Any recommendations on caliper covers or paint to improve the look of rusty brake calipers ?? The wheels on my 2006 530xi could look a lot better.
BMW - finish the Calipers . . . . . Given how visible the brake calipers are now with large & open wheels, not to mention the expense of the vehicles - it's amazing that they aren't finished to a quality standard . . . . There are places that finish them & kits for do-it-yourselfers, but the inherit design asthetics is not great. Brembo's would look nice . . . . Best.
I'll check out the Brembo's. I am always concerned with modifying my cars under warranty with after market parts. Especially with an item like brakes. Agree there are some things BMW just doesn't get. I spend a lot of time cleaning my BMW(s) (especially the wheels) and I have these rusting calipers that look terrible. I was parked next to an absoluetly immaculate black Aston Martin the other day with glistening red calipers. It made my new 5 series look look like an old clunker.
How about looking into powder coating? That is if the stock brake package is ok and you don't want to upgrade to Brembos or StopTechs.....
Hello. I have seen (various color) Caliper Covers offered... but, truthfully, the idea scares me a bit. They are "held in place" with 3M Double Sided Tape which, to me anyway, sounds like an accident waiting to happen. I'm not knocking 3M Tape at all.. but on your calipers?? That tape is going to heat and cool, heat and cool, etc.. and one day while driving down the road those shiney covers are going to fall off and (I would imagine) marr up your wheels pretty well on their way out! Just doesn't seem like a good idea to me but they can be found... I would recommend either a thorough degreasing and washing of your existing Calipers... followed by your choice of High-Temp (make sure it's high temp or it'll bubble and fall off) paint (which can be found at any Automotive or Hardware Store) followed by a few coats of Clear. I have seen Red, Blue, Yellow, and Black on different cars and they really look fantastic! And you don't necessarily need "Caliper Paint"... any High Temp paint will do.. and will probably save you a few dollars. Or.. you can always look into a nice set of Brembo's (and others) which come painted for you and ready to go WITH better stopping power! The choice is yours but keep us posted on how you make out! Good Luck!
ive seen some DINAN caliper covers for sale. to me, the concept of a caliper cover is just whack. paint the lil stock fuggers, or deal with it.
I just put on Brembo on my front brakes. i think im gonna paint the back ones Black with some clear coats to make them both look nice. The brembo brake kit up front looks amazing. gets alot of compliments!!
How come you only did the front brakes? Doesn't that make you stop funny? (I have no experience or knowledge about this whatsoever...)
front brake are the Main stopping force behind you stopping. thee back back dont apply as much pressure as the front. plus they are EXPENSIVE
I recently changed the brake lines on my 2001 Z3 3.0 to braided stainless from Bavarian Autosport. I also sent the original wheels that a previous owner had mistreated out to be chromed (I used a company call Luxury Wheel in Tempe AZ-they did a great job). Since it was on jackstands for a month or so waiting for the wheels, I decided to do something about the calipers. Brembos are out of the question right now. So I took the calipers off and completely cleaned them and painted them myself with Duplicolor caliper paint. You really have to clean the heck out of the calipers, but the result looks pretty decent and so far is holding up really well. Looks really good behind those chromes. But cleaning calipers that well is a long, dirty, nasty job. BavAuto sells a caliper upgrade kit that has OEM calipers than are powdercoated red. The kit also includes the steel lines and metal bushings in place of the rubber guide pin bushings.
DIY tip . . . . Good tip Doc! Have a pic or two that you can post by any chance? btw - welcome to the forum. Vaya con Dios.
I've taken several of it since I got it back together. They're still on the SD card on the camera. I'll get them downloaded and post them as soon as I can.
Hi temp I painted the calipers on my M3 with high temp paint, no primer and they looked great, If you take your time and clean them off well, the paint will stay on, I drove mine for four years and the paint never wore off, You don't really even need to take them off, just mask around them well so no paint gets on the car. and put on light coats, so you dont run the paint. Also make sure you tape off all the rubber parts
I will take your advice and give it a try with a high heat paint manufactured by Eastwood that was recommended by another BMWCCA member. As always, two thin coats seems to always work better than one. Thanks
+1 On the Eastwood Brand. I have used them previously with fantastic results. Again though, incase Eastwood doesn't have what you are looking for per-say, any High Temp Paint (Very Important) from your local Hardward or Auto Parts Store will do the job just fine! Good Luck and Be Sure to keep us posted! -Gatsby
