Painted Brake Calipers

[lybrian1]

the other day i went to a rim shop to order chrome rims and the guy recommended that i also get my brake calipers painted for a small extra fee. i decided to go for it i booked an appointment next week to get them done. it would be nice to see bright red break calipers behind chrome rims. but later on that day i finally got to take a look at my calipers. now i'm unsure of this because when i looked at the EX's brake calipers i noticed that they have a really rough surface. now i am unsure what it would look like after i get them painted. would it even look good if the stock infiniti EX35's brake calipers were painted red or any other colour? what colour should i get? i Have a dark current exterior paint.

[G35 Toronto]

black.....

any other coolor brings attention to the fact that they are small and stock.

mine are going to be painted black when the new 20s are put on.

[lybrian1]

black? you are completely right when u say the stock brakes are small but if i didnt want to bring attention then why not keep them unpainted?i was thinking what about a metallic gold?

[lybrian1]

oh i see you are getting black rims so black brake calipers would match. but i have a dark current paint exterior so black wouldnt match anything since my rims are chrome

[G35 Toronto]

black...because I rather see them not rust. Black blends in better in my opinion.

black? you are completely right when u say the stock brakes are small but if i didnt want to bring attention then why not keep them unpainted?i was thinking what about a metallic gold?

[kamiguy]

zer...-ex35If you look at the second pic on my thread.. you will notice, or maybe not.. lol that the calipers are painted black. They seem to disappear into the darkness behind the rims. BTW, the guys at the tire store painted them at N/C for me. Good Canadian service!!

[lybrian1]

the perhaps i shouldn't have them painted at all and save 50 bucks <-- thats what there're charging me

[lybrian1]

whats your thoughts on Gold painted brake calipers? like what you see on the older G35.

[AWGD8]

A gunmetal color would be nice! Problem solved!

[lybrian1]

yeah!but, they dont offer that red, blue, silver, gold, yellow

[lybrian1]

the brakes on the EX are decent size. i bet they'll look better with some sort of paint on them

[cjre1]

FYI: I talked to a service manager recently and if the brake calipers are not painted right, it will void your brake warranty. Be careful.

[lybrian1]

so what do you think? should i just cancel the appointment and not have them painted at all?

[jmess]

That is a new one. I think he was talking more about a sloppy paint job that gets paint on the pads and/or caliper seals. Painting the calipers won't impact performance if you use paint that can take the heat.

For the Vettes there was a guy who was powder coating calipers and they looked really sharp. You had to remove them and ship them to him.

On one of my race cars I had the calipers coated with a special heat dispersing ceramic coating. They really looked great but I can't say they really help braking performance.

[cjre1]

That sounds good. Powder coat is the best. I would never paint them, just get the powder coat.

[lybrian1]

i dont really care about performance its just pure looks for me. i think i might just get gold

[cjre1]

I see your point. When you get it, can you please send us a pic. I would like to see it. Thanks.

[G35 Toronto]

so what do you think? should i just cancel the appointment and not have them painted at all?

My honest opinion....stock brakes on ANY car should not really be painted in a color that attracts attention to the fact that they are STOCK.

The idea of bright calipers come from the big brake kits.

Painting them in a neutral color like black, grey or even silver make more sense in that they will keep clean and blend in with the car.

[lybrian1]

i see your point i really do but in my head im visualizing my brake calipers in gold like the ones i see on the older G35 and it looks good (in my head). yeah it sounds stupid but i do want to see what they will look like. i mean like if i wanted them to be neutral then id leave them alone and save money. this is hard. ill just flip a coin once i get there.

[cjre1]

I would not have them painted, only powder coated. It's your call.

[cjre1]

IF you get them painted make sure they do it right. I had my painted and it was done wrong and I had to replace the entire caliper. It was a mess. Plus it will void your brake warranty. Ask the dealer. Some will let it slide and some will not.

[lybrian1]

thanks for the advice

[cjre1]

Any time man. I am here to help everyone and to relieve some people of falling into having future issues. You can always learn from others mistakes.

[G35 Toronto]

Did you say that painting calipers will void warranty? Hard pressed to believe that. Been in the industry for quite awhile and I have never heard of anyone having issues with painted or powder coated calipers.....

IF you get them painted make sure they do it right. I had my painted and it was done wrong and I had to replace the entire caliper. It was a mess. Plus it will void your brake warranty. Ask the dealer. Some will let it slide and some will not.

[cjre1]

I am only speaking from experience. What I know and heard is this. If the calipers are painted and you have an issue with the caliper that is linked to the paint, the dealer will void the warranty on this. I have seen this first hand.

[lybrian1]

it does sound like something inifiniti would do. say how long is our brake warranty anyways?

i ahve 4 more days to decide whether to paint the calipers and what colour.

[cjre1]

The life of the car bumper to bumper warranty. 4 years/48,000 miles

[G35 Toronto]

I am only speaking from experience. What I know and heard is this. If the calipers are painted and you have an issue with the caliper that is linked to the paint, the dealer will void the warranty on this. I have seen this first hand.

This topic has perplexed me soooo much that I emailed my dealer (close friend is the Sales Manager) who in turn connected me to the service manager.

I also went as far as emailing my friend at Acura and at GM.

The concensus is they have NEVER come across an issue with painted calipers. There are NO standing rules regarding the voiding of brake system warranty based on painted calipers.

This is ALL under the ASSUMPTION that the calipers have been painted properly and that paint has not clogged the mechanics of the brakes.

I returned my G35 with painted Black calipers and had no issues with the lease return.

Don't worry about painting your calipers...go ahead and do it.

Mine are going to be done this week.

[cjre1]

sounds good.

If you actually read the full warranty like 12 pages of it, in small print it does state that an alter of any system may/may not void the warranty and is up to the dealer to decide this. They have full authority and rights to do whatever they please.

I know that painted calipers work and look good, but once something happens to them, a dealer will try to void all warranty to save money.

Not everyone knows how to paint them properly.

No worries and enjoy your painted calipers. Send some pics.

[lybrian1]

agreed thanks for your work guys im going to get gold