i was wondering if its only body shops that use these, or do dealerships use them too in order to check for re-paints and body work?

Would it be worth it to ask the dealer about it, if/when you're buying a used, or even new, car?

 

bump for an answer....Good question.

 

when i went to body school we were told about tools to do this but i have never worked in a shop that had one only because usually paint depth can be estamted when sanding it down and it usually has to be pretty thick to crack the paint. definitly a good question
all i know is paint is measured in mills

 

I highly doubt dealerships check the mils on the paint. As long as it looks good they dont care im sure.

I played with them a bit in body shop, both the magnetic and electronic ones. Kinda a handy tool i dont think the magnetic ones are very expensive.