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I've been thinking about it for some time. I did a quickie black matte paint job when I mounted my after market wheels and it looked all right but I knew I could improve on the look. When I was in the parts store I saw a red that caught my eye. It's from Dupli-color and called Metalcast Red Anodized. Since it's made for spraying over chrome or light colors, I also bought a can of chrome spray enamel.
Here's a before shot
I use a bunch of various shaped files to remove the molding flash from the calipers.
I concentrated mostly on the top that could easily be seen.
Here's a couple of coats of spray on chrome. I've used it before and didn't expect any miracles.
A couple of shots of the red
Some rings on the side.
Gecko on top. Only my mechanic and someone stealing my wheels will see this one.
Complete
Interesting thing - I found a height sensor on the drivers side front suspension near the sway bar link. I have sports springs and don't know why it would be sending the ride height. Didn't notice one on the passenger side.
Very nice. I struggled on deciding paint color for my calipers between black, silver and red. Great Job!
In terms of ride height sensor, mine also has it and just regular suspension. Haven't got around to verifying for sure but my initial suspicion is that ride height sensor is for the headlight adjustments maybe?
In terms of ride height sensor, mine also has it and just regular suspension. Haven't got around to verifying for sure but my initial suspicion is that ride height sensor is for the headlight adjustments maybe?
Those look awesome!! I'm not much of a DIYer when it comes to my A6 but you've certainly inspired me. I'm thinking the black would probably look better against my red A6. What do you think? The red does look awesome though.
A glossy black would look good with any exterior color. Better than aluminum oxide and rust that most brake calipers turn into. I used Krylon gloss black on my last car for years. I gave them a wash and respray in the spring when I put the summer tires on.
I did try flat black on the Audi but didn't really like it. I had the paint left over from painting the BBQ and I wanted to clean up the calipers when I installed the aftermarket wheels. Even when clean, they looked dirty.
We were looking for a Garnet Red Audi a year ago when we found our A7. Had we found one, I was going to paint the calipers a dark bronze. I still have the can around somewhere, bought it at Wal-Mart and it has a hammer finish.
Having a red exterior gives you many choices. Red is a standard color more or less - a darker red like burgundy might go well. You can also choose something towards gold/yellow or copper/bronze/brown. Think about it, give it a try and if you don't like it, respray. Good luck, take pictures and post them.
I've been thinking about it for some time. I did a quickie black matte paint job when I mounted my after market wheels and it looked all right but I knew I could improve on the look. When I was in the parts store I saw a red that caught my eye. It's from Dupli-color and called Metalcast Red Anodized. Since it's made for spraying over chrome or light colors, I also bought a can of chrome spray enamel.
Here's a before shot
I use a bunch of various shaped files to remove the molding flash from the calipers.
I concentrated mostly on the top that could easily be seen.
Here's a couple of coats of spray on chrome. I've used it before and didn't expect any miracles.
A couple of shots of the red
Some rings on the side.
Gecko on top. Only my mechanic and someone stealing my wheels will see this one.
Complete
Interesting thing - I found a height sensor on the drivers side front suspension near the sway bar link. I have sports springs and don't know why it would be sending the ride height. Didn't notice one on the passenger side.
Congratulations on an excellent job. It looks great. I have a couple of questions that I hope you can help with:
1- Did you use any particular type of paint to deal with heat in brakes?
2- How did you do the Audi rings. Looks professional
Congratulations on an excellent job. It looks great. I have a couple of questions that I hope you can help with:
1- Did you use any particular type of paint to deal with heat in brakes?
Thanks for the kudos.
Calipers don't get hot enough to blister paint unless you take the car on a road course or ride the brakes descending mountains. Rotors heat up the most. Touch your calipers and see how warm they get after a drive. I use a good quality name brand paint. Makes it easy to freshen up or fix any damage.
2- How did you do the Audi rings. Looks professional
Originally Posted by Travco68
Nice work! The rings are a nice touch of class.
I measured the amount of space available, determined what size would look good and searched eBay for outdoor vinyl rings. I didn't want words or letters because I think they don't look quite right when at a angle. I chose gold because I thought we were going to get a red car and thought gold would look good on dark bronze calipers. Lucky thing for me is that gold and red don't look too bad together.
Nice thing about caliper painting is that they are not too large and if you screw it up or don't like the color, sand it down and try again.
I'm a new (to me) 2014 A7 owner. Love it. When I first noticed the rear calipers, I thought something was missing. I'm assuming that's not the case but curious about the design since most car's calipers look similar front and back. Any thoughts? Anything you can do with the back to dress them up?
I'm a new (to me) 2014 A7 owner. Love it. When I first noticed the rear calipers, I thought something was missing. I'm assuming that's not the case but curious about the design since most car's calipers look similar front and back. Any thoughts? Anything you can do with the back to dress them up?
I know exactly what you mean about the rear calipers. They look tiny and exposed compared to the front calipers. There is a plate on the RS7's rear calipers that you can buy. I'm more of a frugal DIY guy with a touch of crazy so I modified some covers. They get plenty of looks and comments at car shows.
07-17-2016, 07:42 PM
Painted the calipers today.
