CARE & MAINTENANCE of CERAMIC COATINGS

Congratulations on having your parts ceramic coated. These coatings are highly durable and will last for many years with proper care. Their longevity and appearance may be affected by the way your engine is tuned.

PLEASE NOTE: EXCESSIVE EXHAUST GAS TEMPERATURES CAN DULL CERAMIC COATINGS ON EXHAUST MANIFOLDS AND HEADERS.

CLEANING:

NEVER use any type of petroleum-based cleaner, solvent, steel wool, paper towels, scouring pads, scratch remover (unless clear coat safe) or strong degreaser to clean ceramic coating.  Solvents and strong cleaning materials will dull and possibly etch the coating allowing the possibility of corrosion to set in. Evidence of these products will also void your warrantee.

WIPE gasoline, brake fluid and other chemicals from the coating as soon as possible. USE mild soap and water or non-solvent based cleaners (such as Simple Green) with a soft, non-abrasive cloth to clean the coating before polishing.

POLISHING:

Once all foreign matter has been removed, the thermal barrier coating may be polished with a clean soft cloth and a non-abrasive metal (aluminum) polish such as Satin Gloss, MAAS, Mothers Mag and Wheel Polish, Blue Magic, Metal Magic, or Eagle One Mag Polish. For the satin finish a periodic scrubbing with a red or gray Scotchbrite pad may be used to remove oils and contaminants from the coating surface.

SCRATCH REMOVAL:

USE only clear coat safe chrome polish or scratch removers.
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Please keep in mind that we CAN'T get coating where there is no space between the metal, therefore these areas are subject to rust if the metal can rust. Also with used rusty parts there are places that the blasting media cannot reach to remove all the rust and the coating does not adhere to rust. Header designs with open and/or removable tubes and welded flanges can last a LIFETIME!

THINGS TO AVOID:

1. Installing coated headers on a new part or newly rebuilt engine that hasn’t yet been run. Run your engine, perform all tuning, and then have your headers coated. This prevents overheating of the headers due to improper tuning.

2. Extended “burn-outs”! Your headers will quickly overheat and permanent loss of shine and minor discoloration will likely occur.

3. Ethanol fuels – they add oxygen to the fuel which results in exhaust gasses exceeding the temperature capability of the ceramic coating.

4. Poor engine tuning. Things like retarded ignition timing can cause extremely high exhaust temperatures. Avoid running the engine too rich or too lean. If you have a leaking intake, one cylinder may run very lean, causing one or the other to burn too rich.

5. Nitrous oxide is never recommended for use with ceramic coatings.

6. Dynometer Testing: Do your dyno tests prior to coating with a polished ceramic finish. You will most likely receive inadequate cooling (most use a fan in front of the radiator) during dyno cycles.

Any of the above actions will likely cause heat damage such as “hot spots” (indicated by the coating turning a dull grey color in certain areas)  or at worst, cause total or partial delamination of the coating. Bird's Performance Coatings will not honour a warrantee claim of any part that has evidence of overheating.

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