AMGPower88

So since i made a thread on rock chips on the bumper and hood, Im going to make one now on my brake calipers..

I recently had my brake calipers re-sprayed in cherry red and after it was completed, I was very careful with the car driving everywhere, because I wanted the paint to fully dry 100% and not chip or peel thus why I tried to stay off the highways where most rocks can damage the car.

However, 3 weeks after the paint job was completed, I began to notice rock chips on the caliper paint, a few here and there on 1 caliper in the front and 1 in the rear. This was during the time that I decided to wash my car that i noticed the chips. I was surprised to see them because I believed that the paint should be pretty sturdy, the stock silver caliper paint was very strong.

I'll be honest, I paid $200 to my friend who owns a body shop to do my calipers, they didnt take the calipers off but he does great work and I trust him with this kind of job plus it was cheap as opposed to a $700-$900 paint job for the calipers. So I went back the other day to his shop to see if he could fix the paint chips, I was under the impression that they would do a re-spray for all the calipers but at the end of the day I went in to pick up the car and all they did was use touch-up paint to fill in the chips.. I really dont want to go back a 3rd time for this and it looks like if I want it to be perfect, I might just have to shell out more cash for a more legit method of painting the calipers... It could also be that they did not follow the correct method for painting the calipers, Im not sure though.

My question to you guys is that is it normal for the rocks to be chipping the paint off our calipers after a new paint job or is the paint supposed to hold up? Do you think I should call the guy up and have them re-spray all the calipers again for me? Any advice would be appreciated, thanks

Bigtickets

What about having them powder coated? Anybody here have that done? And by who?

ChrisD63

Definitely not normal. A proper job typically involves sanding, primer, base coat, then a clear coat to protect the finish. The key is to use high temp paint as brake calipers can get pretty hot. If you do that with enough coats you should be good to go.

screamingelvise

I just went to look if this was an issue on this site. I have a 2019 with ~5K miles owned since end of August. I am disappointed by this and hope the dealer will replace/fix the tips.

Thanks,
Mark

Yuille36

Personally, I would have them powder coated. Powder coating doesn't chip like paint does.

BLKROKT

Powder coating traps heat. That’s actually the very last thing I’d do, and it’s why OEMs and caliper manufacturers PAINT their calipers.

Yuille36

To clarify, your speaking in turns of racing it on a track right, and not as a daily driver. I once owned a C63, and looking at this realistically, how much heat is powder coating going to trap over a painted caliper?
I could see this being an issue, if I was tracking my car and suffering from severe brake fade, then I totally agree with your view.

sventastic82

[QUOTE=Yuille36;7994371]

Did you forget what's stated in your signature? Why would you you downgrade your brakes by powder coating them even if you wouldn't be able to tell the difference in everyday use?

Yuille36

Ah....you got me.

Homer Oz

G'Day Folks,

I have a bit of experience with both Powder Coating and Ceramic Coatings ( with Cerakote / www.nicindustries.com ).
The problem with Powder coating is, it starts off as a "powder" that after application, is heated to melt the powder.
Once it has melted, it will adhear to the surface it is applied to, when it cools down/cured.
I imagine if Powder Coating material is applied to an extreme heat situation (Brake Calipers, rotor hubs, etc), it will probably melt again, discolor with time, and or fail.

Cerakote is, as part of the name suggests, is a Ceramic Coating.
It is specifically designed for repeated heat cycling, in high heat applications (Exhaust systems, Brake systems, Firearms, etc).
Unfortunately, these coatings also act as a heat barrier, to contain heat, under or within the substrate, it is applied to.

Hope that helps

D'oh!
Homer

deadlyvt

Yes paint them, you would be surprised how much heat powder coating will insulate and ceramic coatings would be even worse for keeping heat in the calipers

Johnyturbo

Properly sanded, few coats of high temperature paint and then a few coats of clear and there you go. From my experience, I shouldnt see any flaws for at least 2-3 years