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After getting some ridiculous quotes to paint my calipers red I decided to do it myself. I've only done the fronts so far as I ran out of time but I'm more than happy with the result especially as the total cost was less than $30
1 can if VHT red caliper paint..
1 can of VHT clear coat.
1 can of brake cleaner
AMG decals from EBay
Spraying is the easy bit. 3 coats of red and 3 coats of clear. It's all in the preparation. I have not written a guide as all I did was follow threads from other members that have done the same. I'm more than willing to answer any questions though.
That looks awesome. Did you just paint over the original paint? Or did you sand it down and whatnot first? I ended up paying like $800 for mine, because I didn't trust myself to go this route, but yours looks like it was done perfectly.
That looks awesome. Did you just paint over the original paint? Or did you sand it down and whatnot first? I ended up paying like $800 for mine, because I didn't trust myself to go this route, but yours looks like it was done perfectly.
Thanks for the kind words. All I did was to give the original paint a key (scuff it up) with red Scotch Brite pads to give the VHT a good surface to adhere to and sprayed away. Ironically it was a lot easier to do than a set of old rusty calipers because the finish was already very smooth.
i was very curious as to how the clear in the can laid down, it seems nice from your pics. i was worried about excessive orange peel, so i was going to use my spray gun. lol.
guess i don't have to.
so all you removed was pads and pins right? ( or so it seems from pics)
i was very curious as to how the clear in the can laid down, it seems nice from your pics. i was worried about excessive orange peel, so i was going to use my spray gun. lol.
guess i don't have to.
so all you removed was pads and pins right? ( or so it seems from pics)
also, did you clear over the decals?
Yep, pins and pads plus the brake wear sensor. Sensor is only fitted on the r/h ..It's an 8mm socket to remove it tthen tie it up out of the way.
I waited one hour after the 3rd coat of red before i put on the decals. Then 3 coats of clear coat leaving 10 minutes between each coat. First coat is a very light coat then 2 medium coats to avoid runs. Same with the red.
Looks amazing, I wish I could do it to my car but I'm afraid of rock chips. Ppl say powdercoating is more durable (?)
I agree powder coating is more durable. However that would have meant me removing the calipers and giving them to the body shop. As the car is a daily driver it wasn't an option.
Plus there is a lot more satisfaction doing a job yourself
Yep, pins and pads plus the brake wear sensor. Sensor is only fitted on the r/h ..It's an 8mm socket to remove it tthen tie it up out of the way.
I waited one hour after the 3rd coat of red before i put on the decals. Then 3 coats of clear coat leaving 10 minutes between each coat. First coat is a very light coat then 2 medium coats to avoid runs. Same with the red.
sweet, i'll be doing the exact same thing soon. red also. thanks for the help.
any special instructions using the brake cleaner? or just wipe it on/off?
sweet, i'll be doing the exact same thing soon. red also. thanks for the help.
any special instructions using the brake cleaner? or just wipe it on/off?
Remove the brake pads then spray brake cleaner all over and give the caliper a good wipe down. Keep using the cleaner until the caliper is completely degreased.
Then using scotch Brite scuff up the caliper so the paint will stick. Then one more spray with brake cleaner before you start spraying. The brake cleaner evaporates so no worry of any damp areas when you start spraying.
Looks really good! I tried doing it the other day using G2 paint and it came out horrible lol. All the brush strokes were notciable. I even used a foam brush and still looked like crap. Spraying them is perfect. Great job and steady hands! Even the decal was a pita to put on lol. Had to leave it for someone to do it over.
Great job, but the quality of OEM paint vs store bought...not sure if the red is worth it at the end of the day.
This.. Store bought paint may be more prone to rock chips.. I'd be weary of that. With that being said, I got my rotors from Tal at ACG, so far so good, quality is definitely there.
This.. Store bought paint may be more prone to rock chips.. I'd be weary of that. With that being said, I got my rotors from Tal at ACG, so far so good, quality is definitely there.
what size are the decals?? i found a guy selling them but the price came out to 8.00gdp or something.. so i'd like to purchase something in the US to avoid any currency problems and faster shipping...
pro painted = $700
DIY paint = $30
feeling of achievement after DIY = PRICELESS
for $30 and it came out like that? why the heck not?! im sure others who has done it professionally is better. but it is worth the $670 difference? i bet you wont be able to tell the difference from 5ft away, which in most cases is how most calipers are seen anyway. who cares if it chips from rocks? thats what happens to paint when hit by rocks. retouch it.
pro painted = $700
DIY paint = $30
feeling of achievement after DIY = PRICELESS
for $30 and it came out like that? why the heck not?! im sure others who has done it professionally is better. but it is worth the $670 difference? i bet you wont be able to tell the difference from 5ft away, which in most cases is how most calipers are seen anyway. who cares if it chips from rocks? thats what happens to paint when hit by rocks. retouch it.
You get what you pay for...
Im sure it looks decent, to each their own.
I care about rock chips because it looks bad if it continuously chips and peels but thats just me voicing my opinion on it.
I guess being "****" is a good thing, sorry I dont cheap out on my $60K+ German car, all good, like I said, to each their own.. You get what you pay for, applies to everything.
Last edited by AMGPower88; Jun 2, 2015 at 02:52 AM.
I care about rock chips because it looks bad if it continuously chips and peels but thats just me voicing my opinion on it.
Fair enough. But dont forget that lil rocks hitting any part of yourcar is innevitable. dont matter if it was done professinally or diy, paint will chip eventually. Point of the matter is, is the $30 cost worth it compared to $700? the above end result couldnt be too far off from your professionally done calipers so id say it is worth it.
The OEM red calipers peel like a ****! well the clearcoat on the red does anyway. Do a quick search and you will see brembo (they make our brakes) is more than famous for this issue. it is on any Subaru forum, dodge forum, Mercedes forum, any oem that uses brembo. My calipers are OEM painted and they look like crap!
I care about rock chips because it looks bad if it continuously chips and peels but thats just me voicing my opinion on it.
Indeed you do get what you pay for. I paid $30 and 4 hours of my own time. I prepped the area in the exact way a pro paint shop would do. I used a high quality know brand paint and lacquer. I sprayed in a warm environment using the manufacturers time between coats and I'm over the moon with how it turned out.
If you think taking your car to a body shop and paying an extra $700 for the job is a better option then go ahead. It's your choice. Just like what I have done is my choice.
I will resurrect this thread in a year and post up more photos of the calipers and I'm more than confident they will look no worse that a pro job on my " $60K+ German car "
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retouch it. 
