HighLine Meter Thickness Guage 1st Generation

Rod73

Rod73

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Hey guys I recently returned the Vktech CM8801FN because I gave up after numerous issues with calibration.

I'm about to buy the HighLine Meter 1st Generation Thickness Guage. My question is does anyone have experience using it? And so any regrets, do you think it will be a good investment? Things I may need to know? ... just making sure it's a good investment. Thanks everyone.
 
I've never used one of those, but it looks extremely similar to the PD8 that i have.



I've always been very happy with mine. you tend to get what you pay for in my experience with these devices, the cheap ones can be extremely unreliable. when you factor in the cost of a respray, these are a great investment. i never work without one :xyxthumbs:
 
Niblick said:
I've never used one of those, but it looks extremely similar to the PD8 that i have.



I've always been very happy with mine. you tend to get what you pay for in my experience with these devices, the cheap ones can be extremely unreliable. when you factor in the cost of a respray, these are a great investment. i never work without one :xyxthumbs:
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Yes that's a big reason why I just gave up fumbling around with the last one.

I do think the prices for the two are similar looking at the website ($225 for the HighLine). So your positive endorsement of the one you have does give me some reassurance. Definitely wanting to be safer than sorry :)
 
How are you using your PTG when making decisions on polishing process?
 
allenk4 said:
How are you using your PTG when making decisions on polishing process?
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For one to start to get an idea of how much I'm taking off. And 2nd to give me something to think about when I'm debating my approach to a RID.


I can see it being really helpful if I end up working on a friend's car. For my car right now it's a year old in good condition.
 
Rod73 said:
For one to start to get an idea of how much I'm taking off. And 2nd to give me something to think about when I'm debating my approach to a RID.


I can see it being really helpful if I end up working on a friend's car. For my car right now it's a year old in good condition.
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Specifically how are you using it?

Are you using it just to get an idea of the total thickness of the paint system or are you trying to estimate the thickness of the CC?

What is your process?
 
Both. Generally I use it to estimate the depth of clear coat remaing, working on the basis that areas reading under 100um need treating with care. One thing it will highlight very quickly is if there's been a repair that you didn't know about. Had that just a few weeks ago. The readings suddenly went from 120um to 1500. So I was much more careful in working that area.
The one failing with devices in this price range is that they won't read on plastic or carbon fibre panels. Some of the more expensive ones will actually give you readings for every individual layer, and will read on any surface, but those can run up over a thousand quid
 
allenk4 said:
Specifically how are you using it?

Are you using it just to get an idea of the total thickness of the paint system or are you trying to estimate the thickness of the CC?

What is your process?
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Ultimately to get an idea of the clearcoat thickness.

I do know there are some PTGs that measure each layer but those probably won't be affordable for me. I was under the impression that with a good quality PTG that measured the overall paint thickness you can still get a good idea of the clearcoat; a safe estimate to know where and when you need to be more cautious.
 
Niblick said:
Both. Generally I use it to estimate the depth of clear coat remaing, working on the basis that areas reading under 100um need treating with care. One thing it will highlight very quickly is if there's been a repair that you didn't know about. Had that just a few weeks ago. The readings suddenly went from 120um to 1500. So I was much more careful in working that area.
The one failing with devices in this price range is that they won't read on plastic or carbon fibre panels. Some of the more expensive ones will actually give you readings for every individual layer, and will read on any surface, but those can run up over a thousand quid
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I have read many posts about the importance of knowing if a panel was resprayed or not. If a Bodyshop resprayed a panel should you expect less clearcoat and or softer paint? I don't know

On my car I've had 2 door panels repainted on one side of my car. It was done by a dealership approved bodyshop.
 
Rod73 said:
I have read many posts about the importance of knowing if a panel was resprayed or not. If a Bodyshop resprayed a panel should you expect less clearcoat and or softer paint? I don't know

On my car I've had 2 door panels repainted on one side of my car. It was done by a dealership approved bodyshop.
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Due to a change in the regulations on automotive paints some years ago, modern paints tend to be softer than those applied a decade or so ago. as for depth of clear coat, i would generally expect it to be thicker when its been done freehand by a body shop. the robots that paint cars in the factory will have the amount applied nailed down to the smallest possible margin. if you put a paint gauge on the panels that have been resprayed and compare that with readings taken from the same panels on the other side of the vehicle, it will give you an idea of how much paint has been applied. i would usually expect to see a difference of between 10-150um, and work on 40-50um of that to be clearcoat. if there is a smaller difference, it probably means that either the panel was sanded back quite hard before being resprayed, or the repair was sanded heavily afterwards. in that case its a real guessing game as to just how much you have to work with. if you get excessively high readings, then chances are there is damage that has been filled and extreme care should be taken in that instance.
 
There is not a PTG currently available that can measure the thickness of individual layers on automotive sheet metal
 
Niblick said:
Due to a change in the regulations on automotive paints some years ago, modern paints tend to be softer than those applied a decade or so ago. as for depth of clear coat, i would generally expect it to be thicker when its been done freehand by a body shop. the robots that paint cars in the factory will have the amount applied nailed down to the smallest possible margin. if you put a paint gauge on the panels that have been resprayed and compare that with readings taken from the same panels on the other side of the vehicle, it will give you an idea of how much paint has been applied. i would usually expect to see a difference of between 10-150um, and work on 40-50um of that to be clearcoat. if there is a smaller difference, it probably means that either the panel was sanded back quite hard before being resprayed, or the repair was sanded heavily afterwards. in that case its a real guessing game as to just how much you have to work with. if you get excessively high readings, then chances are there is damage that has been filled and extreme care should be taken in that instance.
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Thanks for the informative post.
 
I am starting to feel even betterabout making the Highline Thickness Guage investment.

I remember going to a couple of bodyshops. Both recommended by the local dealership and one resprayed my car. I asked someone in their office about PTG recommendations. Both of the managers were like 'what's that?' .. So I guess I'm already ahead of the average. And a little surprised lol
 
Rod73 said:
Thanks for the informative post.
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Pleasure bud. Hope it helps :xyxthumbs:

A little surprising about the body shop guys, but I guess it's not actually that vital for them to know paint depth. They're putting a lot on and only taking a little off when refinishing. Plus, if they have a problem, they can just slap another coat on. You and I don't have that luxury sadly ;-)
 
allenk4 said:
There is not a PTG currently available that can measure the thickness of individual layers on automotive sheet metal
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I was sent a link to one on another forum a couple of years ago, I'll se if I can find it again. As I recall, unlike most paint gauges, which measure depth by bouncing a signal off the panel underneath, this measured changes in layer density. That's why it could also read off non reflective surfaces. I'll need to find the article again to confirm that, but I'm pretty sure that was the process used.
 
here you go. not sure if this was actually the same one i was looking at, but a quick google shows that they are available

Automotive Paint Detailing: Paint Thickness Meters, Gauges

option 3, their top end unit:

The PosiTector 200 has the unique ability to measure over non-metals such as automotive fiberglass or plastic.
a. The PosiTector 200 B1 is the economical and most common solution for measuring the TOTAL thickness of the coating system.
b. The PosiTector 200 B3 is capable of measuring both TOTAL coating thickness AND up to 3 individual layer thicknesses in a multi-layer system.
 
Niblick said:
here you go. not sure if this was actually the same one i was looking at, but a quick google shows that they are available

Automotive Paint Detailing: Paint Thickness Meters, Gauges

option 3, their top end unit:

The PosiTector 200 has the unique ability to measure over non-metals such as automotive fiberglass or plastic.
a. The PosiTector 200 B1 is the economical and most common solution for measuring the TOTAL thickness of the coating system.
b. The PosiTector 200 B3 is capable of measuring both TOTAL coating thickness AND up to 3 individual layer thicknesses in a multi-layer system.
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That is what I thought too

I spoke with the Bob Wells at Defelsko and he confirms that their machines are not capable of measuring individual layers on automotive sheet metal

They will work on fiberglass, SMC, carbon fiber, but not automotive sheet metal

The description on their web site indicates that it can measure individual layers on aluminum and steel, which it can, but only on thicker samples

Basically the substrate (metal body panel) is too thin to get an accurate reading


Strange, but true
 
allenk4 said:
That is what I thought too

I spoke with the Bob Wells at Defelsko and he confirms that their machines are not capable of measuring individual layers on automotive sheet metal

They will work on fiberglass, SMC, carbon fiber, but not automotive sheet metal

The description on their web site indicates that it can measure individual layers on aluminum and steel, which it can, but only on thicker samples

Basically the substrate (metal body panel) is too thin to get an accurate reading


Strange, but true
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:iagree:
 
allenk4 said:
That is what I thought too

I spoke with the Bob Wells at Defelsko and he confirms that their machines are not capable of measuring individual layers on automotive sheet metal

They will work on fiberglass, SMC, carbon fiber, but not automotive sheet metal

The description on their web site indicates that it can measure individual layers on aluminum and steel, which it can, but only on thicker samples

Basically the substrate (metal body panel) is too thin to get an accurate reading


Strange, but true
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That's really interesting to hear. It's very misleading in that case! Glad I never bought one. Thanks for the info :xyxthumbs:
 
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