Styling Red calipers

[Mylittlewilly500]

I have a twin air plus (3wks old) which has come as standard with black alloys- not a mega fan!!
My car is also black, red leather interior and I have the chequered roof with a 500 logo in red.... The wheels need some brightening up!

I have mentioned it to a few ppl and the agree red calipers would look great..... What is the best way to get them done, also the cheapest?
I am female so please make your reply female friendly

 

[loveshandbags]

I have a twin air plus (3wks old) which has come as standard with black alloys- not a mega fan!!
My car is also black, red leather interior and I have the chequered roof with a 500 logo in red.... The wheels need some brightening up!

I have mentioned it to a few ppl and the agree red calipers would look great..... What is the best way to get them done, also the cheapest?
I am female so please make your reply female friendly

Here is another thread that would be relevant for your query (click here). I had the 'red caliper painted option' that was standard on the first release of the 1.4 Sport but then it became an option that you had to pay for.

On the next 500 I bought the caps new of a local dealer along with the special paint from Halfords. I'm assuming that you have NOT got the red ringed center caps.

I didn't go ahead with painting the calipers because I had a squeel problem that got fixed under the Dealer part of the warranty on the last FW 500. I then changed my mind on painting the calipers preferring to leave the car original since I didn't want the boy racer look which could affect the re-sale. When the new owner was taking the FW500 off me she had no interest in the caps or the paint.

If I had your chequered roof and Twin Air plus spec with the blackened 5o spoke wheels I might be tempted to do it. I will be putting the caps in the picture up in the classified section so they will come 'up for grabs' shortly.

There is a mixed opinion on here about doing the red calipers since the discs on the 1.2 and the Twin Air look a bit weedy . You could consider just doing the center caps only.

Re painting the calipers they have to be clean with no dust or grease. In the kit from Halfords it comes with a spray to clean the calipers before the paint is applied with a brush. Have seen some cars done in the Leisure section & they looked terrible. Might be best to give it to a someone who knows what they are doing. I would prefer to have the job done right than to have it done poorly. There are cheaper paint options than the Halfords but their paint is 'heat' resistant. Also - you wouldn't be doing the back since you only have hubs - if there are painted IMHO they look pretty stupid. If you decide to get the calipers professionally painted it might be best to time this when the brake fluid is due for a change at the '2 year mark'.

 

[Mylittlewilly500]

Thank you for the great feed back.
They did come as an option but I think it was around £300 (don't quote me on that) but now I have the car I'd really like them done.
I dont think I will attempt it myself so a garage it is!
Again ty for the feed back, great to know it can be done quite simply.

 

[loveshandbags]

Thank you for the great feed back.
They did come as an option but I think it was around £300 (don't quote me on that) but now I have the car I'd really like them done.
I dont think I will attempt it myself so a garage it is!
Again ty for the feed back, great to know it can be done quite simply.

Only an option on the 1.4
It was a bargain priced £150 or €150 here.
Would suggest doing the caps first and think about the calipers later on if you still want to go ahead.

 

[jnoiles]

I'd say if you're going to do them, do it quickly. Your car is new, the amount of gunge that you'd need to clean off the calipers is minimal. The amount of gunge after 2 years would be horrible. A lot more effort to clean off. And as garages charge by the hour.....