Chevrolet Cruze Repair Manual: Paint Gauges
Paint thickness gauge. measure the total thickness of the vehicle finish. It is important to accurately measure the thickness of the finish on each vehicle as the thickness of the finish will vary on each vehicle. Use a paint gauge before the sanding process in order to accurately measure how much finish there is to remove before, during, and after the sanding process. Paint gauge. range from magnetic pull type to sophisticated electronic types, and are available from a variety of sources. The older magnetic type gauge., at best have a 5 percent accuracy range and are not sensitive enough to detect removal of 0.02 mm 0.5 mil (0.0005 in) clearcoat. The newer type magnetic gauge.
have improved accuracy ranges. Most gauge. are confined to checking either ferrous metal, steel, non-ferrous metal, or aluminum panel.
At this time, there are no viable gauge. for reading film thickness on composite (SCM doors, RIM fenders) panels. The more sophisticated (ETG) electronic paint thickness gauge. digital type gauge. are able to read film thickness on both ferrous and non-ferrous metal panel.
Digital ETG gauge. may have an accuracy range of 1 percent and include thickness standards for recalibration. The following paint thickness gauge. are available. Call 1-800-GM-TOOLS for information:
Paint Thickness Gauges
- 147-5437-ETG Standard model
- 147-5437-ETG-P Standard model with print option
- 147-5437-N-ETG-N Non-ferrous model for aluminum panels
- 147-5437-NP-ETG-NP Non-ferrous model with print option
- 147-54437-SD-ETG Steel and aluminum gauge
Clearcoat Thickness
The clearcoat on the vehicle is typically 0.059-0.078 mm (1.5-2 mils [0.0015-0.0020 in]) thick. The clearcoat contains ultraviolet screeners. Removing more than 0.5 mils (0.019 in) of the clearcoat may result in early paint failure.
Environmental Fallout (Acid Rain)
Caution: Refer to Clearcoat/Ultraviolet Screeners Caution in the
Preface section.
Note: Always refer to the manufacturer's packaged instructions for
the detailed procedures of materials used for ...
Rail Dust Damage Repair
Warning: Refer to Eye Protection Warning in the Preface section.
Note: If rail dust has penetrated into the basecoat, the panel
requires refinishing. Ensure all the rail dust has been removed prior ...
Other materials:
Removal Procedure
Warning: Refer to Approved Equipment for Collision Repair Warning in the
Preface section.
Warning: Refer to Glass and Sheet Metal Handling Warning in the Preface section.
Disable the SIR System. Refer to SIR Disabling
and Enabling.
Disconnect the negative battery cable. Refer to Batter ...
Event Data Recorders
This vehicle is equipped with an event data recorder (EDR). The main purpose
of an EDR is to record, in certain crash or near crash-like situations, such as
an air bag deployment or hitting a road obstacle, data that will assist in understanding
how a vehicle’s systems performed. The EDR is de ...
What Will You See after an Airbag Inflates?
After the frontal airbags and seat-mounted side impact airbags inflate, they
quickly deflate, so quickly that some people may not even realize an airbag inflated.
Roof-rail airbags may still be at least partially inflated for some time after
they inflate. Some components of the airbag module ma ...