- Paint Thickness Gauge CM-224 Auto – Digital Coating Thickness Meter for Cars and Automotive Inspection, Fe / Al / Fe+Zn Detection, 0.1 μm Resolution, Factory Calibrated, Large Backlit LCD

I had seen this simple device demonstrated on YouTube. Watching it in action I was sold. Bottom Line First: How did this save me thousands? Well think about it. In regards to the car's body, we buy a used car AS-IS in that regard. (I do not know of any car lot who warrants a vehicle's history; i.e., the car you are considering is accident and collision free. IOW, in regards to a car's body, what you see is what you're buying.) Not using this device is the horror of all horrors: You proudly arrive home in your dazzling new-used car. You then after-the-fact use this device to test the metal and paint. Oy vey! You find out the fine looking left rear quarter panel (see pic) is comprised mostly of Bondo, fiberglass, and tape. I guarantee this discovery will throw you into a depression with the thought that you're stuck with a car that has instantly decreased in value because you just know a subsequent buyer is going to use his test meter BEFORE he agrees to buy it, and he is not going to pay retail on a car that's been in an accident or had body work done on it. As to myself, after I received this paint test meter I immediately put it to use when shopping for a 2018 certified pre-owned Toyota RAV4.* I used my new gauge/meter at the Toyota dealership where I was planning to buy a fine nice looking RAV4 example. (See pic). Despite looking sharp, I, like you, was wise enough to know that looks can be deceiving. So I whipped this out and got to work. This test meter worked perfect. Within minutes I was able to test all RAV4 surfaces, checking for Bondo, after-market paints, and confirm each section was OEM, so to speak. A real hoot was my interaction with the salesman, who was watching me with mouth open while I tested the RAV4. At a point he even asked if I was a buyer for another car lot, or perhaps an auto broker finding cars for private clients. Note on use: This is very very easy to use. The magnet, spring, and color gauge are precisely calibrated to measure paint thickness and tattle if a car has after-market paint, indicates factory paint, and tattle if sections of the car have Bondo or other filler instead of metal. It's also easy to test whole sections of the car to determine if a fender, for example, is after-market sheet metal. In this regard SLOWLY pull out the gauge to prevent getting a false reading. Also, make sure to check every section of the vehicle, high, in the middle, low, and the back. WARNING: Perish the thought that you don't need this device, because you checked the car's history in a report online, and it said there were no accidents reported. THE OPERATIVE WORD IS: REPORTED, because it is common knowledge in the auto industry that NOT all accidents are reported to the DMV, and NOT all car damage goes into a car's history, e.g., in a history report generated by CarFax. Often times, damage to a vehicle is repaired "under the table" without involving the police or insurance company. Moreover, many reported accidents may slip under, e.g., CarFax's radar, nor may CarFax may be up-to-date. Don't take my word for it. Consider on every CarFax web page the Company warns: CARFAX Vehicle History products and services are based ONLY on information supplied to CARFAX. CARFAX DOES NOT have the complete history of every vehicle. Use the CARFAX search as ONE important tool . . . to make a better decision about your next used car. That's it, enjoy guys. I LOVE my testing meter.

I purchased this paint thickness gauge to evaluate a used car before buying, and it was absolutely worth it. It easily revealed which panels had been repainted or repaired with filler. The device provides precise readings and is incredibly easy to operate.

As a professional detailer, I use this tool every day to assess paintwork. It’s highly accurate and performs flawlessly on every surface I’ve tried. The construction is outstanding, and it has a solid, reliable feel in hand.

Never used one of these before but this product was well designed, good directions, easy to understand how the device worked. Came with a small protective bag, wrist strap. Impressive, really recommend this product

Pretty reliable. Some functions could be updated. Screen cracks easily. And I’ve had a few fail.

Is was a very good investment. Most car dealerships don't talk collision repairs. Save me thousands on a luxury vehicle.

This helped me determine which areas of my car were high with clear coat and others that had less than the door jambs did! So I was able to do a good compound on areas with etching and excess clear, while being gentle on the regions without much. All in all the car came out well.

The readings are highly accurate, and the device functions well on both ferrous and non-ferrous metals, making it perfect for modern car inspections.