Compounded paint - how much does it remove?
Discussion
I may be looking at a red 80s Porsche at the weekend, and the owner tells me that the paint has been mopped about 3 years ago to remove some oxidised paint.
How much paint does compound applied with a mop remove? Would I expect to have to respray the car sooner rather than later, or does it not remove that much paint?
Thanks
How much paint does compound applied with a mop remove? Would I expect to have to respray the car sooner rather than later, or does it not remove that much paint?
Thanks
There is no definitive answer.
There are many variables; how hard/ soft the paint is, the compound and pad used, how much paint needed to be removed to correct any defects, how much care the detailer/ bodyshop/ owner/ monkey took, etc. etc.
The only way to check the paint thickness is with a paint depth gauge and this will not tell you the full story. It will measure the TOTAL paint thickness including any anti-corrosion treatment applied to the substrate, primer, colour and lacquer. You would also need to know what the factory spec of the paint was when the car was new and even this will vary from car to car. If the car has been painted/ repaired paint readings are usually larger. The most important reading on the majority of modern cars is the thickness of the lacquer and this will be guess work even with a gauge.
There are paint thickness gauges that will measure each component of the paint and give individual readings for colour/ lacquer, etc. but they cost £££.
On modern cars readings of 100-200(ish) microns (a micron is 1/1000th of a millimetre) are considered normal. Paint thickness can also vary due to type of paint; eg pearlescent paint finishes have more coats than standard metallic finishes.
Paint has also got "thinner" over the years due to modern factory paint techniques, materials and technology.
Generally, if a car is polished by a good detailer only a very small amount of paint is removed. Say about 5-10 microns. If you don't know (and you won't) how much paint was on the car when it left the factory, you'll never know how much has been removed or how often the car has been polished.
To be honest, if the Porsche looks OK and you intend to paint it anyway, why worry...........
There are many variables; how hard/ soft the paint is, the compound and pad used, how much paint needed to be removed to correct any defects, how much care the detailer/ bodyshop/ owner/ monkey took, etc. etc.
The only way to check the paint thickness is with a paint depth gauge and this will not tell you the full story. It will measure the TOTAL paint thickness including any anti-corrosion treatment applied to the substrate, primer, colour and lacquer. You would also need to know what the factory spec of the paint was when the car was new and even this will vary from car to car. If the car has been painted/ repaired paint readings are usually larger. The most important reading on the majority of modern cars is the thickness of the lacquer and this will be guess work even with a gauge.
There are paint thickness gauges that will measure each component of the paint and give individual readings for colour/ lacquer, etc. but they cost £££.
On modern cars readings of 100-200(ish) microns (a micron is 1/1000th of a millimetre) are considered normal. Paint thickness can also vary due to type of paint; eg pearlescent paint finishes have more coats than standard metallic finishes.
Paint has also got "thinner" over the years due to modern factory paint techniques, materials and technology.
Generally, if a car is polished by a good detailer only a very small amount of paint is removed. Say about 5-10 microns. If you don't know (and you won't) how much paint was on the car when it left the factory, you'll never know how much has been removed or how often the car has been polished.
To be honest, if the Porsche looks OK and you intend to paint it anyway, why worry...........
Edited by Red 4 on Tuesday 29th November 23:14
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