Painting Brake Caliper Advice

activ8newbs on 25/03/2018 - 16:24
Last edited 25/03/2018 - 17:14 by 1 other user

Hi all,

I needed some advice/suggestions. I wish to get my brake calipers painted red (Faster…durrrrr!). I'm not comfortable doing it myself.

How much can I expect to pay to get this done by someone?

Also is the brake caliper a part that gets replaced when changing brakes etc? I.e. If there comes a time when my brakes need changing/servicing, does the entire caliper need to get replaced? I'm asking because I wish to know if I will have to pay again, to get the new ones resprayed.

Or is this a set and forget? Complete once then no need to replace?

Thanks

Automotive

Comments

  • sph on 25/03/2018 - 16:52
    +3

    I use a website google.com.au, it’s great for these type of questions.

    The cost is going to depend on a few factors, but see this website as an example:
    http://www.elitefinish.com.au/services/brake-calliper-painti…

    When changing brake pads, the callipers are not replaced.

    • activ8newbs on 25/03/2018 - 17:21
      -3

      Thanks captain.

      Prices for brake calipers varied stupidly so couldn't rely on google for a decent approximation.

      Also, thanks for second bit of info.

  • dcep on 25/03/2018 - 16:52
    +5

    don't go halfway, just go full retard

    https://www.ebay.com.au/i/142703979605?chn=ps&dispItem=1

    • activ8newbs on 25/03/2018 - 17:21
      -1

      Lol My calipers are nice. They have some logo engraving of the car etc on it, so I want to keep it stock, but just painted diff colour.

      • itsdougie on 25/03/2018 - 18:05
        +1

        Brembo can be written with white correction pen

      • resisting the urge on 25/03/2018 - 18:52
        +2

        I love the way so many modern high performance calipers are painted.

        Even funnier when one remembers paint insulates, preventing heat transferring out; causing the brakes to perform worse than they would if they were left with a metallic finish. So much for performance when advancements (in cosmetics) are more important.

    • [Deactivated] on 26/03/2018 - 14:38

      OMG. I never knew these exist! This explains Brembos on Swift Sports!

  • AdosHouse on 25/03/2018 - 16:53
    +1

    The caliper itself should never need to be replaced. Its basically just a big metal housing.

    Now depending on the age of your vehicle, if you were to get the caliper removed from your vehicle and have it properly cleaned and painted, I would be stripping down the caliper and rebuilding it. Checking the pistons for pitting and wear, replacing if necessary, replacing the seals, and checking the rest of the components. Plenty of brake places around that can do this and arrange the caliper painting.

    I rebuilt my caliper on my VY Commodore 2 years ago, did all that myself, but Commodores are easy. My pistons were fine so I replaced all the seals, hit it with a wire brush and cleaned it, then painted it black. Fairly easy, but if you have never done brakes before, leave it to an expert.

    • activ8newbs on 25/03/2018 - 17:22

      thanks for your input. There should be no need for brake to be rebuilt/serviced, I guess. Car is only couple years old.

      • resisting the urge on 25/03/2018 - 19:00

        Calipers in modern cars are all quite similar; a cast steel or alloy housing (really expensive cars may have them made from a billet) in which a piston with a big o-ring moves through a machined orifice to pressure the pads. O-rings wear and leak over time, but the orifice surface (housing itself) corrodes and wears with time, use and heat as well, so will eventually need very careful machine re-surfacing. Usually it is best to replace the entire caliper(s).

  • spackbace on 25/03/2018 - 17:43
    +7

    Props for not mentioning the car (for once) but for the love of god don't do it… Don't paint the brakes on a Merc, least of all an A200 with piddly small brakes.

    Put the money elsewhere

    • chumlee on 25/03/2018 - 17:48
      +4

      Probably better to paint over the 200 badge with 43 AMG

      • [Deactivated] on 25/03/2018 - 18:01

        Just remove the A200 badge.

    • itsdougie on 25/03/2018 - 18:15

      I dont think you can change the mind of a ricer. next mod will be stickers 1kw for each.

      • spackbace on 25/03/2018 - 18:17
        +1

        No, you can… a mate of mine had 'XPLOD' stickers all over his car, chrome rims etc. Took our advice and de-riced it and came up nicely. Now has a Monaro with a 7.2 swap and NOS, fkn weapon! :)

        • itsdougie on 25/03/2018 - 18:28
          +1

          I need you to come to Sydney and de-rice a friend for me. He is still stuck in the era of Fast & the Furious 1 without the fast.

        • spackbace on 25/03/2018 - 18:43
          +1

          @itsdougie:

          Danger to manifold eh

    • Switchblade88 on 25/03/2018 - 19:47

      I did NOT realise just how much of an information trail I could be leaving on OzB.

      Seriously, all that info and personal 'queries' would make it surprisingly easy to find a user offline. All the talk about Facebook data haemorrhaging recently is making me paranoid.

  • TheOneWhoKnocks on 25/03/2018 - 17:45
    +8

    How does it feel being an OzBargain meme?

  • Nugs on 25/03/2018 - 18:24
    +2

    MCM

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3mhq_BrnU0

    .

  • Euphemistic on 25/03/2018 - 22:33

    DIY or get real brakes. Sure someone might take your money, if they can stop themselves laughing for long enough.

  • Findo on 26/03/2018 - 00:26

    Why don’t you go get AMG calipers from the stealership to match your pretend AMG?

    • [Deactivated] on 26/03/2018 - 11:54

      Probably cheaper to buy a set of 6 pot monoblock Alcons on big rotors.

      OEM AMG brake kit ftw. probably won't fit A200 "AMG" rims but…

  • Oz8argain on 26/03/2018 - 09:33

    mr. meme is back at it again with a new meme!

  • Melb69 on 26/03/2018 - 13:21

    Do it yourself over a few weekend. Get heat resistant paint. Jack up a wheel and mask off. 2 clear coats your done. And you have the knowledge you did it yourself. Be cheaper. Just takes sone time.

    • Euphemistic on 26/03/2018 - 14:00

      That’ll work fine unless you want to colour them.

  • daiwai on 28/03/2018 - 09:28

    Does painting the caliper reduce heat dispersion ability?

    • pegaxs on 29/03/2018 - 18:01

      Are you asking if it makes them "cool"??? The answer to that is no. :D

      • daiwai on 29/03/2018 - 22:09

        For example on tracks with a lot of hard breaks before corners, will the painting affect the cooling performance of the break itself?
        Street drive wise I don't think that will be a problem.

        • pegaxs on 29/03/2018 - 22:48
          +1

          Short answer, no, not really. Most of the heat that brakes produce is dissipated via the disc rotor. The discs are designed to wash as much heat off as quickly as possible.

          On a race car application, brakes would not be painted for other reasons than heat transfer issues. It would add weight, albeit not much, and the temps that brakes on a racing car would run at, it would most likely just cook the paint off anyway. There is no benefit from painting brake calipers, other than to look like a tool, but yes, some race cars may have painted/coated brake calipers.

          Most high performance race cars have billet machined brake calipers that are made out of aluminium, titanium, unobtanuim type alloys and are usually anodised rather than painted.

        • daiwai on 29/03/2018 - 23:20

          Thanks Pegaxs, so people just do it with red to pretend they are using Brembo.

        • pegaxs on 30/03/2018 - 09:33

          @daiwai:

          Now you’re catching on… ;)

        • AdosHouse on 30/03/2018 - 22:47

          @daiwai:

          I painted mine black because it looks better than rusty, dirty cast iron look.

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