I spent $75 on a paint thickness gauge and it told me nothing my knuckles couldn't

Charles Hall · 2026-09-11T03:05:04.014172+00:00

Bought one of those digital paint thickness gauges about 5 months ago thinking I'd get smart on used cars. Tried it on a trade-in at my bay in Toledo and got readings jumping between 4 and 19 mils on the same fender, which is basically the gauge saying "your guess is as good as mine." Found out later the thing only works right on clean flat steel, and half the panels I check have filler, dirt, or curve to them. Honestly, a magnet and a knuckle tap have never lied to me, and they cost zero dollars. Anyone got a method for spotting filler that doesn't involve dropping cash on a gizmo that argues with itself?

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I spent $75 on a paint thickness gauge and it told me nothing my knuckles couldn't | Auto Body Repairers - Guest Forum