Caliper painting

[dieseluser07]

Bit confused with this.

Ive had a quote from a reputable bodyshop for 130 quid to paint all 4 of my calipers.

They are currently red from factory and he said he would sand them, primer them then paint them.

Only thing is he said he does not take the calipers off the car as that would run it into the 400 pound odd price, is this normal practice? Seems odd as i cant see how he would paint right to the edge with the brake disc/pad being right next to it? Or does he mean he leaves it attatched to the brake line and paints it but takes it off the disc? Whats the usual procedure?

Also is that a reasonable price?

[anonymous-user]

£400?? Sounds excessive.
If you don't need to use the car immediately then take the calipers off, strip them down and have them powder coated and then rebuilt.

[dieseluser07]

eezeh said:

£400?? Sounds excessive.
If you don't need to use the car immediately then take the calipers off, strip them down and have them powder coated and then rebuilt.

No 120 pound, 400 odd is if they get fully stripped etc.

Anyway bit off topic, is painting the calipers without taking them off common practice?

Edited by dieseluser07 on Saturday 24th March 10:58

[JulianHJ]

I asked the same question last year and a couple of firms in the Notts area were recommended:

http://custom-brake-calipers.co.uk/index.html
https://www.bcs-automotive.co.uk/brake-caliper-pai...

I went with the first option - £300 to strip, shot-blast and paint in a 'premium' finish and rebuild. I was very happy with the service.

[dieseluser07]

So is painting on the wheels common?

[mon the fish]

If someone is wanting to paint the calipers on the car, IMO you'd be as well saving your money and getting some caliper paint and a brush, and doing it yourself.

A professional would do what is mentioned above - remove, strip, blast old paint off, paint, renew seals etc. Not the cheapest option but will get both the best finish and longest lasting results

[AllyBassman]

I painted mine myself,

One at a time, just removed the wheels, cleaned the caliper with brake cleaner and a wire brush.

Rinse, dry and then wipe them down with a pre paint cleaner.

I used Hammerite metal paint and a selection of different bushes. Just make sure to mask off the disc, pads and any parts that move!

To be fair, I rushed mine so some bits looks crap if you're up close. So i'm going to do them again in the summer. So it really just depends on how much you value your time. I spent about £20 on materials all in and i'm 70% happy with the results.

[robertredford]

It's an easy enough job to do if you have a trolley jack and axle stands, E-Tech do the kit on e-bay, three coats will give a great result after a decent wire brushing. I use a decent quality pair of paintbrush, fine one for detail, med one everywhere else, and remember to mask off. No need to be overzealous with the prep as the paint covers all imperfections.

Another top tip is to do your rusty discs at the same time with Hammerite silver as in my pic

I've done lots of cars for friends with stunning results, including a £90k RR Autobiography (yellow calipers) To complete the job they can be finished off with a Brembo waterslide transfer for a pro finish.

Don't be frightened to have a go, patience is the key