caliper covers

[satzinger]

Originally Posted by chile1

Some of the guys on the X5world forum are real sweethearts, i tell you (character assassination is going around a lot these days).

Chile1, how did you do the BMW? Is this a sticker or painted?
I have to say I painted mine too, but you did a very nice and clean job compared to what I did!

[satzinger]

Sorry just read that they are "high temp BMW stickers".
Where did you get them?

[chile1]

Originally Posted by satzinger

Sorry just read that they are "high temp BMW stickers".
Where did you get them?

I purchased the hi-temp decals from ebay ~$7.50. BTW, what I posted is not an actual picture of what I've done. I'm still in the process but am hoping to come as close as that pic. I'll post once it's finished.

I'm following the Caliper Painting 101 write up along with a few pointers etc. from previous post to do mine:
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You'll need 0000 steel wool, G2 Caliper paint (it's made specifically for calipers and comes in silver, red, black and yellow) - I used red. You'll also need a roll of paper towels, a spray bottle of water, a can of 3M brake cleaner and maybe a wire brush.

Jack the X. Take off the wheel. Clean the caliper using the brush included in the kit (2 coats), this a 2 part true epoxy the instructions say that you have 4-6 hours working time, but this will start to set up within an hour (I also use an old paint brush to dust off the brake dust before I start). Tear off several pieces of paper towel. Spray a little water on the towels so they're damp and 'sticky' and drape the towels around the caliper, essentially outlining the caliper. Tear off a few smaller pieces of paper towel, spray on a little water and wedge into the openings on the front side of the caliper (three openings). Paint only enough to coat the caliper for now. Then, while waiting for the first coat to dry, clean the inside and outside of your rims. Hey! Why go through all this bother if you're going to put a dirty wheel back on the X? Now hit the caliper with some more paint. Now, the fun... Chock the wheel, then place the X in neutral. Take off all paper towels and don't forget to remove the wedged pieces (I use needle-nosed pliers to remove the wedged pieces). Turn the rotor so the overspray is accessible. Use the 0000 steel wool and "wipe away" the overspray. You can also use the 3M to clean it up even more. Put the wheel on and move on to the next wheel. Now the hard part is not driving the X for a while in order to give the paint a chance to harden (~3-4 hrs).

It took me about 2 1/2 hours to paint them moving briskly but carefully. After the 2 1/2 hours the epoxy was quite thick and somewhat goopy to work with. Once dried there were no brush strokes and it was glossy deep black. Then I polished the Caliper anti- rattle clips and gave them a brushed look with an abrasive wheel on my Dremel, then clear coated them (2 coats). I also painted the rotor hats with VHT Cast Aluminum color caliper paint (2 coats) then gave them 2 clear coats.

Also, another point, when you clean your X, don't use a spray-on wheel cleaner on the painted calipers. It has a tendency to dull the finish. I use a stiff brush and some of the soapy water left over from washing.

Overall I am very pleased. I put the X up on jack stands and did them all at once. I made some jack stand adapters and cut some 1 1/4 x 1 1/4 hollow steel bar to fit into the jack points. The prep work is what took the most time. Wire brushes, fine grit sandpaper, Dremel abrasive disks, drill with wire wheel and nylon flap wheel. It is amazing how quickly these brakes and rotors get rusted and corroded, but with patience they clean up real well. Also just a note the front calipers are cast iron the rears are aluminum and the clips are tin steel.

[DoubleA]

Dont spend 120$ on cover. With 120$ you can do much better, just find a shop that can sandblast your X5 caliper they should charge you like 25$ to 30$ per set, with the left over money you can buy a kit to paint them and they will look much better. If you want to do a durable job you have 3 more choices:

1- If you have a home garage and own a compressor you can buy PPG primer/surfacer and a quart of base coats & clear coat and make an incredible job that will last forever.
I can make a write up for you guys if there is any interest, and foremost tell you exactly what to buy and how to do the full pro jobs. All this can be accomplished within a long week-end.

2- You can have them Powder coated, the color palet is limited but they will last forever. The down side you will have to park the truck for a good week tough.

3- You can have it triple chrome plated, but that is more costly. It cost me 600$ cdn to have my 2k1 maxima rear caliper show chromed, but this give an awesome look and make the brake system very easy to maintain & clean.

[X5Guy70]

Thanks guys...just trying to a little breath life into my old X5.

[iMPAKT]

Originally Posted by DoubleA

Dont spend 120$ on cover. With 120$ you can do much better, just find a shop that can sandblast your X5 caliper they should charge you like 25$ to 30$ per set, with the left over money you can buy a kit to paint them and they will look much better. If you want to do a durable job you have 3 more choices:

1- If you have a home garage and own a compressor you can buy PPG primer/surfacer and a quart of base coats & clear coat and make an incredible job that will last forever.
I can make a write up for you guys if there is any interest, and foremost tell you exactly what to buy and how to do the full pro jobs. All this can be accomplished within a long week-end.

2- You can have them Powder coated, the color palet is limited but they will last forever. The down side you will have to park the truck for a good week tough.

3- You can have it triple chrome plated, but that is more costly. It cost me 600$ cdn to have my 2k1 maxima rear caliper show chromed, but this give an awesome look and make the brake system very easy to maintain & clean.

How would i go about powder coating mine?

[admranger]

Originally Posted by iMPAKT

How would i go about powder coating mine?

Look for a plating shop and talk to them about doing it. You'll have to pull the pistons out after you pull the calipers off.

[DoubleA]

Originally Posted by iMPAKT

How would i go about powder coating mine?

You can do it yourself if your a handy person, check this out: Caswell Inc. - Powder Coating Starter Kits

I have bought a polishing kit and a black chrome kit from them, I do this in my home garage.

[DoubleA]

Originally Posted by admranger

Look for a plating shop and talk to them about doing it. You'll have to pull the pistons out after you pull the calipers off.

Most plating shop dont do powder coating, totally different equipment/ environment, searching powder coating service in google gave this:

Powder Coating Services on ThomasNet.com

[keduMINI]

Originally Posted by X5Guy70

Has anyone installed the red brembo knock off plastic brake caliper covers? If so, what is a reasonable source and price to pay? Ebay wants $120.00 +/- plush shipping. It seems like they should be half that price. I recently installed replacement brembo cross-drilled rotors and I though it might look a little sportier.

Thank You............

X5Guy70

If painting your calipers is not desired, and caliper covers are of interest, then at least try metal covers (MGP Caliper Covers). Unlike the plastic covers that at least incorporate contours and fake bolts to make look more "realistic," the metal covers look more heat and chemical resistant, but lack the contours/detail.

IMO, I think an all-black or blue (satin, not gloss), all-satin silver without the painted on bolts or emblem would be passable and not draw much attention as being a knockoff. Red and yellow covers get close(!) looks, and these close looks translate into discovery that calipers are covered and not authentically painted, causing... unfortunately among enthusiast...but the abundance of casual observers likely won't give a "shoot"!

It also depends on the type of wheel you have. If you have an open 4- or 5-spoke pattern that shows a lot of your braking system, then a cover will look noticeably like a cover, but if you have multi spoke wheel (e.g. Beyern multi) that casts shadows on your brakes, then it might work.