Brake rotors suffer from wear and tear even on newer vehicles. Rotors get coated in water, mud, dirt, brake dust and anything else that your car has driven through. Learning how to paint brake rotors can make your car's rotors look brand new again. This is especially helpful if your rotors can be easily seen through the wheels. Rotors must be painted with special paint and certain precautions must be taken or the paint won't last longer than a few days. Make your car look better with freshly painted brake rotors.
Park on a smooth, flat surface in an open area. Use the lug wrench to slightly loosen all of the lugs on one wheel. Place the jack under the car at a point where it will rest against the frame when raised. Raise the jack until the tire is lifted off of the ground several inches. Place the jack stand next to the jack, touching the frame, then lower the jack so that the car is resting on the jack. Continue to remove the wheel by loosening and removing the lugs. Put the tire to the side, out of the way.
Spray brake cleaner on the rotor and surrounding areas and allow a few minutes for it to dry. Use the hex key wrench to loosen and remove the small hex screws in the brake caliper, which is attached to the brake rotor. Remove the bolts and then slide the caliper off of the rotor. Place it out of the way.
Mask off areas that won't be painted by using masking paper and tape. Cover the gripping surface of the rotor with tape and paper. The gripping surface is the flat, shiny area where the brake pads slide on the rotor. Place small pieces of masking tape on all of the bolts so that they don't become coated in paint.
Spray a thin coat of paint on the rotors and allow it to dry. Check the area to make sure that all parts are being coated in paint. Spray a second and third coat as needed, allowing time (about 30 minutes) between coats for the paint to dry.
Wait a few hours before installing the brake caliper and wheels so that the freshly painted rotors don't get scuffed or scratched. Replace the calipers and wheel in the reverse order that they were removed.
Place the jack under the car, raise it up to take the weight off of the jack stand. Remove the jack stand and slowly lower the car to the ground. Use the lug wrench to tighten the lugs on the wheel.
Repeat these steps to paint the rotor on the opposite side of the car.
