Caught myself sanding through primer on a fender yesterday

Ive been doing body work for like 8 years and always just wet sanded primer by feel until it looked smooth. Yesterday I was finishing up a 2017 Honda Civic fender at the shop in Phoenix and grabbed a can of aerosol guide coat on a whim. Sprayed it on and instantly saw I was burning through to metal in spots and leaving thick primer in others. Total facepalm moment. Has anyone else had a guide coat save them from a dumb mistake?

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ray_patel275mo ago

Pulled the same move a few months back on a Ford truck door. Wet sanded for an hour thinking it was perfect, then hit it with guide coat and saw low spots everywhere. That stuff is a lifesaver for spotting where you're actually at before clear goes down. Now I always do a quick spray after 400 grit. Just remember to blow it off good before final sanding or you'll carry that dust into your finish.

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mary_schmidt5mo ago

Honestly, my buddy Mike out in Mesa had the exact same wake-up call about a year ago. He was restoring an old Toyota pickup and spent a whole Saturday wet sanding the hood by hand. He thought he had it glass smooth, real proud of himself, until his neighbor came over and offered to help with a guide coat. Ngl, they sprayed it on and the whole hood looked like a topographical map with high and low spots everywhere. He said he felt like he'd wasted the whole day and had to start sanding all over again from scratch. Tbh, he's been a guide coat believer ever since and calls it his "reality check in a can.

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