Caliper Corosion + Warranty Claim - Any Chance???

[TheQuietOne]

Hello All,

Just wondered if anyone had experienced the rusting as shown in pics attached - it has happened to both my front calipers, and I'm pretty unhappy with the look of it. I have warranty until June 10th and was wondering if there is any chance of this being claimable in anyone's opinions.

I know that I need to get it to a dealer but I just wondered before I do if any of them had set a president on this already, in which case I will head towards them. I have to have a service and cam belts done too (in 1700 miles) so could tie it in with that if there is a chance of a claim - if not can anyone suggest options to get it back to looking nice. I don't want to paint it a bright colour though!!

Thanks in anticipation - Matt.

[simonprelude]

I'd be surprised if you had any luck, but it's worth a try.

If not then I'm sure you can get black caliper paint ??

[Kevin]

They are cast iron, stating the obvious but they are gonna rust. I think there was a clear coating to help stop it but, maybe someone has tried to clean them using a wire brush in the past, which is going to make this rust come back worse.

[Mr_Spanners]

As Kevin has pointed out the calipers are cast and sadly not classed as 'bodywork' so they wont come under the corrosion warranty.

To clean the calipers up use some 120 grit wet and dry and then apply a rust treatment like Kurust before slapping on a good coating of caliper (epoxy based) paint.

Job Done! 8)

~Phil.

[TheQuietOne]

OK, thanks guys, not what I wanted to hear but never mind. All I want to do is get them back to looking stock.

Phil where do I purchase those items specified, I'm absolutely 100% not a mechanic at all, so I might need a bit more hand holding to get it sorted if possible?!

I'm still a bit disapointed, and the rust keeps dripping all over my rims making them look even worse :cry:

[Senninha]

Matt,

Like you I'm not a mechanic but I'm considering how best to improve the look of the calipers and will probably take this on as a winter project.

I'm not sure about the 'bright' colors on calipers, preferring the latter 02 spec gold or even the black as suggested by Phil.

Phil,

If following your idea to refresh the calipers, will the pads need removal first? Also, is the kurust likely to cause any damage to the seals in the calipers etc?

regards

[DTA-Motorsport]

Cleaning up calipers and painting them up has been on my list of things to do to my 300ZX for a while now. I've done it before on my Ferrari 355 (quite some years ago) and it's not a difficult job. Depending on your level of confidence/competence there are two ways to go about it. I am particularly picky about fit and finishes and opted for the "difficult" route on the Fezza.

Basically, I removed the caliper from the car and decided to overhaul the caliper seals whilst it was off the car (but that's a different story). Using various grades of wet-n-dry I removed all forms of rust and imperfections. I then used caliper lacquer to paint them a nice glossy black. Looked like stock and provided good protection against rust. When putting the calipers back on the car I flushed the brake system and filled it up with fresh fluid. Took me about two days to do all four calipers.

The easy way is to remove the wheel, remove the pads and cover the disc with some newspaper or cardboard. Use wet-n-dry to remove any rust and imperfections, clean the caliper up with propper break cleaner fluid (not the stuff that's sold at Halfrauds). Use a good quality high-heat caliper paint (can be bought in places like Halfrauds and other motorfactors). It may require two coats. Once dried, reassemble in reverse order and Bob's your uncle.

One thing to keep in mind when using caliper lacquer is that it's made up of two components - the paint component and a hardener. Only make up enough to do the calliper you're working on as the stuff solidifies in an hour or so and you'll never get around to painting all four calipers in that time frame. Trust me - I found that out the hard way ...

Matt, perhaps later this month (or next) - when I've had a go at my own calipers - I can do yours if you have no luck with HUK. I'd need the car at my place for the day and it needs to be a nice, sunny & warm day (I'm not sitting outside in the freezing rain). Just a thought mate.

Dan

[TheQuietOne]

Sounds like a plan - or we could do it together so to speak?! First yours on one day, and then mine the next week perhaps (as we have nothing better to do :shock: ). Maybe you could add caliper paint to your product line too :wink:

Thanks for the extra details and the offer mate.

[DTA-Motorsport]

Sounds like a plan Matt. Let me try and get my trip to Holland out of the way and we'll revisit this issue when I'm back. You're right though - you and I both have nothing better to do than mess around with our calipers! :roll:

Caliper paint could be on the product list very soon ... I've just seen fluorescent green and orange as colours for calipers :shock: Think the MaxPower boys may go for that .... :roll:


Just had a thought about what could look nice on your NSX calipers: Gloss black with the raised NSX lettering polished to a shine ... Cover the lot with a clear coat and it shouldn't rust anytime soon. Just a thought though.

[kowalski]

Mine were originally gold with the NSX in Red, but had a lot of corrosion as well. Took wheels off 1 at a time, cleaned with a wire brush and high grit paper then painted with Halfords high temp gloss Red with a brush, need about 3 coats and drys smooth (no brush marks). Did the raised NSX with high temp silver. total cost about £10. Did this about 5 years ago and only now are they starting to need a touch up.

leigh