Discoloured/rusted Brake Calliper?

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suzboy
Posts: 61
Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2013 11:11 am

Hi Guys, another question for the Kizashi experts. Before I even had the opportunity to come around and try to get rid of the black grease of the rims (see previous thread), I have noticed another potential problem for my new to me Kizashi.

The brake calliper for both front wheels seems to be discoloured (the rear wheels are perfectly fine however). It seems like the silver paint/coat has came off or something. This occurs at pretty much the same location of both front brake callipers. I think the picture will explain it. The car only has 9000km on the clock and brakes quite well.

I guess my questions are:
- Will this affect braking performance and be a safety problem for me (most important)
- Is it caused by aggressive cleaner that the dealer previous used, or because of the excessive heat of the brakes?
- Has this happen to any Kizashi?
- Can it be fixed under warranty?
- If not, can it be fixed/repainted anywhere, or should I not even bother?

Sorry if this is a stupid question to ask. I have researched over the net and cannot find answer to it. People appears to have discoloured callipers when the wrong retailers are used, but usually what it is, is that the silver colour faded.

Thanks in advance.
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2011 Mineral Grey Kizashi Prestige
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KuroNekko
Posts: 5278
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 5:08 pm
Location: California, USA

Does not look like rust to me, but definitely some kind of discoloration. You may want to get it checked out by the dealer, but does not look to be a major issue. Calipers are very robust and for their size, are one of the heaviest and toughest components of the car. They are often rebuilt instead of discarded because the caliper casing is a heavy tough piece of metal.

I have my doubts that your braking performance is affected by this. It may not be related, but looks like the previous owner perhaps made some misguided attempts at wheel coloring with a wrong product. Maybe this is the result of a misguided attempt at caliper painting with the wrong product as well. Hard to say.

Either way, you don't have to live with it. There are paints specifically made for painting calipers. They are formulated to withstand the great amount of heat generated from frequent or hard braking.
Still, I would first get it checked out by the dealer first to make sure it's definitely not corrosion that could effect safety.
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Moto
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wont really hurt anything. Mine look really bad one of my cars.
suzboy
Posts: 61
Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2013 11:11 am

Thanks KuroNekko.

I will have the dealer to check it out. If it is because of the previous owner stuffed it out, then I will have to fix it at my own expenses (since I bought used).

However, if I have the calipers repainted by some brake specialists people - I doubt dealers are geared up to do it, will warranty be voided?
2011 Mineral Grey Kizashi Prestige
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