Removing a coating?

[bob m]

I finally got to wash my car today after about 2 months of snow and freezing weather. Earlier this year I had Nanolex professionally applied and I don`t think it offered as good a protection as I had hoped. I mean the hood still beads up real well - coating applied on top of Xpel, but the doors - particularly the lower half don`t bead up at all. Anyhow, if I did decide to remove that coating - what`s involved?

[Stokdgs]

Hi, Bob !
Sorry that coating product is not working for you..

Do you not want to take it back to the people who did the work and have them do it over, etc.. ?

To really do it right and remove a coating, it would take re-polishing all over again to remove the product..
That way you know for sure you have a clean pristine surface to apply whatever you want to apply next..

If it was me, I would take it back to those guys and tell them to do this over if it is still in warranty, etc..
Good luck, Bob..
Dan F

[SWETM]

Just curious was it applyied 2018 or 2017? If it`s 2018 I would definitely ask the installer to do it on warrenty. If it`s 2017 the lower parts of the panels take alot of wear. And if it`s a daily driver with alot of miles driven it`s about what you get. If you want to extend it I would apply something like nanolex sifinish which have a good longevity for a sealant. First I would do a decon wash with first a tar remover and then a iron remover and see if they get revived.

To get it of a machine polish would be the way to go. As for the xpel parts I don`t know and let others who have it to say what is needed.

[bob m]

Hi, Bob !
Sorry that coating product is not working for you..

Do you not want to take it back to the people who did the work and have them do it over, etc.. ?

To really do it right and remove a coating, it would take re-polishing all over again to remove the product..
That way you know for sure you have a clean pristine surface to apply whatever you want to apply next..

If it was me, I would take it back to those guys and tell them to do this over if it is still in warranty, etc..
Good luck, Bob..
Dan F

Thanks, Dan.

I just may do that - give the installer a call and visit, so he can take a look. Perhaps, lack of beading does not always mean lack of protection, but I am thinking it`s a good indicator, particularly when you read the posts by many who have coatings applied - particularly professionally applied.

[bob m]

Just curious was it applyied 2018 or 2017? If it`s 2018 I would definitely ask the installer to do it on warrenty. If it`s 2017 the lower parts of the panels take alot of wear. And if it`s a daily driver with alot of miles driven it`s about what you get. If you want to extend it I would apply something like nanolex sifinish which have a good longevity for a sealant. First I would do a decon wash with first a tar remover and then a iron remover and see if they get revived.

To get it of a machine polish would be the way to go. As for the xpel parts I don`t know and let others who have it to say what is needed.

My car is a 2017 and had the coating applied IIRC, in early Spring last year. It is a daily driver - currently 12k miles on it, but it has been garaged (covered apartment building garage) and when working in NYC - always garaged. My car has also only been hand washed - full wash and Waterless Wash; I think done with pretty proper (maybe not perfect) technique and high quality and clean MF`s, so it`s been fairly well protected and very well cared for.

Next week, I will be moving out and will not have a garage, but at least full access to water at all times.

[mobiledynamics]

bob, what soap are you using ? I would try a coating specific soap like Reset if you have not. 1-1/2 oz to a 5 gal bucket......it`s lubricious and downright cleans. I don`t use it in my mindset as a coating soap (even though my panels are coated). I use it as it`s top tier soap IMO. I would try that 1st just to see if it changes the behaviour

[TroyScherer]

I have had this in the past with both versions of CQ. I have found though that it’s not that the coating has failed but that the salt solution has bonded that well. It usually takes a fairly aggressive decon using CarPro Rest and then some string APC and TarX. It cleans off the surface and brings back the characteristics of the coating.

[bob m]

bob, what soap are you using ? I would try a coating specific soap like Reset if you have not. 1-1/2 oz to a 5 gal bucket......it`s lubricious and downright cleans. I don`t use it in my mindset as a coating soap (even though my panels are coated). I use it as it`s top tier soap IMO. I would try that 1st just to see if it changes the behaviour

I was using GG Brilliant was - a couple of times via a foam cannon, rinsed and then with a MF was mitt. Funny, after I finished washing and drying the car I though about that as I looked at that bottle of Reload in the garage, but it was way too late in the day to attempt that. Will give that a try.

[mobiledynamics]

TarX. I`m only thinking solvents to remove things that need solvents.....rubber, tar, etc. Are you using solvents just as part of the decon. regardless if said items (tar, rubber, etc) is not present >

[bob m]

bob, what soap are you using ? I would try a coating specific soap like Reset if you have not. 1-1/2 oz to a 5 gal bucket......it`s lubricious and downright cleans. I don`t use it in my mindset as a coating soap (even though my panels are coated). I use it as it`s top tier soap IMO. I would try that 1st just to see if it changes the behaviour

Troy, see reply above. Good idea about Reset. The GG did not remove all of the water spots either. And to add the issues - I put on a coat of Reload on the hood only, in the hopes of adding some protection - until I would give a a better washing. I`m hoping that wasn`t a mistake.

[bob m]

TarX. I`m only thinking solvents to remove things that need solvents.....rubber, tar, etc. Are you using solvents just as part of the decon. regardless if said items (tar, rubber, etc) is not present >

Nope, never used TarX. But yesterday was really the first opportunity to give the car a wash in a few months as obviously weather would not allow otherwise. This was supposed to be a quick cleaning - interior and exterior but took over 3 hours!

[SWETM]

My car is a 2017 and had the coating applied IIRC, in early Spring last year. It is a daily driver - currently 12k miles on it, but it has been garaged (covered apartment building garage) and when working in NYC - always garaged. My car has also only been hand washed - full wash and Waterless Wash; I think done with pretty proper (maybe not perfect) technique and high quality and clean MF`s, so it`s been fairly well protected and very well cared for.

Next week, I will be moving out and will not have a garage, but at least full access to water at all times.

12k miles is about how long a consumer coating lasts. Maybe as most says a decon wash would revive it so you get a little more out of it. And since you have maintained it great it`s possible.

I would start with a citrus based degreaser and spray it on with a spray bottle or a pressure spray bottle. You can foam it on also but it gets rather diluted when doing that. Second step I would apply a tar remover. But read up on if you can use that on xpel! Tar removers is often an adisive desolver too. The third step I would apply an iron remover. And to wash after this use a car schampo for coated cars like carpro reset or gyeon bathe essence. Both carpro and gyeon has great products to decon wash also. Carpro has trix which is a combo of ironx and tarx. But as when they do combo things they tend to be a little less potent.

Do you have xpel to the lower side of the car also? If you have that look into so the decon products are compatible to the xpel.

I would recommend you to check out a sio2 topper to extend the coating some more. Maybe the installer of the nanolex coating has a input on which to use.

[bob m]

12k miles is about how long a consumer coating lasts. Maybe as most says a decon wash would revive it so you get a little more out of it. And since you have maintained it great it`s possible.

I would start with a citrus based degreaser and spray it on with a spray bottle or a pressure spray bottle. You can foam it on also but it gets rather diluted when doing that. Second step I would apply a tar remover. But read up on if you can use that on xpel! Tar removers is often an adisive desolver too. The third step I would apply an iron remover. And to wash after this use a car schampo for coated cars like carpro reset or gyeon bathe essence. Both carpro and gyeon has great products to decon wash also. Carpro has trix which is a combo of ironx and tarx. But as when they do combo things they tend to be a little less potent.

Do you have xpel to the lower side of the car also? If you have that look into so the decon products are compatible to the xpel.

I would recommend you to check out a sio2 topper to extend the coating some more. Maybe the installer of the nanolex coating has a input on which to use.

I would have thought a Pro applied coating would have lasted longer than one year - and actually IIRC is about 11 months so far, again this is a garaged car. Xpel on the hood, front bumpers, lights, mirrors, A-pillars and first 10" or so of the roof. But it just could be that I did not use a strong enough wash to get rid of some of the older dirt and salt, even though I did manage - on a few occasions to shoot the car with water from the hose - no soap or Waterless wash.So, perhaps a proper decon wash will reveal that the Nanolex did hold up after all?

[SWETM]

I would have thought a Pro applied coating would have lasted longer than one year - and actually IIRC is about 11 months so far, again this is a garaged car. Xpel on the hood, front bumpers, lights, mirrors, A-pillars and first 10" or so of the roof. But it just could be that I did not use a strong enough wash to get rid of some of the older dirt and salt, even though I did manage - on a few occasions to shoot the car with water from the hose - no soap or Waterless wash.So, perhaps a proper decon wash will reveal that the Nanolex did hold up after all?

I think it would revive the coating.

What longevity did the installer claims?

As all lsp the miles is the most wear on them IMO. Then if garaged you get a longer longevity than a outside 24/7 car. But the claims in time is a little missleading IMO. A car that gets driven 6k or 12k or 20k miles a year and is equaly maintained and garage stored. I think has the most difference in longevity of a ceramic coating. And the lower side panels gets the most wear and tear and degrade faster than other parts of the car. The road grime is also much more on this parts and next is the front and then the back of the car. A ceramic coating is very strong against chemicals so I`m not afraid of the use of them the right way to get as little as possible build up of the road grime and road film. In this winter when I had the possibility to wash the cars. I have started with a decon like wash every time. And have gyeon wet coat on them this year and will apply Polish Angel Master Sealant to my car in the spring. Which name is a sealant but based on sio2 and tio2. The longevity is up to a year only but want to see how it`s working in the climate environment I live in. Then next year I maybe get a coating that can hold up to a couple of years.

A wash can looks like this.
Foam a prewash like Angelwax Cleanliness and clean rinse from the bottom and up.
Apply a tar degreaser that is solvent based on the lower parts of the car and the back. Not over the sidewindows. Clean rinse from the bottom and up.
Then 2bm wash with carpro reset.
Dry rinse or if needed a application of wet coat. Have foamed Angelwax Enigma ceramic infused schampo on it one time also. Next wash will be a spray sealant with sio2 in it. To get it protected to spring.
I think even when coated I will play around with different toppers of sio2 in it. Have Polish Angel High Gloss at home to be used on the PA Master Sealant Like to test out different kind of products

Hope a decon helps you out and think it`s worth a try to get it clean from as much of the bonded contaminants as possible.

Yes I use a tar remover as it also have the possibility to desolve other kind of dirts also. You have old motor oil and transmission fluid and antifreeze products that are laying on the roads. I think when the road salt is spread on the roads this desolves many of that things and gets on your car. If you drive alot on asfalts roads you get tiny spots like film with tar also. Maybe not so much on the concrete roads. But it`s much of different dirts the wheels kicks up. There for different chemicals to different kind of dirt.