Hanshotfirst

I am considering buying a CPO '08 Carrera Coupe. The dealer let me borrow his Elcometer and all painted panel readings were from 4 to 5 except for the hood which read 7. The dealer told me that all Porsche hoods had slightly higher readings. When I tested it on another 911, it also read 7.

Is this true or could the hood have been repainted? If it's normal, why would the hood read 2 points higher?

Thanks!

IslandS52

Its aluminum vs. stell, so that could be a reason for the difference., but this is just a guess on my part.

kosmo

the hood is AL. I assume the painter meter can read AL?

okbarnett

I think if your worried about it being painted, you should take it to a body shop and let a pro look at it. He can tell if its been painted, wrecked, etc. But if you dont have any record of wreck or collision and the car looks right, to you, thats the least of your worries before you buy a used car.

Wobuhow

The Carfax checked out (no record of accidents), but that could just mean it wasn't reported.

Eric - Plug Guy

Carfax is a joke. Take it to a pro....but I think 7 is in range on the newer front hood sections.

Mark Harris

I agree with Eric on both fronts. Carfax is a joke. It's just one of many buying tools that are useful but should never be entirely relied on. I looked at a 911 that showed 2 previous owners on the carfax. Within 5 minutes of looking at the original name the dealer put on the inside of the books to reviewing the receipts I identified 4 owners.

On the 07' CPO car I bought I had the same issue with a paint meter and it concerned me. The dealer had 3-4 brand new delivery miles only 911's so we checked all of those and got the same variance from fenders/doors to the hood.

I used to be pretty confident in spotting body work (wrench marks on bolts, etc) but I'm afraid repair work ability has surpassed the untrained eye. Therefore while I study all the gaps and insides of the hood and fenders, pull back the trunk liner, etc. I never buy without a paint meter.

I think your reading is normal but the only way to really know is to have an experienced and trusted body man look at it.

Alan C.

Most coating gauges are calibrated to a specific base material. We have completely different calibration settings for aluminizing carbon steel vs. 409 stainless steel.

Hanshotfirst

Thanks for the advice everyone. I do think it is the aluminum factor, but I will do more due diligence.