# Which brake caliper paint



## ChuckH

Guys I want to paint the brake callipers on My car.. Ideally it would be silver in colour. And either Matt or Satin finish.. The XFs suffer from rusty patches on the front callipers .Most cars on Dealer forecourts show testament to this .... 

The rear callipers are a satin silver so I would prefer to get reasonably close to this if I can..

My car has never been used through the winter months the previous owner having a winter hack and shows no signs of any rusty marks yet but I would like to get it done as a preventative measure.
I was tempted to use silver Hammerite smooth but I'm unsure of its heat resistant properties..


TIA.......................:thumb:


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## VIPER

Hammerite is fine as regards heat on calipers :thumb: Used it on a few cars (and not the show car, ones that got driven in all weathers) and it's fine.

As long as you make sure the prep's done well and the caliper is free of any loose material and totally degreased, and you go with several thin layers rather than one thicker one, then it's as durable as you're going to get for a DIY paint method imo. Check on the times between for coatings with Hammerite as the spray 'Smooth' is every 15 mins and 'wet on wet' according to the tin. Brushable version might need longer between coats and with these types of paints there's often a maximum time for getting additional coats on before it starts the curing process and then can't be re-coated for several weeks normally.

Also be aware of newer tins of the brushable Hammerite that don't contain Xylene (these are, I believe, identified by it saying 'rollable formula' on the lid). Some reports I've read say it's not as good as the older formula, but personally, having used the newer one, I'd say it's just as good, although it wasn't on calipers.


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## DJM1982

I used R-Tec caliper paint a long time ago, and it flaked off and looked pants. 
Hammerite is defo the best option IMO


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## i5aces

i have used hammerite smooth on my calipers and a year later they still look good, i used autobrite's wheel cleaner i got on the group buy on them while i was doing the wheels and they came up a treat, 
as said above just make sure there clean and grease free, i applied with a brush 3 thin layers and thats it, job done


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## ChuckH

MMM Ive used Hammerite on hubs before but was a little concerned about the huge heat on the massive calipers on the front of the XF. I can get silver smooth very easily and also cheaply. But im not sure about the finish. Im looking for a satin finish.. Is there any way of dulling the finish by maybe adding something to the paint ? And are You sure about it ability to cope with the high temperatures on these big callipers ??

Thanks !!!


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## Shiny

I've just done mine in Engine Laquer, i think it was Tetrosyl. £6 for a tin from a local factors and i used about a 5th of the tin for all 4 four callipers.


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## Grizzle

Used Hammerite smooth on the calipers on the van to complete the GTI front calipers as they were red and the rears all i used was the carriers which were red the caliper a a rusty brown so rubbed down and painted all 4 over a weekend and to this day they are still perfect.


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## Shinyvec

I used Halfords own make of Caliper Paint and it covers really well and keep its apperance. My colour choice was VXR Blue but I am quite sure they will do Silver and to clean up you use White Spirit / Turps so no need to buy specialist cleaner like Hammerite.


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## VIPER

ChuckH said:


> MMM Ive used Hammerite on hubs before but was a little concerned about the huge heat on the massive calipers on the front of the XF. I can get silver smooth very easily and also cheaply. But im not sure about the finish. Im looking for a satin finish.. Is there any way of dulling the finish by maybe adding something to the paint ? And are You sure about it ability to cope with the high temperatures on these big callipers ??
> 
> Thanks !!!


Hammerite silver smooth in the spray is pretty much satin finish when dry. I've used that on the body of my twin horns on the XR2 recently and that dried to a satin silver, which is what I wanted:










Also used it on the rear ARB brackets here (the silver part).










It's not a glossy silver at all :thumb:


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## i5aces

these are my big vauxhall calipers painted in red hammerite smooth, they did look shiny when they were just done, but dulled down nicely









12 months later


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## Guest

Another vote for Hammerite (spray). 

Viper - that's a really good job you've done there, you certainly put the effort in. :thumb:


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## ChuckH

Viper said:


> Hammerite silver smooth in the spray is pretty much satin finish when dry. I've used that on the body of my twin horns on the XR2 recently and that dried to a satin silver, which is what I wanted:
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> Also used it on the rear ARB brackets here (the silver part).
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> It's not a glossy silver at all :thumb:


Love Your attention to Detail Mate...

Right what I'm going to do is mix in a little Hammerite black with an amount of Silver both smooth of course..

I'm hoping this will dull the colour a little so it wont stand out. As said its a freshen up and a preventative measure. And because I enjoy doing things like this and have the time....
It will also give Me the opportunity to clean and wax the backs of the wheels at the same time.. Though the previous owner was into detailing and they are pretty spotless anyway..

I cant really use spray as Im not confidant enough to remove these absolutely huge callipers and strip out the pads and things.

I will take some pics and post them up if Anyone is interested ??

Thanks as always for the invaluable help and advice, I appreciate it !!

Chuck..............:thumb:


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## adlem

My brake calipers all round are painted in the same as the bodywork, nothing special at all. Almost 2 years down the line they still look perfect. Doesn't limit you to colours then :thumb:


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## ChuckH

adlem said:


> My brake calipers all round are painted in the same as the bodywork, nothing special at all. Almost 2 years down the line they still look perfect. Doesn't limit you to colours then :thumb:


Well the callipers should come out somewhere near the colour of My car then Mate ???


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## Matt.

Id be intrested in seeing the pictures chuck.

Mine are rusty as hell. Dont really want to buy new ones as theres no need.

What other options are there to get them looking new?

What about powder coating them?


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## ChuckH

mattastra said:


> Id be intrested in seeing the pictures chuck.
> 
> Mine are rusty as hell. Dont really want to buy new ones as theres no need.
> 
> What other options are there to get them looking new?
> 
> What about powder coating them?


Mine are not showing any signs of wear or rust at all as said above its very very common to see it on these cars though. So as said its preventative measure

Powder coating would involve removing the callipers from the car and completely stripping them in order to remove all the delicate seals as Powder-coating involves high heat in the ovens that are needed in the process....

Not a job for the faint hearted that Mate....:thumb:


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## superjack180

Hammerite smooth, in a tin and brushed on, about 2-3 layers and some laquer

Wire brush and de greaser to prep but with hammerite it covers very well anyway


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## Matt.

When do you actually need to buy new calipers? Do they wear?

I would probably remove mine anyway to make sure all the bits come off.


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## ChuckH

No they don't wear but they can corrode. Proper servicing will decrease this factor tenfold !! Careful application of Silicone grease ( Usually Red in colour )to the pistons will all but eliminate any corrosion to these parts and therefore eliminate the corroded pistons shredding the delicate seals that keep the fluid in the calliper.. Copaslip usually applied to the backs of the pads also help but over very elongated periods can occasionally attack the seals. 

I used to rebuild many Motorcycle callipers but have had relatively little experience of car ones but the same points apply.

A well maintained well lubed brake calliper will last for many many years. Callipers that need replacement invariably do so due to lack of care and maintenance...


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## spursfan

Another vote for Hammerite, mine is also red smooth hammerite and has lasted 18 months and still look good.
will tart them up a bit when the decent weather gets here


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## Matt.

Looks like im going to have a go at cleaning them up first.

Wire brush, wire wool, Megs SD. Anything else?

Then use some hammerite. Black as i want to keep it standard


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## Matt.

I will take the calipers off. 

When using 400grit, is it to be used wet or dry?


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## ChuckH

mattastra said:


> I will take the calipers off.
> 
> When using 400grit, is it to be used wet or dry?


Wet will shift more than dry.. Matt You will have to look carefully at the existing finish or what the original finish on the callipers was / is then decide whether to use wet and dry. If the callipers as mant do have a heavy sort of rough finish then wet and dry wont be of much use. It may be better to just use a wire brush or maybe a combination of both.....


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## adlem

Yeah you can just match the colour of the car if you wanted Chuck - or just get a tin of satin silver from your local paint suppliers etc. Doesn't have to be high-temp.

Here's mine that i had the bodyshop do whilst they were spraying a couple of bits of bodywork as they looked wrong in silver (i know the bumper's a different colour :wall They just followed the same process - prep well, prime, paint and laquer and they're still mint 20 months down the line. Pretty recent pic:


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## Matt.

Sorry chuck, didnt mean to gate crash your thread.

Have you decided on which caliper paint your getting?

Foliatech looks good.


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## ChuckH

mattastra said:


> Sorry chuck, didnt mean to gate crash your thread.
> 
> Have you decided on which caliper paint your getting?
> 
> Foliatech looks good.


Not a problem Mate.. Ive today bought some Hammerite silver and im going to tint it with some Hammerite black that I allready have (Both smooth type) and apply that...


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## ant_s

+1 on Hammerite Smooth, did mine last year sometime in black and was pretty glossy coloured, but have now dulled down a little, but not too much (which is good for me, I didn't want satin) although the Silver duss dull more, i've saw it on a few cars and after a month or so they look OEM.


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## Matt.

I'll wait until you've done yours and see how you get on with the hammerite. It's either that or Foliatech.

Are you using a small brush to brush it on then?


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## ChuckH

mattastra said:


> I'll wait until you've done yours and see how you get on with the hammerite. It's either that or Foliatech.
> 
> Are you using a small brush to brush it on then?


Matt. Should get them done early week. I have a selection of small brushes all of which are fairly cheap so I can just throw them when done.. I will post up the pics of the wheel detail and calliper freshen up as soon as its done..

PS I've looked in depth at both Foliatech and Halfords paints but all reviews are not good at all . The Halfords stuff is apparently very thin and takes up to four coats and durability is very poor indeed. The Foliatech is only slightly better and starts peeling in around 12 months at best. None have the rust prevention or durability against rust that Hammerite has.... Hammerite is also the cheapest by an absolute mile 500 mill cost Me £10.95 at a local hardware shop .......


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## Matt.

So I'm after smooth hammerite in black.

Do you put any lacquer on?


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## peanut1

When i refurbed the A6s wheels i had some primer and standard silver body spray left over so decided to just rub down the calipers and central disc section, masked up, sprayed with 2 coats of primer and then 3 silver and i think they look the dogs! Not flaked, not coroding or anything and look great when its been washed!!


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## ant_s

mattastra said:


> So I'm after smooth hammerite in black.
> 
> Do you put any lacquer on?


Yeah Hammerite smooth, and no need for lacquer.


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## deeman72

hi,

i've painted my calipers with red hammerite and want to add decal logos. i've been advised to 'seal' them in with a lacquer. 
does it have to be a high temperature one or will a standard do?
also;; i wanted to brush it on to save 'over spray' . would i get a good result if i spray the lacquer in the lid and then brushed in on with a couple of thin coats?


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## Stewartfinley

That's what I did!


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## Franzpan

Doesn't need to be anything special. I used Hafords standard acrylic spray paint and its held up perfect. Used it straight to the metal on the fronts but used it with primer on the rears as the fronts needed four coats of colour to get even coverage. I used 2x primer and 2x colour coats on the rears.

As for prepping, if the calipers are the normal cast ones with a rough surface then you will need a wire brush to clean them up, followed by a scuff over with some coarse wire wool. If you can get a couple of wire wheels for a drill that would work well as using a brush is time consuming. I tried a dremel but its too small, takes too long and the wheels wear out really quick. Excellent for really tight areas though.


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## r37

i used some old engine enamel i had lying around, worked perfectly and still looks good today. The brake calipers dont really get that hot. Normal paint should be fine if your prep is good.


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## Franzpan

r37 said:


> i used some old engine enamel i had lying around, worked perfectly and still looks good today. The brake calipers dont really get that hot. Normal paint should be fine if your prep is good.


Yeah, I had always presumed that calipers would be roasting after a few hard stops but I had my TT out for a good thrashing for half an hour about a week after I painted them, when I got back I gingerly put my hand to the calipers and they weren't anything more than warm.

Maybe an hour or more of track use would have them glowing but on the roads they'll never get that hot.


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## deeman72

cheers guys!


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