was bummed because I would love to have one, but as a "weekend warrior" spending that kind of money for a tool I would rarely need isn't an option.
        Ie, they may always read a few mils too think or always a few too thin, etc

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        • #5
          Re: About Magnetic Paint Gauges and Paint Color after DA

          Ok so that gauge is probably off like both of you all said. - Anyone to answer some of the other questions?

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          • #6
            Re: About Magnetic Paint Gauges and Paint Color after DA

            The thickness of paint varies in different locations on the car, you'll never measure a car's paint and find 5.2 mils over each square inch of paint. So it cold be where you worked it was a little thick than where you didn't polish or visa-versa.

            In the big picture, after all the measuring is done it still going to come down to

            Go or No Go

            That is you're either going to work on the paint or your not, you're either going to live with the swirls or you're going to try to remove them.

            In all my years of detailing cars for customers I've never used a paint gauge, not because it's not important to measure but because at some point the decision has to be made to either buff or don't buff and once your bring a machine down onto someone's paint and make one small area look good you're committed to the rest of the car.


            Make sense?

            The other side of this coin is if you measure your car's clear coat and find it's thin, too thin for you to feel comfortable doing any kind of paint cleaning process where particles of the clear layer are going to be removed, then all you're left with is washing and waxing and living with the swirls and other defects or selling the car or having the car repainted.

            Not a lot of options when you choose the "No Go" option.


            FWIW

            Mike Phillips
            760-515-0444
            showcargarage@gmail.com
            "Find something you like and use it often"

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            • #7
              Re: About Magnetic Paint Gauges and Paint Color after DA

              YEAH I'M GI JOE SO it's Gun Ho for me. It's my baby and when I posted pictures a long time ago they told me the paint was in great shape to have had so long. I was amazed at how the 151 worked so easily. I removed all the swirls but I also corrected a swipe mark on the front panel. I hit it a few more times because there were some deeper scratches. I stopped and once I took the car out in the sun I saw why I couldn't get these scratches. It was a small dent in the car. You can see the dent barely because it's so clean and pretty plus it's black lol.

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              • #8
                Re: About Magnetic Paint Gauges and Paint Color after DA

                oh and Mike, the whole car is going to get done but as you all teach - test spot - test spot - so I'm leaving it for now to test my wash to make sure i'm not doing double work.

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                • #9
                  Re: About Magnetic Paint Gauges and Paint Color after DA

                  Test Spot and Test Spots... very good habit for every car you work on.

                  Test Spot - Make sure you can make a small area look good using your products, pads and process of first choice before going over the entire car. If you can't make one small spot look good you certainly aren't going to make the entire car look good and you'll be glad you tested and inspected before tackling the entire car.

                  Mike Phillips
                  760-515-0444
                  showcargarage@gmail.com
                  "Find something you like and use it often"

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: About Magnetic Paint Gauges and Paint Color after DA

                    I think the test spot is a underrated aspect of doing the detail. It saves a lot of work imho.
                    quality creates its own demand

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                    • #11
                      Re: About Magnetic Paint Gauges and Paint Color after DA

                      I believe you on that.

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