Calipers

B

bs0u0118

Member
 Leeds
OK. I'm not overly happy with my brake calipers as they are a rusty brown, corroded colour (they also squeak/sqeal on soft braking) - I think they let the car down at the moment, especially with the 108's as much of the brake system is on show.

Can these be cleaned up or is it best to replace the calipers all together? Any suggestions for some meatier ones that still fit the standard discs? Would like grooved discs, but my discs seem to be in good condition and would be a shame to remove them.
 
You can clean them buy either in situ or removing them. Use a wire brush to get rid of the rust and then paint them with a suitable paint like hammerite or caliper paint.

The squealing could be down to a few things. First of all do you have any pitting on your discs? (lines on the disc where the disc has warn unevenly) If a newer set of pads is put on the car they can wear unevenly with pitted discs causing squealing. You can have them skimmed (cheap) to remove the problem which gives a level playing field.

Otherwise it could be that you need some new pads, or they are not aligned properly.

You can go a few options with upgraded brakes but your looking into £££! I would say its not worth it, but depends how much you have to play with.

I painted mine, but they already painted on the M but didnt like the black.

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BMW Z4M Coupe by tom_scott88, on Flickr

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BMW Z4M Coupe CSL front wheel by tom_scott88, on Flickr

*EDIT sorry just re-read, when was the last time you had the pads replaced? Worth giving them a check.
 
I've just finished mine in Carbon Grey using Foliatec caliper paint from Demon tweets. I'm really happy with the results.

I think the foliatech stuff is just rebranded G2 paint the pots are exactly the same.

I did give them a good clean with a wire brush attachment on a angle grinder before painting. I took off the carriers and painted those then painted the calipers in situ

I'll put up some photos later
 
One of the cheaper mods to do with maximum effect

I used halfords red calliper paint on mine


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Thanks for the replies everyone. I'm going to get some Hammeriate smooth red paint and do them myself - after extensive cleaning!

Couple of questions remain:

- Is it possible to paint the calipers without removing the wheels? I dont have a jack or a garage, so will need to sit and paint these on the road outside my house?

- Will I need to add a coat of lacquer? If so, which brand?
 
ranski said:
Wheel off job - mask off discs and pads


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+1

I used smooth black hammerite on mine (applied by brush) and two coats was enough for a good finish. I could've made do with one TBH but I applied 2 thin coats rather than 1 thick one.
 
Just remember prep is KEY. Doesn't matter how good of caliper paint you use, if you half a$$ the prep job the paint will not come out right nor will it hold up as well.
 
If using Hammerite then prep work is minimal: it can be painted directly on top of rusty surfaces, but scraping any looseness off and generally giving them an intense wash beforehand certainly helps.

I didn't bother with lacquer, I sold the car before any durability issues arose :lol:
 
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