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Rating: 
Car: 1997 GTI VR6
Colors Available: red, yellow, blue, black, gold, and silver.
Cost: Approximately $50 from Ultra Performance (1-800-438-5872) or Strictly Foreign (1-800-SPEED-94).
Required Tools: Caliper Paint, 3/4" wide brush, masking tape, floor jack, cinder blocks, wire brush, screwdriver, rags, socket-set to remove wheels.
Time: 24 hours (about 2 hours for painting and 22 for drying.)
Installation:
I chose to remove my calipers from the rotors so I could get better results without spending a lot of time masking the brakepads. Since I did waste a lot of time removing and eventually reinstalling the calipers, I suggest that you DO mask the brakepads and leave the calipers on, it makes the job a lot easier!
1. Obviously, you first have to remove the wheels from your car. I
would suggest removing them all at once and setting your car on some
blocks. The caliper paint doesn't stay running once you mix the two
parts together, so there may not be enough time to jack, remove, clean,
and paint your calipers one wheel at a time.
2. Once the wheels are removed and your car is SAFELY sitting on blocks,
you can clean your calipers with the supplied contact cleaner. You
may need to use a wire brush to remove any rust or stubborn dirt.
3. If your car has chatter clips on the front caliper (a little bent
wire that looks like a coat hanger) you may want to pry them off with
a screwdriver because they won't come off if you paint over them. CAUTION:
I have no idea of how to get these clips back on without wrecking your
caliper paint! I left the clips off of the calipers for several months,
but I began to hear some 'clanking' coming from my brakes, so I put
the clips back on. I had to do some touching-up because the clips are
extremely difficult to get back on. If you know of a good way to get
them on, please let me know.
4. Mix the two parts of the paint, let it sit for 15 minutes to thicken.
You may want to mix only half of the paint into a third container and
save some for a later time since any left-over paint will eventually
harden if mixed. This would be a good time to lay some paper underneath
your calipers, because this paint doesn't come off of anything!
5. Apply a light coat to all the calipers with the 3/4" brush.
Don't worry about running-out if you mixed all of the paint. The first
coat won't be enough to keep the dark metal of the caliper from showing
through. On the second coat, your calipers should begin to look sexy!
6. Once you have achieved the 'look' you desired, throw away any mixed
paint because it will soon be worthless. Now forget about your car
for the next 22+ hours to let the paint dry (especially if you put
on a lot of coats.) If you removed your brakes to paint the calipers,
I would recommend you wait even longer for drying. I found the paint
to be a little soft after a day had passed.
7. Re-install the chatter-clip if you removed it. GOOD LUCK! You can
leave them off for a while if your car is new, but it does prevent
some noise if your brakes are worn. I had to use a needle-nose pliers
to get my clips back in, and then I had to touch-up spots where I scratched
the paint off.
8. You're done! Believe me, it will be worth work when people are staring
at your wheels wondering why your brakes are red (or blue, or yellow,
or...) Make sure you use a torque wrench when re-installing your wheels!
Impressions:
This 'paint' does an excellent job of covering the calipers, and it is heat and brake-dust proof under above normal conditions (i.e. some heavy breaking for a limited time.) I have heard that the paint will discolor if you race your car for extneded periods of time, like on a larger track similar to Daytona where you reach speeds of over 100 mph and then jam on the breaks for tight turns (this is just an example!) Since the paint is really a 2-part epoxy, it is really thick and and easy to apply with a small brush, and there was enough in the kit to easily do two cars. I've had the paint on my calipers for almost a year, and they look as good-as-new despite being driven though a crappy Wisconsin winter.
Todd Taylor
'97 GTI VR6
