{"id":13461,"date":"2010-11-14T19:40:48","date_gmt":"2010-11-15T02:40:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/bodyfiller-detective-best-new-car-bodywork-tools-at-sema-2010\/"},"modified":"2010-11-14T23:42:28","modified_gmt":"2010-11-15T06:42:28","slug":"body-filler-detective-best-new-car-bodywork-tools-at-sema-2010","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/body-filler-detective-best-new-car-bodywork-tools-at-sema-2010\/","title":{"rendered":"Filler Detective &#8211; Best New Car Bodywork Tools at SEMA 2010"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mr_social_sharing_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<!-- Social Sharing Toolkit v2.2 --><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.myrideisme.com%2FBlog%2Fbody-filler-detective-best-new-car-bodywork-tools-at-sema-2010%2F&amp;media=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.myrideisme.com%2FBlog%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2010%2F11%2FSEMA-New-Product-Filler-Detective.JPG.JPG&amp;description=Filler+Detective+%E2%80%93+Best+New+Car+Bodywork+Tools+at+SEMA+2010\" class=\"pin-it-button\" count-layout=\"none\" rel=\"lightbox[13461]\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"\/\/assets.pinterest.com\/images\/PinExt.png\" title=\"Pin It\" \/><\/a><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><fb:share-button type=\"button_count\" href=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/body-filler-detective-best-new-car-bodywork-tools-at-sema-2010\/\"><\/fb:share-button><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share\" class=\"twitter-share-button\" data-count=\"horizontal\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/body-filler-detective-best-new-car-bodywork-tools-at-sema-2010\/\" data-via=\"myrideisme\" data-text=\"Filler Detective \u2013 Best New Car Bodywork Tools at SEMA 2010\"><\/a><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><div class=\"g-plusone\" data-size=\"medium\" data-annotation=\"none\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/body-filler-detective-best-new-car-bodywork-tools-at-sema-2010\/\"><\/div><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a class=\"mr_social_share_email\" href=\"mailto:?subject=Filler Detective \u2013 Best New Car Bodywork Tools at SEMA 2010&amp;body=https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/body-filler-detective-best-new-car-bodywork-tools-at-sema-2010\/\" target=\"_blank\"><img src=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/social-sharing-toolkit\/images\/icons_small\/email.png\" class=\"nopin\" alt=\"Email\" title=\"Email\"\/><span class=\"mr_small_icon\">Email<\/span><\/a><\/a><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" class=\"linksalpha_button linksalpha_link\" href=\"\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/social\/mobile\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/body-filler-detective-best-new-car-bodywork-tools-at-sema-2010\/\" data-text=\"Filler Detective \u2013 Best New Car Bodywork Tools at SEMA 2010\" data-desc=\"Best New Tools from SEMA 2010 I'm no body man, and I'm not sure I want to be. It's hard work, takes a long time to learn and it's probably done wrong as much as it's done right. I do know something about inspecting bodywork in preparation for paint or checking a painted car to see if it's straight.\" data-image=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/SEMA-New-Product-Filler-Detective.JPG.JPG\" data-button=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img src=\"\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/images\/social_share_button.png\" alt=\"Share\" class=\"linksalpha_image\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/scripts\/loader_iconbox.js?v=2.4\"><\/script><\/span><\/div><h3>Best New Tools from SEMA 2010<\/h3>\n<p><a class=\"highslide\" onclick=\"return vz.expand(this)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/SEMA-New-Product-Filler-Detective.JPG.JPG\" rel=\"lightbox[13461]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13477\" style=\"border: 2px solid black; margin: 4px;\" title=\"Buying a used car: Body and paint inspection - Looks GOOD!\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/SEMA-New-Product-Filler-Detective.JPG.JPG\" alt=\"sema 2010, new products at SEMA, buying a used car, used car inspection\" width=\"575\" height=\"475\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/SEMA-New-Product-Filler-Detective.JPG.JPG 575w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/SEMA-New-Product-Filler-Detective.JPG-150x123.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/SEMA-New-Product-Filler-Detective.JPG-300x247.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/SEMA-New-Product-Filler-Detective.JPG-400x330.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 575px) 100vw, 575px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m no body man, and I&#8217;m not sure I want to be. It&#8217;s hard work, takes a long time to learn and it&#8217;s probably done wrong as much as it&#8217;s done right.<\/p>\n<p>I do know something about inspecting bodywork in preparation for paint or checking a painted car to see if it&#8217;s straight. \u00a0Straight has different meanings though. To some professional body men and to car owners who&#8217;ll only be happy with the best, it means &#8220;like a mirror&#8221;.\u00a0I looked at the door shown above for a while cause I knew it had dents in it. These dents had been filled by body filler, probably a ton of it&#8230; otherwise, there wouldn&#8217;t be much to show for The Filler Detective!<\/p>\n<p>To review, &#8220;Body Filler&#8221; is the generic term for products such as: Bondo (a 3M product), Putty or spot putty, Feather-Rite or Duraglass from USChemical or Evercoat. Whatever you call it, filler is part of the bodywork process and in very general terms, the less of it you use, the better the bodyman or bodywork. Without going into too much detail on that, thick body filler hides damage that wasn&#8217;t repaired correctly. The trouble is, body filler that&#8217;s too thick can lead to a host of problems you don&#8217;t want&#8230; cracking and trapped air or air pockets that show up later as pinholes are the worst of it.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re buying a used car, especially a used hot rod or classic car, the last thing you want is for fresh paint or primer to be hiding ten gallons of body filler. You can count on whatever&#8217;s hiding coming out later and costing you a bunch of money, sometimes more than the car&#8217;s worth in the first place.<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s where The Filler Detective comes in&#8230; As I learned, &#8220;As the lights go up, the price goes down.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"highslide\" onclick=\"return vz.expand(this)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/SEMA-New-Product-Filler-Detective2.JPG.JPG\" rel=\"lightbox[13461]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13478\" style=\"border: 2px solid black; margin: 4px;\" title=\"Inspecting paint and body work for excess filler or bondo\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/SEMA-New-Product-Filler-Detective2.JPG.JPG\" alt=\"sema 2010, new products at SEMA,buying a classic car, inspecting a classic car\" width=\"575\" height=\"575\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/SEMA-New-Product-Filler-Detective2.JPG.JPG 575w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/SEMA-New-Product-Filler-Detective2.JPG-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/SEMA-New-Product-Filler-Detective2.JPG-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/SEMA-New-Product-Filler-Detective2.JPG-400x400.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 575px) 100vw, 575px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>On the same door, we used the Filler Detective starting in the top corner. The handheld tool is easy to use. Press the felt covered end onto the painted surface and slide it while pushing the button. It&#8217;s alot like using a stud finder. \u00a0As shown, if there&#8217;s no body filler or it&#8217;s less than 1\/16&#8243; thick, you&#8217;ll get a green light like here. (trust me, it&#8217;s green)<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"highslide\" onclick=\"return vz.expand(this)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/SEMA-New-Product-Filler-Detective3.JPG.JPG\" rel=\"lightbox[13461]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13479\" style=\"border: 2px solid black; margin: 4px;\" title=\"Best new tool for Bodywork from SEMA - Finding Body Filler\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/SEMA-New-Product-Filler-Detective3.JPG.JPG\" alt=\"sema 2010, new tools, metal working tools, bodywork tools\" width=\"575\" height=\"575\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/SEMA-New-Product-Filler-Detective3.JPG.JPG 575w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/SEMA-New-Product-Filler-Detective3.JPG-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/SEMA-New-Product-Filler-Detective3.JPG-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/SEMA-New-Product-Filler-Detective3.JPG-400x400.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 575px) 100vw, 575px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Uh-oh! What&#8217;s this!? \u00a0Look closely and just under the door handle, we found hidden body filler! \u00a0Check back to the first picture. See the reflection of the guy walking by? See any distortions or waves there? Neither did I, but there&#8217;s 1\/8&#8243; of bondo or filler hiding. This might be OK, but let&#8217;s keep looking.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"highslide\" onclick=\"return vz.expand(this)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/SEMA-New-Product-Filler-Detective4.JPG.JPG\" rel=\"lightbox[13461]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13480\" style=\"border: 2px solid black; margin: 4px;\" title=\"Finding hidden body filler - best new car restoration tools at SEMA\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/SEMA-New-Product-Filler-Detective4.JPG.JPG\" alt=\"sema 2010, new tools at SEMA, car restoration tools, buying a restored car\" width=\"575\" height=\"575\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/SEMA-New-Product-Filler-Detective4.JPG.JPG 575w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/SEMA-New-Product-Filler-Detective4.JPG-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/SEMA-New-Product-Filler-Detective4.JPG-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/SEMA-New-Product-Filler-Detective4.JPG-400x400.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 575px) 100vw, 575px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Maybe this is a car you shouldn&#8217;t buy. Despite the shinny and flat-looking appearance, there&#8217;s 1\/4&#8243; or more of body filler on this panel. What&#8217;s that hiding? A big dent? Rust? Both? Instead of pulling the dent or banging it out with a hammer and dolly, the painter simply covered it with alot of body filler. Not cool.<\/p>\n<p>So in this case,the painter&#8217;s extra time block sanding could have fooled me into thinking the bodywork on this ride was alot better than it actually is. Or you could say, I shouldn&#8217;t trust my eyes alone.<\/p>\n<p>As I watched demos at The Filler Detective&#8217;s SEMA booth, bunches of people, painters included, tried and failed to spot the hidden dents. I also heard alot of the same questions came up:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Is this the same as a paint thickness meter?<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>NO! This isn&#8217;t measuring the thickness of the paint, it&#8217;s measuring the filler.<\/li>\n<li>It&#8217;s alot cheaper than a paint thickness meter too (over $600 vs. less than $100)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Will it work on Aluminum panels?<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>No. The Filler Detective uses a magnetic field to detect body filler, therefore, ferrous metals only.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>What kind of body fillers does it work on?<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Bondo \u00ae 3M\u2122 Bondo Filler\u00ae<\/li>\n<li>3M\u2122 A Acryl\u2013Green Spot Putty<\/li>\n<li>Feather-Rite \u00ae USChemical\u00ae<\/li>\n<li>Duraglas\u00aeUSChemical\u00ae<\/li>\n<li>Evercoat\u00aeQuantum1\u00ae<\/li>\n<li>U-Pol Flyweight Gold<\/li>\n<li>Aluminized Evercoat\u00ae Metal-2-Metal\u2122<\/li>\n<li>Aluminized ALL-METAL\u00aeFILLER by US CHEMICAL\u00ae<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>How do I know it&#8217;s working? and accurate?<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The Filler Detective comes with everything you need, including a battery and a gauge for checking accuracy.<\/li>\n<li>On one side is metal, on the other is 1\/8&#8243; of plastic. Any time you&#8217;re wondering, use the gauge to check. The yellow light comes on every time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I had to try it myself, so I used a panel that wasn&#8217;t painted:<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"highslide\" onclick=\"return vz.expand(this)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/SEMA-New-Product-Filler-Detective5.JPG.JPG\" rel=\"lightbox[13461]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13481\" style=\"border: 2px solid black; margin: 4px;\" title=\"Unpainted body panel showing body filler\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/SEMA-New-Product-Filler-Detective5.JPG.JPG\" alt=\"sema 2010, best new tools, best new bodywork tools, hidden dents\" width=\"575\" height=\"454\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/SEMA-New-Product-Filler-Detective5.JPG.JPG 575w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/SEMA-New-Product-Filler-Detective5.JPG-150x118.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/SEMA-New-Product-Filler-Detective5.JPG-300x236.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/SEMA-New-Product-Filler-Detective5.JPG-400x315.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 575px) 100vw, 575px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>As I swiped the soft felt-covered end over this door, I was happy to see the accuracy of <a title=\"Find hidden dents and bondo\" href=\"http:\/\/www.fillerdetective.com\" target=\"_blank\">The Filler Detective<\/a>. Alot of top quality paint jobs have some filler. Filler&#8217;s not your enemy, it just needs to be applied correctly. \u00a0On the outside edge of the filler where it&#8217;s &#8220;feathered&#8221; with the metal and very thin, the Filler Detective didn&#8217;t make a sound and the light stayed green. Piece of cake.<\/p>\n<p>Not bad right? SEMA agreed and awarded the <strong>&#8220;Best New Tools and Equipment Product&#8221; <\/strong>award for SEMA 2010.<\/p>\n<p>Any other unanswered questions might be answered by the video below. Other than that, leave a comment and we&#8217;ll tried to get you the info.<\/p>\n<span class=\"vvqbox vvqyoutube\" style=\"width:575px;height:355px;\"><span id=\"vvq-13461-youtube-1\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Zr9b-Sg02rA\"><img src=\"http:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/Zr9b-Sg02rA\/0.jpg\" alt=\"YouTube Preview Image\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"mr_social_sharing_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<!-- Social Sharing Toolkit v2.2 --><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.myrideisme.com%2FBlog%2Fbody-filler-detective-best-new-car-bodywork-tools-at-sema-2010%2F&amp;media=&amp;description=Filler+Detective+%E2%80%93+Best+New+Car+Bodywork+Tools+at+SEMA+2010\" class=\"pin-it-button\" count-layout=\"none\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"\/\/assets.pinterest.com\/images\/PinExt.png\" title=\"Pin It\" \/><\/a><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><fb:share-button type=\"button_count\" href=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/body-filler-detective-best-new-car-bodywork-tools-at-sema-2010\/\"><\/fb:share-button><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share\" class=\"twitter-share-button\" data-count=\"horizontal\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/body-filler-detective-best-new-car-bodywork-tools-at-sema-2010\/\" data-via=\"myrideisme\" data-text=\"Filler Detective \u2013 Best New Car Bodywork Tools at SEMA 2010\"><\/a><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><div class=\"g-plusone\" data-size=\"medium\" data-annotation=\"none\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/body-filler-detective-best-new-car-bodywork-tools-at-sema-2010\/\"><\/div><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a class=\"mr_social_share_email\" href=\"mailto:?subject=Filler Detective \u2013 Best New Car Bodywork Tools at SEMA 2010&amp;body=https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/body-filler-detective-best-new-car-bodywork-tools-at-sema-2010\/\" target=\"_blank\"><img src=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/social-sharing-toolkit\/images\/icons_small\/email.png\" class=\"nopin\" alt=\"Email\" title=\"Email\"\/><span class=\"mr_small_icon\">Email<\/span><\/a><\/a><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" class=\"linksalpha_button linksalpha_link\" href=\"\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/social\/mobile\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/body-filler-detective-best-new-car-bodywork-tools-at-sema-2010\/\" data-text=\"Filler Detective \u2013 Best New Car Bodywork Tools at SEMA 2010\" data-desc=\"Best New Tools from SEMA 2010 I'm no body man, and I'm not sure I want to be. It's hard work, takes a long time to learn and it's probably done wrong as much as it's done right. I do know something about inspecting bodywork in preparation for paint or checking a painted car to see if it's straight.\" data-image=\"\" data-button=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img src=\"\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/images\/social_share_button.png\" alt=\"Share\" class=\"linksalpha_image\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/scripts\/loader_iconbox.js?v=2.4\"><\/script><\/span><\/div><p>Email Best New Tools from SEMA 2010 I&#8217;m no body man, and I&#8217;m not sure I want to be. It&#8217;s hard work, takes a long time to learn and it&#8217;s probably done wrong as much as it&#8217;s done right. I do know something about inspecting bodywork in preparation for paint or checking a painted car [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[1815],"tags":[1471,694,1466,1637],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13461"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13461"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13461\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13497,"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13461\/revisions\/13497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}