# Simple guide to painting calipers



## Stevoraith

There have been a few posts recently asking about the best method of painting brake callipers and as I did the ones on my car recently I thought I'd post up a quick guide for anyone unsure.

I didn't plan it to be a guide so apologies for the lack of a few pics which may have been useful!

Now, the most thorough way to do it would be to remove the calipers from your car, take the pads out and paint them elsewhere. This way you can get right in to all the nooks and crannies and you'll get the best possible coverage. This is how I did the ones on my wifes Fabia as I had bought a brake upgrade kit for it and the brakes were already off the car.

However, I don't have the time or the inclination (or to be honest the mechanical knowledge!) to strip the brakes off my car in order to paint them so the best method for me was to paint them in situ. I also used a brush rather than spray paint so I could avoid having to mask everything.

What you'll need to buy is;

Tin of Hammerite Smooth metal paint (or similar), a wire brush, brake cleaner spray, and brushes. You could probably get away with just the half inch brush but I also used an artists brush I had lying about and a one inch brush.










Obviously you will also need a jack (preferably a trolley jack), some axle stands and a wheel brace to lift your car and get your wheels off.










First thing to do after taking off the wheel is to remove the retaining spring. This will mean you can clean it up and make it shiny. Also, if you paint the spring in situ it will be harder to dismantle everything when it comes to time to change your brakes.

I don't have a pic of my calipers with the spring on before painting. See the finished pics if you want to see what the spring looks like on my BMW. There are different types of springs, VAG cars such as my wifes Fabia have ones which are like thinner bits of wire. You can see it on the front of the caliper here;









The spring can be a pain to remove but some gentle persuasion with a screwdriver and some pliers should see them come off without having to use too much force. Be careful with this if you have to force it as it could come pinging off!

Then you need to clean the calliper thoroughly. The better the prep, the better the result will be.

This is my calliper before cleaning. You'll also see that the spring has been removed.










I don't have a pic of them after cleaning but it doesn't look that different!

I'd advise wearing safety specs when cleaning as the wire brush can fire off chunks of rust and dirt. I'd also wear a mask if you don't want black bogies for the next few days 

The aim isn't to get it back to bare metal, just to remove all of the loose rust and crud so that the paint can stick to metal.

I also decided to paint the hub part of my discs too as my brake discs were pretty new and I didn't want them to rust. Just a little bit of rubbing down was needed on those.

So to the painting. It's pretty straight forward, just take your time, put it on in thin coats and don't paint any part of the pad. If you inspect the calliper before you start you should be able to tell whats pad and what's not. (Clue- the pad isn't metal ) As well as the face of the pad which is obvious to spot, the pads also have a couple of 'wings' at the top and bottom. Try not to paint those either. It's not a disaster if you do, it'll just make it slightly trickier to remove the pads and it won't look as neat.

This pic shows the caliper and the caliper carrier above and below it. These need to be painted, the bits in between are pad and shouldn't be painted.










I used the smaller brushes to get in the smaller areas and to paint up to the edge of the pad without painting on it.

Hammerite recommend leaving 4hours between coats. That's plenty of time to clean your wheels, and then prep and paint the rear callipers. Since I have a baby I didn't have the luxury of using that time to do other jobs on the car, I had to take her swimming instead- which was much more fun anyway  Obvioulsy I used the wifes car for that though!

So after a good 8 hours I finally managed to return to do the second coat. The good thing is you don't have to be quite so neat with the second coat if you don't want to. You can just go over all the major areas and leave the fiddly bits. In truth the finish was actually better after just one coat than two, but I did two anyway.

All that remains after the second coat is dry is to fit the retaining springs again.

I cleaned mine up with some wire wool but some wet and dry or even some metal polish would probably have given a better result.
Clean one on the left obviously!








Clean one on the left obviously!

And with the spring back on the caliper and the caliper finished. You can also see the painted hub too.









And after fitting the wheels back on you can see the difference it makes

Before








After




























































This is just a guide from my experience. There may well be better ways of doing certain things, feel free to post if you have any tips.

I just wanted to show that it was a relatively straight-forward job that people without much mechanical knowledge could tackle, and that it makes a big difference to the appearance of your car.

Hope it helped some of you.


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## alxg

That is a very well written guide there, that will be very helpful to lots of people on here. Thanks :thumb:


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## DetailMyCar

Great write up - I'm going to tackle my Leon as the hubs are badly needing of painting (see below pic in a moment)

Thing is, will a 250ml pot be any good or do i need a bigger one?

Also, do you think Silver or Black would look better for the Hubs? I was thinking that the Hubs would look good black, the calipers are already silver - just a bit dirty so they need a freshen up


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## buddy2shoes

Just spent hours detailing the wheels on my Saab, now the calipers and hubs really let the side down, so i'll have a go next weekend, following your lead. Cheers.


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## Stevoraith

nickg123 said:


> Thing is, will a 250ml pot be any good or do i need a bigger one?


Sorry, I missed this.

A 250ml pot is plenty- probably enough to do a dozen cars!

Personally I think silver is better for the hubs as the back of the wheels are silver so it kind of blends in. Black would look fine too though I think, anything is better than rust!


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## Haverty

looks really good m8!


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## *Das*

To the OP, thank the lord!!!!!!!! Finally someone with a bit of decorum. sick of all these bright blue yellow and red callers, silver looks so much more in keeping with the car.


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## AFK_Matrix

Hey thanks for the awesome guide. I am hopefully going to be doing this over the next few days as I have to remove the wheels to clean them. Just one question I am undecided between silver and black on a Mk4 Golf. So come on what would your suggestions be guys?


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## spursfan

DasArab said:


> To the OP, thank the lord!!!!!!!! Finally someone with a bit of decorum. sick of all these bright blue yellow and red callers, silver looks so much more in keeping with the car.


I personally like the look of different coloured calipers, but each to their own i suppose


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## super_cds

i tried this on mine, but they just dont look that good 

i used red smooth Hammerite and after 2 coats they still look patchy with the black bits still showing! :wall:


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## Junkman2008

I used a Dremel tool to clean up my calipers before I painted them. This not only ensured that the parts would be clean, but it also ensured that I would get an even coverage of paint.



















Painted caliper:


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## Stevoraith

AFK_Matrix said:


> Just one question I am undecided between silver and black on a Mk4 Golf. So come on what would your suggestions be guys?


Depends on the colour of the car, but black tends to hide the calipers. MkIV calipers are pretty small though so maybe black is the best route. Having said that I painted my mkIV calipers red!



spursfan said:


> I personally like the look of different coloured calipers, but each to their own i suppose


Yeah, I agree coloured calipers can look good. Depends on the car though- I think the colour of mine meant that anythign other than silver would have looked too aftermarket and tacky.



super_cds said:


> i tried this on mine, but they just dont look that good
> 
> i used red smooth Hammerite and after 2 coats they still look patchy with the black bits still showing! :wall:


I'm no expert but I'd say that maybe another coat or two might cover up the patches? As mentioned above I did calipers on a previous car red and they kind of looked like that after one coat but after two they were fine.



Junkman2008 said:


> I used a Dremel tool to clean up my calipers before I painted them. This not only ensured that the parts would be clean, but it also ensured that I would get an even coverage of paint.


Thats a good tip. I had a dremel and a wire brush attatchment but I found it wasn't really that effective but that was probably just the tools I had (or my technique!).

Anything which helps get the caliper cleaner is going to give a better result :thumb:


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## super_cds

done 4 coats or may even be 5! and it still dosnt look as good as the corvet ones above


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## Junkman2008

Did you get them really clean before painting?


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## wot

super_cds said:


> done 4 coats or may even be 5! and it still dosnt look as good as the corvet ones above


Your brembo / subaru calipers would have been painted from new compared to the OP's which were most likely not. To make those look really good you'll need to have them blasted to get all of the original paint off. Then they will come up a treat. The brembo's are normally aluminium and are very heavily coated to prevent corrosion. The standard calipers are cast and other than surface corrosion will never structurally corrode.


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## Guest

Makes such a big difference that does!!


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## Guest

How will the Hammerite stand up to the heat transferred from the calipers ?? 

I have done this before on some of my old cars but have always used high temp paint ..... friends that did the same with normal paint ended up bubbling and peeling off. People may find it easier to remove the two bolts behind the caliper and pull it off, then you can paint it a lot easier.

Let us know how it holds up :thumb:


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## Gruffs

super_cds said:


> i tried this on mine, but they just dont look that good
> 
> i used red smooth Hammerite and after 2 coats they still look patchy with the black bits still showing! :wall:


This may be stating the obvious but you did give the paint a good stir first didn't you? That looks like thin paint to me.


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## VIPER

TSC-DETAILING said:


> How will the Hammerite stand up to the heat transferred from the calipers ??
> 
> I have done this before on some of my old cars but have always used high temp paint ..... friends that did the same with normal paint ended up bubbling and peeling off. People may find it easier to remove the two bolts behind the caliper and pull it off, then you can paint it a lot easier.
> 
> Let us know how it holds up :thumb:


'Normal' paint may well do, but Hammerite is surprisingly resistant to heat, and in my experience it's never shown the slightest signs of being affected on calipers (or even many engine components either which get hotter still). I suspect that the bubbling and peeling off is down to the common problem of unsufficient preparation of the surface?


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## Guest

Viper said:


> 'Normal' paint may well do, but Hammerite is surprisingly resistant to heat, and in my experience it's never shown the slightest signs of being affected on calipers (or even many engine components either which get hotter still). I suspect that the bubbling and peeling off is down to the common problem of unsufficient preparation of the surface?


Most likely ... back then we never really put the effort into preparation, and never really had the cars that long anyway  as I say I have never used Hammerite before so cant comment whether its good or bad :thumb:


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## gt140silver

I did mine using a foilatec paint kit.

http://www.foliatecshop.co.uk/shop/foliatec-brake-caliper-paint-p-80.html

Great kit and very easy to use. The new carbon grey colour looks a bit 'army green' in certain lights though, but looks great with the wheel on!

The service from this website was absolutely shocking though, so I wouldn't order from them again.


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## DG Cruiser

gt140silver said:


> I did mine using a foilatec paint kit.
> 
> http://www.foliatecshop.co.uk/shop/foliatec-brake-caliper-paint-p-80.html
> 
> Great kit and very easy to use. The new carbon grey colour looks a bit 'army green' in certain lights though, but looks great with the wheel on!
> 
> The service from this website was absolutely shocking though, so I wouldn't order from them again.


I wish i had seen this site before yesterday, ive just painted my calipers with hammerite


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## mishy

Sorry to bring this excellent thread/guide back up...

I have a 4month old VW CC that is suffering from rusty hubs already. Kurust has been dabbed on the disc edge which makes a nice improvement but painting the hub/caliper seems to be the long term solution.

How is the Hammerite coping with brake heat and road salt OP and others?

Do the hub/disc rotate easily enough by hand when off the ground to paint covered areas of the hub? (obviously hand brake off and out of gear respectively!)


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## farhanali89

I use hammerite instead of these kits, i have used foliatec in the past and its pretty pricey for what it is. Between foliatec vs hammerite both have held up great on the calipers and the actual disc.

I would just go for the cheaper option with the hammerite though.


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## mrbloke

mishy said:


> Sorry to bring this excellent thread/guide back up...
> 
> I have a 4month old VW CC that is suffering from rusty hubs already. Kurust has been dabbed on the disc edge which makes a nice improvement but painting the hub/caliper seems to be the long term solution.
> 
> How is the Hammerite coping with brake heat and road salt OP and others?
> 
> Do the hub/disc rotate easily enough by hand when off the ground to paint covered areas of the hub? (obviously hand brake off and out of gear respectively!)


I've had hammerite on both calipers and hubs for about 3 years now, and they are just getting to the point of needing a touch up.

I find that its generally a bit stiff to rotate the discs without the wheels in place, but to be honest mine didn't need to be rotated. Just slap it on, don't go mental with it, but any overpaint soon burns off when you brake a few times!


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## Stevoraith

As MrBloke says, I'm finding the hammerite is holding up fine through the winter. I give the calipers a quick going over with a detailing brush when I'm washing the wheels and they always come up nice and clean.

With regards to the hub rotating- I honestly can't remember! It is painted nice and evenly all the way round though so either it must rotate easily or it's no hassle to stick your head under and paint the bottom!


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## zedcor

Use some cheap thinners, not the expensive hammerite stuff, if you're finding the hammerite too thick. Another alternative is to put the tin in some warm water and to warm up the caliper with a heat gun first.

Sprayed my calipers with some standard, non high temp, plasticote metal paint and got a great finish.


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## VIPER

All the Plastikote spray paints are temp resistant to 120 C I think.

As for rotating without the wheel on, it may well be a bit stiff with the pads resting against the disc, but you should still be able to do it my hand. On cars with bolts and not fixed studs, I normally screw 2 of the bolts in part way, to give something to turn the hub with. Clearly the further away from the centre you're doing it the greater the force and the easier it will be, so the edge of the disc itself offers the most leverage - no good if you're also painting that edge though.


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## PugIain

Ive got some hammerite smooth silver waiting to do my hubs and calipers when the weather is more convivial.


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## PugIain

Well,Ive got one done.The dealers windy gunned the alloy lock nuts up and I cant get them all off  
Ive moaned,Ill see what they do!


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## mishy

Mine are now done using hammerite smooth silver. Prep is the key here as said by the OP.

What I found is metal brushes didnt help much to remove surface rust. wire wool did and 800grit paper was required.

Degreaser was very important, some areas the paint didnt want to stick, so defo overdo it.
Then rinse it all away and give it a good dry.

I also found the paint a little thick and would suggest when using a tiny bit of thinners in there, perhaps cos the paint was too cold(damp 10c) to work with as zedcor said perhaps worth warming the paint/surface up.
Front hubs did rotate but rear are electronically clamped by the new VAG fangled auto hand brake. my car had no copper grease, so my shopping list looked like this after completion:

a tin of Hammerite smooth from Halfords £6(used about 1cm of it on all four hubs and calipers), 2coats 1hr+ drying time between
Hammerite thinner and turps I all ready had.
a bit of Kurust for bad disc edges and disc splash guard £4
a tesco wire wool selection from the diy section, £1 with 3grades inside.
Halfords wire brush set of three £2.99 which were not used a great deal.
Decent degreaser( i had some strong bike degreaser and added some poorboys bug/tar)
Lots of paint brushes which ended up in the bin as you need Hammerites own thinner to clean them. but spent most of my time using a artist brush roughly 50mm wide and flat. 1" painters brush to slap it the large areas.
 Copper grease 
 and something to wipe away paint on the disc, e.g. old store card then 1200grit area when dry.
Whilst paint was drying I gave the wheels a proper degrease,clay,SRP, coll 845+ Dodo RM.

After 1200 motorway miles they look A-okay, clean up nicely+easily, no specs of rust and no apprent smell from hot brakes. 
I feel the combination of silver alloys with hubs+calipers looks spot on, still OEM fresh looking and was the missing link between my car and the one in the showroom after a full detail.

Basically the time and money was very well spent, as a result even if paint doesn't last a full year I would prolly re-do the whole lot.

























Now all I need is some pads that don't create so much dust...EBC RED stuff?


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## Junkman2008

mishy said:


> Mine are now done using hammerite smooth silver. Prep is the key here as said by the OP.
> 
> What I found is metal brushes didnt help much to remove surface rust. wire wool did and 800grit paper was required.


Actually, a Dremel tool with a wire brush attachment is the best way to remove everything off your brake parts. That's what I used.




























It's a whole lot quicker and a lot less work than steel wool or sandpaper. Your fingers will love you for it. :thumb:


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## mishy

Thanks Junkman, great vids btw.

I ment wire brush _like _ a tooth brush didn't work too well for me, didn't get into gaps too well etc.


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## Junkman2008

I agree, plus a wire brush is a lot more work and it will eat your fingers raw. That Dremel tool actually made it a pleasant experience to clean up everything. I even used it to clean the paint off my letters once I finished painting my calipers.


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## Stevoraith

I'm glad to see this thread still alive and people adding to it with their own advice/experience.

Cheers guys:thumb:


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## JimG

Stevoraith said:


> I'm glad to see this thread still alive and people adding to it with their own advice/experience.
> 
> Cheers guys:thumb:


I'm doing my calipers tomorrow if the weather clears up. I'll take some pictures.

Keeping the thread alive. :thumb:


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## SurGie

I do mine in 2k epoxy primer then 2k pant and looks brand spanking new after sandblasting it off coarse. It will last a long time too.


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## Stewartfinley

Did this myself at the weekend


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## JimG

*Got mine done too...*

Front discs and pads needed changing on my XC90, so I thought while my wheels were off I would clean and protect them; and paint the front callipers.

Used Hammerite smooth silver, brake cleaner and a wire brush. It was hard going, kept catching my fingers and knuckles with the brush but it was worth it. Must look at getting one of those Dremel tools.

Before. Old discs and unpainted callipers:












































Painted with Hammerite Smooth Silver:


























​New discs and pads fitted with callipers:


























Wheels cleaned initially with Auto Smart Smart Wheels and agitated with Wheel Woolies and brushes. Then treated with IronX before rinsing and ObilTARate applied. Products worked very well, but the amount of baked on deposits on the inside of the wheels made it tough going:












































Wheels dried and coated with Auto Finesse mint rims. Easy to use, smells of toothpaste, and left the wheels with a nice sheen:


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## VRCDucatisti

Very nice!!!:thumb:


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## Stevoraith

Looks fantastic Jim!


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## Generaljake

good guide, I'm gonna give this a go


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## Daboy1968

8hrs well spent if you ask me. Hanks for posting it up. 


Via Tapatalk.


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## SBM

Great guide, thank you!

This has given me the confidence to definitely give this a go on my next detail weekend. Will use the opportunity of having the wheels off to give them a full detail so will need to order some more IronX too!!

Thanks again

Ben


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## Atongmu

Nice info there thank you


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## neilb62

Just found this through the search function, great guide and convinced me to sort mine out... Great stuff op, thanks... :wave:


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## Haga

Hi!

Only one question I got in here- but this is a ten years old idea in my head:
Do calipers need a flameproof paint? 

Everybody among the repairman and painters used to tell that brake calipers will simply burn all the paints while they are not flameproof. 

I have tried several paints before, but all in all I realised that after 1 years all will be re-painted because of the brake dust staining on them.
This spring I also bought simply silver flameproof paints, but a simply silver Hammerite would be much more nice color if I would have been brave enough to buy it-despite the fact it isn't flameproof.

Thanks!


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## Stevoraith

A heat-resistant paint is not a necessity. 

Yes, calipers will get hot, and perhaps a heat-resistant paint would last longer but I've found the Hammerite easily lasts a couple of years.


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## leehob

That's a great straight forward informative guide, did mine 2 years ago with hammerite smooth, just inspired me to freshen them up this year:thumb:


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## Cookies

I just did the calipers on my wife's Ds3 with silver hammerite yesterday. I've always used it without any issues whatsoever 

Cooks


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## MDC250

Stupid question...could you paint up with say Hammerite and then spray a high temp clear over the top to seal?


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## benysound

That is a very well written guide there


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## wee man

Hammerite will take heat quite well I have seen a boiler for a model steam engine enclosed in a cover with the cover painted with Hammerite paint after the meths burner was inserted and lit all was well. For about five minutes of first lighting some smoke and smell then nothing on the next run. The cover was being subjected to straight flames internally for about a fifteen minute run, so unless you are really hammering ( sorry) your brakes all should be OK.
I did my last car brakes disc and drum about eight years ago, cleaned and repainted them after three years all OK my daughter drives the car now maybe I should revisit again.

Was thinking of doing my latest car, white Nissan mainly black alloys with some silver on rim and each spoke.
Suggestions for colours for callipers and drums which both can be seen through the spokes. Silver seems right for callipers but to much for drums suggestions welcome.

Wee Man


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## Andy_H

Thanks for this, I'm debating changing the colour of my calipers to a fluorescent colour if I can get the paint.


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