How to paint brake calipers to give your car a fresh look

As car enthusiasts, you have surely spent several hours thinking about different ideas to modify your vehicle without having to face a large outlay. Without a doubt, the world of upgrades is not exactly cheap, but today we bring you the steps to follow to paint brake calipers, a simple and affordable modification that can give our faithful companion a sportier or more distinctive look. There are different methods, and both the difficulty and the quality of the result will vary, so we will have to take into account our skills and resources before starting the painting process to change the colour of the calipers.

In this way, we will be able to avoid mistakes that ruin a modification that at first seems easy to carry out and that will allow us to increase -or decrease- the level of sportiness of our vehicle. If we want a more eye-catching look, the best option is to opt for bright colours that contrast properly with the car’s bodywork; if, on the other hand, we want a more discreet look, we should use more neutral and muted shades.

First step: thoroughly clean the calipers and remove the old paint

Once we have decided to carry out the process, we will have to remove the wheels of our car to gain access to the calipers themselves. Many people apply the new coats of paint with the calipers still attached to the disc, but if we want a much more careful result, it is recommended to remove them so that we can work on them properly.

To do this, and starting with the calipers on the front wheels, it is advisable to turn the steering to get better access to the bolts we will need to remove before we can start the work. First we will remove the bolts holding the caliper itself, disconnect the hoses, and that’s it: we will have our brake caliper off.

But a very important step that we must take if we want an optimal result is, without a doubt, to remove the old layer of paint. To do this we can sand them or use some kind of paint stripper -letting it act for about 15 or 20 minutes and then wiping it off with an aluminium scourer- or directly apply a jet of sand with a specific hose.

We must bear in mind that this is a part that is very exposed, so it is very prone to building up several layers of dirt. To ensure a deep and correct clean, it is recommended to dismantle as many parts of the caliper as possible, such as the brake pads and seals, in order to have access to all the areas that make them up.

We can use different brake cleaners for this task and, if we want to do an even more meticulous job, we can take this opportunity to remove any imperfections they may have. Before we start painting, we must cover with adhesive tape -or another protective material- the caliper pistons.

Primer coat

Before we apply the coats of paint in our chosen colour, we must carry out the priming, a process of vital importance that will ensure a longer and more durable finish. This can be found in spray form, and its application will be quicker and simpler. Drying times will depend on the products used, which will specify how they should be applied to obtain an optimal result.

We will have to apply several coats to ensure a correct primer, since this is a step that allows the paint to be applied with greater coverage. On the second coat it will be easier for us to focus on specific parts that we could not reach during the more general first coat, so that all areas of the caliper receive the primer.

A touch of colour

Once the primer is ready and we have respected the drying periods, it is time to apply our chosen colour and achieve a different look. The shade chosen does not matter, since that is entirely a matter of taste, but, just as with the primer, it is important to follow all the steps to the letter to obtain the most suitable result possible.

To apply the paint it is advisable to stand about 20 centimetres away and move your elbow, not your wrist, so that the coat is as even as possible across the whole caliper. We should also apply several coats of paint to all areas of the caliper, since it is not advisable to try to cover it entirely in a single pass, as we risk uneven paint or paint building up more in some areas.

And that’s it, our brake calipers would now be ready to go back in place in a new colour. It is true that there are other faster and less laborious methods that do not involve removing the old paint or dismantling the calipers, but we have considered this process to be the most suitable and the one that will give us a clean and perfect finish as long as we are careful and respectful of the instructions for the products used.