Hey all, I ran into somthing this week that I would like to get your opinions on. A long time client of mine just picked up a Range Rover Autobiography that he got from a dealer as a certified pre owened. He called me to clean up and remove some minor swirls and scrathces from both rear quarter panels and trunk. After I ran the paint meter around the entire car it avg 3.0 mils but the rear quarters was 14+ and right infront of the right rear tail light this was large spot where I couldnt get any readings. My questions are 1) does 3 mils sound low for this vehicle and 2) there shouldnt be that dead spot right. I am assuming that body work was done and they used body filler. I know both rear quarter were painted they did a decent job but still left dust nibs and fish eyes behind. Anyways, my client and I were just curiouse so he can get a better idea of what he bought. Thanks for all your help. Dan
Dan ... is not unusual for cpo vehicles to get several panels painted. I believe back several yrs ago some CPO's program guaranteed that cars weren't repainted, but nowadays they just state that their carfax is clean. I bought my Passat as a CPO 2 years ago and it had 2 doors/ 1 fender repainted. Paint match was 99% (clear hue was a tad bit off, but most people cant tell). I'm sure it was a factory/port repair because there are no tape lines and everything was removed. I have spent several weekends working on it (non-daily) and did experience a small strike through on a feature line. It is CRITICAL that you have a paint gauge and constantly monitor paint thickness. The panel that I burnt had inconsistent (but healthy) paint readings. I will have to have a color blend in that area and reclear the entire panel ($400-600). My advice to you is to make it as good as the rest of the paint without expecting perfection. These defects might seem like an eyeshore to us, but unless you are looking for them, they are don't stand out in daily drivers. Try to get it to an acceptable level without promising perfection.
