How To Remove Ceramic Coating

Why ask this question in the first place if you can just drive to a professional detailer shop and have your car done up with a high-grade professional ceramic coat?

That’s because this procedure can cost you several hundred dollars, and if you are a regular car driver like us, you have no option but to do this painstaking task yourself.

So lets take a closer look at the procedure needed and the easiest way for you to prepare for a new ceramic layer.

Why would you need to remove your car’s ceramic coating?

The answer is of course: to apply a new coating on top of the paint. There can be for many reasons to remove an old coating.

• Bodywork: Your car has been dented, scratched or damaged in some way, probably after an accident and you need to reapply the paint and ceramic coating to the damaged part.
• Wrong application: You recently did a new ceramic coat, but made a mistake, resulting in an uneven, dirty coat. Sadly, you’ll have to remove the bad coat and do it over.
• Worn out: Ceramic coatings do not last forever. Even high-grade ones start losing their lustre, smoothness, and protective properties after a decade. For a fresh coat, you’ll have to remove the old one first. Even bird droppings, acid rain, tree sap and the suns UV rays of direct sunlight can affect an old ceramic coating. And there is nothing better than a new car ceramic coating for car owners.
• Dealership applied: This is probably the most common reason people want to remove their ceramic coating. Them or the previous owners give in to slick sales techniques when buying the and opted for the ceramic coating. This is often sold under the disguise of the comment "To protect your investment". Have your car sealed before you take ownership and it will save you thousands of dollars. Well it may if its done properly!

Should you remove the entire coat?

If only a small part of your vehicle is damaged, then there is no need to strip your car completely.

Just focus on the damaged part to remove the coat and reapply a new layer of ceramic coating.

This can be easier if the damaged area is near and edge of a panel rather than bang in the centre.

The 3 ways to remove ceramic coating

There are 3 tried and tested ways of removing an old ceramic coat. But before choosing any of those, consult your car’s manual or contact the manufacturer. Ask them how they recommend the coating should be removed, and go for that option.

The reason is that certain coatings and paints react differently to the removal solutions and it is much better to check first. And even then just trial it on a small areas first, somewhere insignificant not in the middle of the hood!

Here are the best way methods we recommend.

1. Chemical removal

This method is suitable for ceramic coats which are very old and worn out. Since they are already thinning, they will give in to alkaline chemicals easily.

The downside is that unless you have consulted a professional and are very sure of the chemical you are using, too strong of an alkaline solution can damage the clear coat and paint layer on your car too. It is advised to always do a patch test first.

2. Polishing

Most professional detailers swear by this method. This is because it can remove the toughest of coats, and is also the most efficient and controllable way.

However, you should know what end result to look for when using a polishing tool such as orbital polishers, or else you might end up cutting the clear coat too. It’s important to be able to visibly tell when you’ve cut enough.

For this method, you must wash your car beforehand and let it sit in a cool, shaded place for at least 2 hours.

You should start using a hard-to-medium cutting pad and polishing compound, and do a second pass with a lower grade compound to finish off smoothly.

3. Claying

Claying is recommended for very high-grade ceramic coats, with SiO2 percentage above 80. You must first wash the car with a wax-stripping shampoo, use the clay bar with clay lubricant to remove the ceramic coating, and then rinse off and dry. This will remove much of the coat, smooth out high spots and and stubborn road grime.

Preparation is key

Before any of the above methods are applied we suggest you thoroughly wash the car. Starting with the wheels. As the brake dust collected on these can prove to be the most abrasive substance you can apply to your paintwork.

Next wash the whole car with a good condition lubricating car shampoo such as Sonax .

Once completed carry out a detailed visual check of the whole vehicle.

If any paint correction is needed then this is the time to polish out any swirl marks or other paint defects with finishing polish and a clean microfiber towel.

Note any small (or indeed large) imperfections that will need treating prior to the ceramic coating removal.

By treated we mean that a tiny area should receive specific attention to take the ceramic spray coating right back and repair and paint damage. If it is just a stone chip or light scratch then a touch up pen is all that is needed.

How to Remove Ceramic Coating two step plan

Once the car has been prepared with a complete wash and rinse you can follow this simple two step plan to remove the ceramic coating.

If you look back at the three suggested methods mentioned earlier, this plan incorporates most of those requirements and is we feel the best over all plan for a DIY person to remove a ceramic coat.

Step 1: Apply Degreaser

Now, we know this is usually more suited to your engine bay but let us explain.

The first step of the process of ceramic coat removal the coating has to be weakened enough to separate from the vehicle's paint.

This process ideally requires an alkaline substance. 

Degreaser, in particularly one type called Brake Buster seems to have the ideal alkaline level to quickly react with the ceramic coating.

Not only does it react well but it has superb lubricating properties that prepare the surface for the next step.

As you can see by the label below it is designed for wheel cleaning by removing the brake dust but believe us this is the idea substance for this process. It can really break the chemical bond.