Dear Bree,

I just got some great new wheels for my car a few weeks ago, but now that they’re on, the things around them don’t shine so bright anymore.  I never paid any attention to brake calipers before, but now that my wheels are super-sharp looking, my rust-spattered, matte-grey calipers are spoiling the look.  I was complaining about this to a co-worker who told me that they can actually be painted.  Who knew?!  Can you tell me a little more about this process?  Thanks, Bree!

Wheels Don’t Match the Brakes

 
Dear Wheels,

I completely understand the conundrum you find yourself in.  I thought my living room looked great until I redid my kitchen.  Since they connect, my shiny, new kitchen made my living room look dull in comparison.  Unfortunately for me, it’s going to take a lot more to redo my living room than it will for you to give your brake calipers a makeover.  In fact, fixing up those brake calipers is relatively easy–if you leave it to the experts.

If you’re comfortable taking your wheels off your vehicle and painting the calipers yourself (they stay on the car), then by all means, go right ahead.  You’ll need to do some research on the right kind of paint (brake calipers get really hot), and you’ll need to prepare the area (around the caliper and the vehicle) so that you don’t end up painting things you’d rather not.  There will be several coats of paint required too.  It can get a little complicated.

We paint brake calipers all the time.  Since we’re in the wheel business, we’re devoted to getting just the look each customer is looking for on his/her vehicle, and brake calipers can certainly impact the look of your car or truck.  Alloy wheels with open spokes are especially impacted by the state of one’s brake calipers, and just as there are a multitude of wheels to choose from at RNR, there are also a lot of color choices for your brake calipers.  What if you’re looking to make a statement?  You could consider adding a shock of color like red against metallic or black wheels.  Or you could play it safe and match the color of calipers to the color of the wheels or an accent color on the wheels.  There are so many ideas to consider!

Typically, an RNR associate will discuss this option with any customer looking to purchase wheels at one of our locations, and the painting would be done during installation.  It doesn’t take long–an hour to a hour and a half–so you’ll be good to go and rolling out of our garage in less than a day, whereas if you choose to go the DIY route, your completion time will increase considerably.  The upside of having these things done by professionals are many, including, a quality finish with no unfortunate paint splashes showing up anywhere but on the calipers, reduced wait time, and the lack of hassle for you in set-up and clean-up.  We recommend having brake calipers painted professionally and leaving nothing to chance.  We do this every day, and we’re awfully good at it.;)

If painting your brake calipers is something you decided against in the installation process or just didn’t consider, we can take care of it for you after the fact and get you back on the road fast.  Take a look at our website to find the RNR location nearest you, and give them a call to set up an appointment.  They can go through all of your options and give you choices that you may not have even thought of yet.

I’d love to see the finished product; how about you snap a pic and send it to me when you’ve got it all done?  Thanks, Wheels, and good luck!

Stay safe!

Bree