2007 Rusty Calipers
07-28-11, 09:03 AM
#1
Driver
Thread Starter
2007 Rusty Calipers
Hey CL Folks!
Picked up an '07 RX 350 for my wife last week and I have been busy cleaning it up and bringing all the maintenance up to date. It is sparkling on the outside, but all four brake calipers look like crap. Each has surface rust spots on them and it ruins the look of our new (to us) ride. Is this normal, as even my '06 Tundra has some decent silver paint on the calipers from the factory which looks nice through my 20" Enkei Deep Sixes? I ordered some silver G2 caliper paint and hope to get them up to "luxury" standards!
I hope to be able to post some before and after shots in a week or so.
Picked up an '07 RX 350 for my wife last week and I have been busy cleaning it up and bringing all the maintenance up to date. It is sparkling on the outside, but all four brake calipers look like crap. Each has surface rust spots on them and it ruins the look of our new (to us) ride. Is this normal, as even my '06 Tundra has some decent silver paint on the calipers from the factory which looks nice through my 20" Enkei Deep Sixes? I ordered some silver G2 caliper paint and hope to get them up to "luxury" standards!
I hope to be able to post some before and after shots in a week or so.
07-28-11, 08:55 PM
#5
Driver
Thread Starter
Our '07 spent its first 4 years in the Tampa Bay, FL area, so I am sure the salt air did a job on them. The rest of the underside metal is in pretty good shape, unlike some of the pics that some Northern members posted that have to deal with salt on the roads in Winter.
08-30-11, 03:30 AM
#7
Driver
Thread Starter
I hope no one was holding their breath waiting for me to do this! Finally had time this past weekend. Here are some pics. They look a lot better now!
Last edited by nwfsnake; 08-30-11 at 03:30 AM. Reason: mispellings!
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08-30-11, 05:21 AM
#10
Driver
Thread Starter
The "before" or "after" pics? 
It does look a lot nicer now, especially the fronts. The rears are buried deeper in the wheel and you have to look for them, but the fronts stick out like a sore thumb since they are right next to the openings on the alloys. Took a wire brush to the rust spots, cleaned the whole caliper with a parts brush and the brake cleaner in the G2 kit (actually used about another half a can of my own brake cleaner as mine where really dirty), and then applied two coats of the paint waiting about 30 min between coats. Masked off the areas that were close to the rotor so as not to get any paint on them. The G2 looked good 2 years after I applied it to a civic I used to own, so I hope to get at least that long out of the finish.
It does look a lot nicer now, especially the fronts. The rears are buried deeper in the wheel and you have to look for them, but the fronts stick out like a sore thumb since they are right next to the openings on the alloys. Took a wire brush to the rust spots, cleaned the whole caliper with a parts brush and the brake cleaner in the G2 kit (actually used about another half a can of my own brake cleaner as mine where really dirty), and then applied two coats of the paint waiting about 30 min between coats. Masked off the areas that were close to the rotor so as not to get any paint on them. The G2 looked good 2 years after I applied it to a civic I used to own, so I hope to get at least that long out of the finish.
Last edited by nwfsnake; 08-30-11 at 05:26 AM.
08-30-11, 08:50 AM
#11
Lexus Champion
Man, that was nasty. Good job on the repaint. If you have to replace the rotors get the cadmium or zinc coated ones. I had them on an RX300 for 5 years with no deterioration.
08-30-11, 09:45 AM
#13
Driver
Thread Starter
08-30-11, 09:54 AM
#14
However, I've owned several other makes (Honda, Nissan, Dodge, Jeep Volkswagen) in the same location and none of those calipers rusted anywhere near as bad as the Lexus calipers. I wonder what is different about the Lexus brand.
08-30-11, 09:56 AM
#15
Lexus Champion
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