How do you remove trim/headlight ceramic coating from surfaces?

[Sandalwood]

I know you have to polish out or use brilliant glaze with ceramic coatings on paint, but that doesn't seem like a good idea for black plastic trim.

How can you remove it from trim?

Does doing a strip wash remove it?

[shane@detailedreflections]

A strip wash won’t remove coating from trim. Coating from trim is difficult to work with honestly. Why are you trying to remove it?  You can scrub with a mildly abrasive sponge and a lot of patience and it’ll come off. But it doesn’t guarantee it doesn’t mar the plastic. 

[Sandalwood]

4 hours ago, shane@detailedreflections said:

A strip wash won’t remove coating from trim. Coating from trim is difficult to work with honestly. Why are you trying to remove it?  You can scrub with a mildly abrasive sponge and a lot of patience and it’ll come off. But it doesn’t guarantee it doesn’t mar the plastic. 

I tried the wipes and missed some spaces. I thought I might need to remove some areas before or after to deal with overlap.

Do all ceramic coatings eventually wear away on their own or do they just lose their protective qualities and still must be polished away?

Edited November 12, 2019 by Sandalwood

[Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin]

10 hours ago, shane@detailedreflections said:

A strip wash won’t remove coating from trim. Coating from trim is difficult to work with honestly. Why are you trying to remove it?  You can scrub with a mildly abrasive sponge and a lot of patience and it’ll come off. But it doesn’t guarantee it doesn’t mar the plastic. 

Do you think using a utility towel and something like rubber and tire cleaner could come in handy? Or do you think it would be necessary to use something like an abrasive sponge?
 

7 hours ago, Sandalwood said:

I tried the wipes and missed some spaces. I thought I might need to remove some areas before or after to deal with overlap.

Do all ceramic coatings eventually wear away on their own or do they just lose their protective qualities and still must be polished away?

I’m thinking this might not be fully necessary. You might be able to give it a good clean and surface prep and go over the existing ceramic.

[shane@detailedreflections]

7 hours ago, Sandalwood said:

I tried the wipes and missed some spaces. I thought I might need to remove some areas before or after to deal with overlap.

Do all ceramic coatings eventually wear away on their own or do they just lose their protective qualities and still must be polished away?

Ceramic coatings tend to wear off. As you drive, they are constantly being abraded slowly. The loss of their qualities is usually due to them being dirty or contaminated.

 

If you want to remove a costing that’s been applied, you have to do it by mechanical means. The level of what’s needed to do this varies by coating. Most consumer grade coatings can be polished off relatively easily where most professional level coatings require aggressive compounding or wet sanding to remove. 

 

51 minutes ago, Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin said:

Do you think using a utility towel and something like rubber and tire cleaner could come in handy? Or do you think it would be necessary to use something like an abrasive sponge?
 

I’m thinking this might not be fully necessary. You might be able to give it a good clean and surface prep and go over the existing ceramic.

If you’re trying to remove the coating, you’ll need something to mechanically abrade the coating off. You could try a magic eraser but do a test spot first. If you’re just trying to level the product due to an application error, you could clean the surface and then I’d reapply to the entire piece and really level it out. 

[BRZN]

Sorta the same as Shane mentioned above /\

 

Smooth trim, yea, perhaps an abrasive sponge like Adam's Deep Clean Eraser would work, if it's textured trim I don't believe it would get down into the low spots. Chemicals aren't supposed to be able to remove Ceramic coatings, Mechanical action is needed. However, if the new Wheel & Tire Cleaner was eating through the PETE bottles, you may want to give it a try. The Ceramic Coatings will only layer over themselves a few times, after that they don't stick to themselves. With that being stated, try adding more coats on top of what you've already laid down. There may be a point where it's all the same level.

[SafetyMichael]

I had Meguiars Hybrid Ceramic Wax do the same to me and it’s been a pain for 2 years and I still can’t get it off! It also went white like a wax would but this will not come off where wax will!!

[ResJudicata]

I would imagine a tunnel wash drive thru would take it off. 

[Rich]

2 hours ago, ResJudicata said:

I would imagine a tunnel wash drive thru would take it off. 

That would also remove coatings that he wants to keep on.  Not a good idea. 

[Angel PTY]

I have tried all methods posted in different platforms…. None have worked while trying to remove CERAKOTE trim coat pads.  It faded couple weeks after application leaving a white crust on all black trimming of my BMW motorcycle.  At the end of the day I would have to sand it off and paint all plastic trimming.  I called CERAKOTE and they advise me to use non acetone nail remover, it melted the plastic:(