5.5 years later, the paint still looked great. I sold the car so no more updates:) good luck with your mods.
4 year update: paint still looks great. Held exceptionally well, even when brake dust is washed off using dedicated caustic wheel cleaner.
Update: 2.5 years later (Last 2 pics) the paint is still holding well and the calipers wash off easily and look great!
Original review:
I was pressed for time so I did not properly prep or paint my calipers. Yet the results were outstanding!
I had to place the car on a stand, one wheel at a time, and work on it late at night. That, by itself, rendered the epoxy systems unusable for my situation.
List of materials/tools:
1. Brake cleaner
2. Wire brushes (small and large)
3. Masking tape
4. Small knife
5. Tweezers
6. ½ inch brush
7. Foam brush (didn’t like the way it worked)
I used a wire brush to remove the light rust off the calipers and then used brake cleaner to wash off the rust and brake dust. I have NOT used “degreasers”, metal preps, rust reformers or anything else. Through trial and error, in my case, I found out that the paint worked best when brushed “thick”. Brushed on, just short of “dripping”, it self-leveled and covered amazingly. Brush marks disappeared almost immediately. The paint stuck to the metal perfectly and was very easy to spread accurately so it does not cover pins, rubber seals and moving parts.
On the first caliper I tried to use the foam brush as per other reviews. It did not work well in my case. I did two coats of paint quickly, after cheating and using a heat gun on the first coat to shorten the cure time. The second coat looked “OK” but not as good as the rest of the calipers. With the rest, I totally skipped the second coat. I laid one thick coat and waited for about 8 hours before I installed the anti-rattle spring (which I also painted). The calipers turned out great, considering the lack of proper prep and the rushed painting. The coating is uniformly thick and shiny. I will keep an eye on it for durability. I have over 90% of the can left so if results don’t last I will do a better job next time.
Update 1: about two months later the paint is still looking and holding great. Calipers are staying mostly clean and are also very easy to wash. That is amazing, cosnidering that BMWs are notorious for black, dusty wheels and calipers!
Update2: 9 months later all calipers and rattle springs look like when they were just painted. What a great product! The close up caliper pictures were made and added to this review 7 months after the calipers were painted. I kept taking pics from time to time to negate the possible placebo effect and have objective materials for comparison.
Update 3: the pictures with red circles/arrow over the can were taken more than a year after innitial painting. Some of the chips in paint were from me mounting a bmw wheel-no studs:(
The paint held exeptionally well and a quick cleaning and touch up (5 min per wheel) brought it back to perfect shape. The left over paint in the can almost did not need any mixing-it is still abs flawless black that covers, and sticks perfectly.
Good luck with your mods and if you found this review helpful please click "helpful" so others don't waste time reading and make the right decision like you and I did.
| Brand | POR-15 |
|---|---|
| Color | Silver |
| Finish Type | Gloss |
| Size | 8 Fl Oz (Pack of 1) |
| Item Volume | 236 Milliliters |
| Special Feature | Chip Resistant |
| Unit Count | 8.0 Fl Oz |
| Paint Type | High Heat Paint |
| Specific Uses For Product | Exterior |
| Surface Recommendation | Ceramic-like,Metal |
| Indoor/Outdoor Usage | Outdoor |
| Item Form | Liquid |
| Included Components | 1 Can |
| Age Range (Description) | Adult |
| Is Waterproof | True |
| Model Name | 42506 |
| Package Information | Can |
| Color Code | #C5C7C9 |
| Coverage | 4 standard size calipers |
| Manufacturer | POR-15 |
| Item Weight | 0.01 ounces |
| Product Dimensions | 1.08 x 1.08 x 1.18 inches |
| Item model number | 42506 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Exterior | Metal |
| Manufacturer Part Number | 42506 |
| Special Features | Chip Resistant |
