How to Effectively Use the Automotive Paint Meter?

To make a quick decision when buying a used car, you need to accurately measure the car paint thickness to assess the value of the car. Linshang non-destructive automotive paint meter is very suitable for second-hand car appraisers and second-hand car buyers. It is widely used in auto repair shops, auto dealers, paint factories and other places. Automotive paint meters can help you quickly assess the quality of your paint and verify that whether your vehicle ’s condition is consistent with its historical records, which is to determine if the vehicle has had an accident or suffered other types of paint damage.

Tens of millions of used cars are sold throughout China every year. A car sales outlet alone can usually sell thousands of cars a day. Used car buyers don't have much time to evaluate the value of a car before buying it. In addition to many other things to consider, they need to assess the quality of the paint and verify that whether the condition of the vehicle is consistent with its historical records. Most importantly, they must determine whether the vehicle has an accident or suffered other types of paint damage.

In the past, buyers and second-hand car appraisers used the naked eye and experience to judge the damage degree of car paint. For example, check the body, engine compartment cover, etc. They look for signs of heavy paint repainting, such as excessive paint splashes at seals and body openings and different paint colors and finishes throughout the vehicle.

Unless buyers spend a lot of time viewing vehicles at different angles and different lighting conditions, subtle changes in color, texture, or gloss are usually not noticeable. Observe the condition of the vehicle with the naked eye, especially in dimly lit areas, bad weather (rain, sleet or snow) or dirty vehicles are not so good.

In recent years, more and more people have used automotive paint meters to inspect used cars, which provide reliable and quantifiable measurement results. Automotive paint meter uses non-destructive measurement method, which is mainly divided into magnetic induction and eddy current. The magnetic induction automotive paint meter is suitable for measuring non-magnetic coatings such as coatings, varnishes, enamels, chrome, galvanizing, etc. on ferromagnetic metal substrates such as steel. Eddy current automotive paint meter is suitable for measuring non-conductive coatings such as coatings, anodized layers or ceramics on non-magnetic metal substrates such as copper, aluminum, die-cast zinc and brass.

There are two points to note when using a automotive paint meterto inspect used cars:

The first thing to analyze is the change in paint thickness. Even though it may not be clear what the original paint thickness is for each vehicle type, vehicles often have roughly the same paint thickness. Subtle thickness changes can be a sign of paint mixing. Paint mixing can hide traces of car repairs, from minor paint touch-ups to scratching, to major body work such as trimming (welding two and a half cars together). Therefore, buyers should look for a consistent paint thickness around the vehicle, especially within the panel. It is important to take measurements near all seams approximately one inch from any edge. The significant difference in thickness between adjacent panels indicates that the vehicle has been repainted.

The second one should find the main part of the damage caused by collision or rust. Vehicles from the northern climate are prone to rust near the bottom, especially the lower door edges. Used cars along the coast are affected by marine spray and are more likely to rust on the hood and trunk of the car. The middle area of the fenders, rear quarter panel and doors is a common area damaged by bumps and accidents.

If the paint thickness in these areas is thicker than the rest, additional measurements should be made in the surrounding area to verify the results and determine the cause of repainting. At this time, the recording of data is very important. Linshang automotive paint meter LS220B with Bluetooth adopts Hall effect and eddy current principle. It has Bluetooth function to connect with mobile phone APP. The instrument can measure the data of 17 parts of the body, each part can be tested for 8 times. The data is stored on the mobile phone APP. The data can be printed out and shared with others. If you want to know more about Linshang automotive paint meter , please feel free to contact us!