Making faded/dirty painted Calipers look good again?

M

Mindflux

New member
I'm going to be polishing up my calipers tomorrow. I did the rear last weekend with mild sucess just hand buffing in some Menzerna FP, but there are still some faded areas.



I'm going to be doing the front calipers in the morning, and they are definately dirtier than the rears were. Would you have any suggestions other than Menzerna FP? These calipers are not clear coated, so some sort of product that's not abrasive or a chemical cleaner would be appreciated!
 
Maybe this is too obvious, but have you considered Caliper Paint? It's available in many colors including silver, assuming you are looking for a stock look. :nixweiss
 
These calipers are painted red, I'd rather not RE-PAINT them or strip the paint (with a brake cleaning spray). Considering using PPCL or even NXT Tech Wax yielded some red paint bleeding onto my rag. So I've got to use something GENTLE to restore the color, without respraying them.
 
Can't decide whether or not from reading your two posts if the calipers are just dirty or faded. If they are faded, paint them. It's painless and doesn't take that much time. Unless they are machined it isn't practical to use normal polishing procedures, particularly if it is a cast surface. If it's dirty and you think that brake cleaner is too caustic try a diluted mixture of simple green. Most calipers aren't machined and therefore aren't that easy to detail with waxes etc. Brake dust when allowed to sit (even for short periods of time) does wierd things to most finishes and requires an occasional touch up. This is true especially if you happen to have semi-met pads. Show us a picture maybe we will be of more help.
 
GearHead_1 said:
Can't decide whether or not from reading your two posts if the calipers are just dirty or faded. If they are faded, paint them. It's painless and doesn't take that much time. Unless they are machined it isn't practical to use normal polishing procedures, particularly if it is a cast surface. If it's dirty and you think that brake cleaner is too caustic try a diluted mixture of simple green. Most calipers aren't machined and therefore aren't that easy to detail with waxes etc. Brake dust when allowed to sit (even for short periods of time) does wierd things to most finishes and requires an occasional touch up. This is true especially if you happen to have semi-met pads. Show us a picture maybe we will be of more help.
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Well, clean them for starters, which I've done. They're a lot cleaner (not a layer of brake dust on them), however; the heat, brake dust and other elements has started to fade the paint a bit. So, in the areas where it's noticably less glossy than others I'm looking for something to bring the gloss back out (which Menzerna FP did not do).



So, basically I was looking for a suggestion of what else to try (with no cleaning/stripping properties) to bring the gloss back out.
 
Your better off to get some Prep-Sol / Masking Tape / Plasti-Kote Caliper paint and for $15 start from scratch.
 
If they are Stoptechs, I would not repaint those. Some companies (such as Stoptech) use a very expensive process which covers the caliper with an epoxy coating which gives it that painted look.
 
I'm with the general consensus about re-painting. If they are faded, polishing and/or waxing won't last long because of the heat generated by calipers. Brake dust also works its way into the microscopic pores of the paint, giving it a dull appearance. The only effective remedy I've found is to repaint.



I use a spray can of caliper paint to touch mine up quickly. Remove the wheel, clean the caliper with a wheel cleaner and brush, then a detergent. Rinse well and allow to dry. While its drying, I remove the caliper, hang it from my spring with a wire coat hanger, and tape up EVERYTHING I don't want overspray on (newspaper and aluminum foil work great). Apply THIN coats several minutes apart to the caliper. When satisfied with coverage, allow to dry thoroughly before handling (prevents imprints of your fingerprints in the paint when re-mounting). While brakes are apart, inspect pads, suspension, etc... Re-assemble everything, and remove all tape, newspaper, and aluminum foil. Torque lug nuts to specs (don't over-torque, as it can cause warped rotors).



This method works extremely well. If you clean the calipers whenever you wash the rims, it helps extend their appearance. I use whatever car wash I'm using on my rims and an old toothbrush to get the areas I can see/reach. A wheel cleaner or APC works well with a toothbrush every so often to remove any build up.



Dave
 
Dave Holmes said:
I'm with the general consensus about re-painting. If they are faded, polishing and/or waxing won't last long because of the heat generated by calipers. Brake dust also works its way into the microscopic pores of the paint, giving it a dull appearance. The only effective remedy I've found is to repaint.
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repainting them, will yield the same results. a fresh looking paint until brake dust settles in and heat zaps the paint. yeilding more effort put into the job, for the same results.







:nixweiss
 
Mindflux said:
repainting them, will yield the same results. a fresh looking paint until brake dust settles in and heat zaps the paint. yeilding more effort put into the job, for the same results.







:nixweiss
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Brake dust hasn't bothered mine in over a year but you *do* need to wash them just like you need to wash the wheels or anything to keep the dust from sitting there and baking into the caliper.



Like I have posted before whe have 100 deg heat here and some of the higher mountain passes in N/A thus lots of brake heat and no issues.
 
GearHead_1 said:
Maybe this is too obvious, but have you considered Caliper Paint? It's available in many colors including silver, assuming you are looking for a stock look. :nixweiss
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I recommend this, too. Clean the calipers with some reducer, then spray two coats of duplicolor semi-gloss 500 degree paint on them in whatever color you want. Mask off rotors/shocks.
 
Mindflux said:
repainting them, will yield the same results. a fresh looking paint until brake dust settles in and heat zaps the paint. yeilding more effort put into the job, for the same results.
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It's fairly apparent that you don't want to repaint these and that's O.K. I happen to agree somewhat with the statement you have made above. New paint will end up looking dull somewhere down the line. My mindset is simple I clean my calipers and the insides of my wheels regularly when they get to the point they don't look like they're cleaning up well and I'm not happy with the look, I paint them. The process starts all over again. I believe that most calipers won't look like new after 40,000 miles on a daily driver unless an unusal amount of up keep is preformed on them. It's easier for me to keep'em clean and repaint as needed than polish and wax this part of the undercarriage regularly. "Nuff said"
 
Information source: G2 Manufacturing Inc. Colorado Springs



Quote: Originally posted by GearHead_1

Maybe this is too obvious, but have you considered Caliper Paint? It's available in many colors including silver, assuming you are looking for a stock look.







The Calliper Paint System (G2 Manufacturing Inc. Colorado Springs) it features aircraft quality paint, available in six different high gloss colours, Red, Yellow, Blue, Silver, Black, & Purple. The paint is heat resistant up to 932 degrees; this paint won't start running into your brake pads, it also seals and protects against corrosion.



Brake dust and dirt will not adhere to the calliper surface since adding the paint. The kit includes everything you'll need to get the job done, besides paint you'll also get reactor (special bonding agent), high tech calliper cleaner, mixing sticks, and a brush





~Hope this helps ~



Knowledge unshared is experience wasted

justadumbarchitect / so I question everything/ Jon
 
Mindflux said:
repainting them, will yield the same results. a fresh looking paint until brake dust settles in and heat zaps the paint. yeilding more effort put into the job, for the same results.







:nixweiss
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bro, that's why you get high temp paint...
 
blackcaraddict said:
bro, that's why you get high temp paint...
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And the paint that came on them OEM was low-temp paint? Puh-lease.



:nixweiss



Cmon now, I'm asking how to restore some shine in them without a respray. Since it's PAINT on the calipers we all know what products work to restore shine there. (I've just had mild success with Menzerna FP). I'm merely looking for other products to try. Webby's link to BradB's post about 3M Finesse it seems like a good helpful post.



But Heck, if people can restore old oxidized red single stage paint, it should be applicable here (by hand of course). It's not that hard to comprehend not wanting to respray the calipers and keep it OEM is it?



:nono
 
Mindflux said:
And the paint that came on them OEM was low-temp paint? Puh-lease.
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Don't know what it is. Apparently it hasn't held up the way you want it too.



Mindflux said:
I'm merely looking for other products to try.
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Seems like the focal word here is try. Break out some DACP or PB's 2.5 a little AIO or their appropriate equivalents and a sealant or wax of your choice, give it a try. You'll never know until you do.



Mindflux said:
But Heck, if people can restore old oxidized red single stage paint, it should be applicable here (by hand of course). It's not that hard to comprehend not wanting to respray the calipers and keep it OEM is it?
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I think you might be over simplifying here. Most automotive surfaces don't live in an environment anywhere as harsh as the brake area. If it is as simple as you've stated it shouldn't be hard to figure out with products you may already own. Get after it.



:D



One last thought here, they're not anodized by chance are they? If they are it's a whole different RX. I would still like to see a picture of them.
 
GearHead_1 said:


Seems like the focal word here is try. Break out some DACP or PB's 2.5 a little AIO or their appropriate equivalents and a sealant or wax of your choice, give it a try. You'll never know until you do.







I think you might be over simplifying here. Most automotive surfaces don't live in an environment anywhere as harsh as the brake area. If it is as simple as you've stated it shouldn't be hard to figure out with products you may already own. Get after it.



:D



One last thought here, they're not anodized by chance are they? If they are it's a whole different RX.
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I need suggestions to Try, I don't have an arsenal of products. So, if anyone has any super good paint polish suggestions (that do not contain cleaners for the sake of keeping the paint on the caliper)chime in.



We'll see though, the menzerna FP helped, but they're not as shiny as I *THINK* they could be with the right product.



Anyway, the 'repaint' suggestions are tiring.



DACP.. may or may not work, since it contains abrasives.. on a non cleared item.. I'd be hesitant to use it without removing paint. (Remember, NXT Tech wax removed paint, so did PPCL) (had red on my cloth after buffing).
 
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