a method for removing coating defects from a vehicle body or the like includes the steps of putting a defect information mark on a defect portion of an inspected object &# 39 ; s coating , recognizing a position and a removal setting of the defect portion from the defect information mark , and non - contact removal of the defect portion in accordance with the position and the removal setting recognized in the recognizing step . according to the present invention , only the defects are removed , even when they are very small . the non - contact removal step may include spraying a water jet to permit removal of a defect without damaging a base coat . the non - contact removal step is very straightforward . therefore , the removal position need not be defined in three dimensions . accordingly , the shape of the vehicle body or the like is not required to be input .