Most of us get the paint sealant, wax and similar coatings on the car. The main idea behind having these coatings is to protect the paint and avoid damage from scratches. The problem is that after a certain period, you would need to remove the old layer of paint sealant and apply the new one as the sealant ages. All these things are very important when it comes to protecting the finish of the car. To maintain the car, it is very important to strip the paint sealant or the old wax before you re-apply the ceramic coating or the clear coat.
Removing the paint sealant is also important when you have to fix the imperfections in the car paint. Only after that you can go for paint correction, polishing the car and product application. We receive many queries from the car owners to know about the right way to remove the paint sealant. Below are more details about the removal of sealant from the car surface.
Removing the Paint Sealant from the Car
If you are dealing with the paint sealant, it is usually easy to remove the sealant using one of the all-purpose cleaners. Most of the car all-purpose cleaners are strong enough to dissolve the sealant and the wax without causing harm to the paint or the plastic trim of the vehicle. We have documented the steps below that you should follow while removing the sealant from the car.
- Start by cleaning the surface of the car. You can use a good quality car shampoo along with the water and pressure washer to clean the car. Always clean your car from top to bottom, and this will ensure that the dust is removed. You should also ensure that you are using a microfiber cloth to wipe the car. Otherwise, the dust may cause swirl marks and scratches on the paint. You should never use the all-purpose cleaner directly on the car surface without actually cleaning it. This practice can cause a lot of harm to the paint.So, to sum it up, the first step of removing the sealant is to clean the car.
- Now, prepare the concentrate of the car cleaner solution and go by the manufacturer recommendation. Use a washing mitt to coat the vehicle with the cleaning solution. You should ensure that no part is left uncovered. The cleaning solution will work its way and dissolve the wax or the sealant.
- In the next step, you need to rewash the car. You can use only the water to clean the car. Ensure that you are removing all the traces of the foam from the car. If you notice any sealant residue, you can wash the car for the second time. Once that is done, you can wipe the vehicle using microfiber towels. Again, opt for a top to bottom trajectory while drying the vehicle to avoid scratches and swirl marks.
- With this, you are done with the removal of the paint sealant. You should note that this procedure may not work for tougher paint sealants like a ceramic coating. For those, we have covered the detailed steps in the next section of this article.
Removing the Tough Paint Sealant from the Car (Coatings)
Some of you may have a ceramic coating or other tough nano-coatings on the car that can’t be removed by simply washing it with the all-purpose cleaner. These coatings offer better protection than the ordinary sealant, but they are also hard to remove. It is hard for the chemical-based sealants to remove the ceramic coating or other types of nano-coating from the cars. Below are the steps that you can follow to remove the tough paint sealant from the car.
- Wash your car correctly. We have already listed the steps above and ensure that you are using a professional quality car cleaner to clean your vehicle. At the same time, you should perform a second round of cleaning using the all-purpose cleaner. This is very important from the cleaning perspective.
- Now, you can use a medium-cut polish with medium abrasive levels to remove the ceramic coating. You should note that the right way to perform this cleaning is by restricting the coverage to one panel at a time.
- You can apply the polish on the motorized cleaning pad and start polishing each panel one by one. You can start with the roof and then proceed to the hood and trunk. Once that is done, you can move to the doors and fenders to get the desired finish.
- This will strip off the ceramic coating easily. You need to be careful during this procedure because if you are not careful, then there are chances that you may end up damaging the paint. Lastly, to avoid any damage or rusting, ensure that you apply the wax coating on the car. If you opt for any second round of coating, you can avoid waxing, and you can start with the new application round.
Final Verdict
It is relatively easy to remove the regular paint sealants and wax coating compared to the ceramic coating and other nano-coating. You should be careful when you are using anything abrasive on the car. It is also advisable to try a new solution on a small section of the car before moving on to the whole section. Talking about the plastic parts, you can remove the coating from the plastic parts using a pencil eraser.
This can be labour-intensive work, but it is a hack that works great without damaging the car’s plastic parts. You can use this hack on the exterior plastic parts and ensure that you are not too harsh during the usage. If you have applied only the wax on the car, then a heat gun can prove to be very handy when it comes to removing the wax. No matter what you are doing, the key is to be careful while dealing with the exterior of the car. Being careful always pays off, as you can avoid any damage while removing the paint sealant from the car.