Caliper Paint Peeling

In less than a year, nearly all of the black paint on my brake calipers (09 C is black as well) has pealed off so that I now have silver calipers. I've used only cleaning products sold on this site. Has anyone else had this problem?

I've noticed that happening a lot with the black Porsche calipers for whatever reason. Go take a look at the used cars sitting on the dealer lots, almost all of them will show some degree of fading. I always thought it was due to the harsh wheel cleaning products used to prep the cars for sale again or previous owner neglect. Now in your case we have a brand new 09 that was well kept. A bit of a mystery. Do you do a lot of track events where the calipers could've gotten some serious heat in them? Is the fading consistent on a 4 calipers? How about fading on the sides? (You may need to take one wheel off to check).

I noticed yesterday in the service bay at the dealer a gen 1 Cayman with silver calipers. I was wondering what was going on there, but this explains it. Also, our V-6 Cayenne has black calipers, but unlike the CS with shiny red calipers, the Cayenne's are very dull and do not clean up nicely. No chemicals have been used on it besides regular car wash soap and water.

My calipers faded years ago. It almost looks white now. Years ago when I first noticed the fading I took it in to the dealer to see if they would cover it under warranty. They said that it was normal wear and tear, so it wasn't covered. I have been wanting to paint them with some high temp paint but just never got around to it. I know powder coating is better but its too much hassle for me. Here is a thread from 6speedonline, where a guy painted his calipers. Painted calipers.... - 6speedonline.com Forums

I don't think the base Box/ Cayman calipers are actually painted, I believe the caliper metal is actually chemically treated to look black in the beginning but often turns a greyish/silver with normal wear. If they are painted, it is a very light coat of dull black paint that is not the same as the nice powder coat red the S models get.

I spray painted my black calipers with clear coat. Still looks nice and shiny after 1 1/2 yrs.

No track events and the fading is mostly on the face.

My dealer has said they will not cover it, so I called the main office and am appealing the decision. The car and wheels (powder coated) are both black, so silver calipers don't look that good. I've gotten quotes of $1400 to paint the calipers and $1750 to powder coat them.

I'm sorry to hear that SGF. It may be an uphill battle with Porsche unfortunately. They will respond with saying you used a harsh cleaner, etc. I still would like a definitive answer on why this happens. It is as simple as a thin/cheap paint job on the caliper? Well, on the bright side as least your not starting to see any rust!

The red brake calipers on the S model are one of my favorite details on the car. I put wax on them when I detail the car and mine look fantastic.

For that much, I would expect them to be gold plated. Follow the 6speed link already mentioned and try it yourself.

Sgf I followed the thread that 987 Box posted ,cost me $25.00 total and after 2 years they look PERFECT still (In Yellow).VHT makes some cool looking colors as well as diplicolor but either one works well as well as any HIGHT TEMP paint .Make sure you go with a spray and not the BRUSH on ones out there ,I have tried both and the spray is 100% easier and better . Just take 1 wheel off at a time or the 2 front and then the 2 rear .I did this in 4 hours time completed. It is easier then then I thought and they look OEM The price you are getting quoted is completely out of hand ,there is a co in NJ that will powder coat each caliper for $150.00 if you want to go that route and they are in panarama magazine www.vehiclecraft.com . 800/845-5948 or look in Calif there are tons of powder coating co's there for even less $$$

I will persist with Porsche since they've also done most of the car washes. And there is actually some surface rust on 2 of the wheels which they said was normal.

Re: Sgf Thanks for the advice. If I fail to get satisfaction from Porsche, I will consider spray-painting, although that is not my strong point!

Re: Sgf On past sets of big reds on various cars which were tracked on a regular basis the red paint turned a dull magenta. The white Porsche lettering turned to a yellow tint.

Re: Sgf On mine the paint has simply disappeared.