Stoptech trophy kit - finish gone after 6 months

[w00tw00t]

I'm glad I got Brembos too!! .. I've start to hear more bad things about stop techs.. time to STOP tech!

[BIGW0RM]

I'll never buy stop tech after reading this. Brembo here I come!

[STi_traitor]

Originally Posted by e60cs5

Originally Posted by kk2

IMO.. It looks like your problem. Either you bought the wrong kind of brakes for your intended purpose or used the wrong cleaner.

+1

Though this really sucks! I noticed that it looks like there are streaks on the caliper itself. I as well think you used the wrong cleaner, how is it that hundreds of people with these brakes are satisfied but your the only "one" with an issue. Just my .02 and I hope the best for your resolution!

EDITED: TWO OTHERS OUT OF HUNDREDS HAVE THE ISSUE!

[Vic311]

Originally Posted by STi_traitor

+1

Though this really sucks! I noticed that it looks like there are streaks on the caliper itself. I as well think you used the wrong cleaner, how is it that hundreds of people with these brakes are satisfied but your the only "one" with an issue. Just my .02 and I hope the best for your resolution!

He wasnt the only one..if you read through the thread you would have seen there was another member who posted up the exact same pictures

[STi_traitor]

Originally Posted by Vic311

He wasnt the only one..if you read through the thread you would have seen there was another member who posted up the exact same pictures

Ok, I am not going to debate this on the guys thread, I was simply stating what I think it is. Plus I don't care to read another 6 pages to get my point across! To please you though I only spotted two others on here that posted ST brakes. To be honest with you they as well have heaving streaking on the calipers. This is a sign of someone using the wrong cleaner.

In no way am I against anyone here, just stating what I see. This is the same that ST is doing, basing their decision off what they see and know so if you sent them those pictures they may be thinking the same. Good luck OP!

[inandout]

I commented about the rust on another member's thread recently...
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=796770

I was really hoping to pick up the STs this spring. Not going to happen after reading this.

[dmw16]

I tried to read through all 6 pages, but forgive me if this has been said and I missed it.

It looks like the rust is confined to the fasteners. My guess would be it was either 1) a bad batch or 2) during the assembly process the coating (zinc or similar) that prevents rust was scratched enough to be removed.

Shame on StopTech for not dropping a set of rebuild hardware in the mail with a few stickers and saying they were sorry. However, I don't see this rust as being a ding on their quality (bad lots of fasteners happen) but it is a knock of their customer service. Hopefully they will make (or have made) it right with the OP.

If there are finish issues on the calipers themselves that's a bit more of an issue, but perhaps it's because they figure they are built for race applications where the users aren't going to care? Not that it's a good excuse, but perhaps it's at least a reason?

Anyway, hopefully StopTech makes this right. Good luck, OP.

[aus]

I've seen Brembo's fade and the finish peel of too.

[dmw16]

Originally Posted by STIHLBOLTS

I sell fasteners for a living. That rust is not the fasteners fault. Those are plain fasteners. IE there is no coating on those socket head cap screws that I could see. Even with zinc coated fasteners in that application you are going to get rust sooner or later depending on the area of the country you live in. Northern salt sprayed roads would assist that corrosion. Stainless could have been used, but if they were using an aluminum housing maybe that was nixed. .02

Fair enough and good info. So it's really on StopTech for fastener selection. And being someone who picks fasteners for things from time to time I'd imagine they had their reasons.

But in the case of a $6000 brake kit, if I were StopTech, I'd probably have said 'sorry' and sent some new hardware because it would be good customer service and good PR.

[maaicher]

Originally Posted by e60cs5

Update -

Stoptech had agreed to help resolve these issues.

I contacted them earlier this week and because I "waited too long" they won't honor their promise to help. Previously, I wasn't able to get this taken care of as soon as I would like as they wanted me to ship them the brakes and I couldn't be down for a week or so while that happened. Ultimately, all I wanted some some replacement bolts and to take them up on an offer to replace other rusted hardware at 50% off.

FWIW - they were only willing to swap the bolts for free. No assistance resolving the issue other than that. No help providing me some basic info to rebuild them locally, etc

In the end, All I had asked for was for some replacement bolts and some info on rebuilding the brakes, (tech doc etc?) And I would keep the existing pastey, oxidized rotors, calipers. I'd also pay for the powdercoat.

IMO, the finish on certain areas may have been somewhat affected by a chemical in some way, however, I don't believe that that caused all the problems. I've had no finish issues on powdercoated wheels, other parts ,etc All the rotors look like crap - look at the pics!

More importantly, after buying $8,000 brakes, the company or their representative at least has never wanted to help fix this. Always dodging emails, making excuses as to why he didn't reply for weeks... (lost power, blah blah blah)

I wouldn't buy Stoptech brakes again, nor would I recommend them as the best option for brakes that hold up and look good over time.

And FWIW, there were other people that PM'd me with the same issues.

I gave them a chance to resolve this....They wouldn't even ship me replacement bolts and then decided not to honor a 50% discount promised on some other hardware... I Didn't expect one thing other than that. I accepted partial blame as I'm not entirely certain what happened. My car has only been washed a few times where I wasn't washing it and I've never needed to or would apply a harsh chemical. My car is PRISTINE, like new, other than the Stoptechs. I will post some more pics soon.

Not that impressive. I like my brakes, they just look like crap and their marketing guy is a d*&k.

Brembo FTW.

Wow this really sucks. Sorry to hear that they will no longer honor their offer. When they initially extended me the same offer I was hesitant, but I ended up going through with it and had to leave my car in the garage brake less for a few weeks. They replaced all the bolts, but did nothing about the finish. Overall I was upset with how everything was handled, but at least they did something. In the future I will be going with brembo every time.

[HP Autosport]

Originally Posted by maaicher

Yes i tried to wipe it down haha

and i don't use any brake cleaner as i mentioned in the start of the thread.

Nor should any chemicals be used to wash the calipers and rotors, especially when they are warm/hot to the touch. Car wash soap and water is all you need.

[DZeckhausen]

Originally Posted by STIHLBOLTS

I sell fasteners for a living. That rust is not the fasteners fault. Those are plain fasteners. IE there is no coating on those socket head cap screws that I could see. Even with zinc coated fasteners in that application you are going to get rust sooner or later depending on the area of the country you live in. Northern salt sprayed roads would assist that corrosion. Stainless could have been used, but if they were using an aluminum housing maybe that was nixed. .02

Actually, they're Geomet coated fasteners. You can see the coating has dissolved, which is the shiny streaks running down the face of the calipers. That's classic acid exposure. The Trophy calipers on my C6 Corvette are several years old and still look like new.

If the goal is to get these brakes looking great again, check out the work of Mike Golding at http://thepowdercoater.com. He does some amazing powdercoating and is an expert at caliper rebuilding. He's famous on the Corvette forums.

StopTech probably won't just send new bolts because, to replace them on an ST-60 Trophy caliper requires removal of the cross-over tube. With corrosion, there may be a risk of stripping and things could go downhill fast with a DIY replacement. This is all within the abilities of Mike Golding, however. So he may be the best way to move forward and get this resolved.

Good luck!

[Zzhou]

Lots of people are saying brembo FTW. For real? Only because of the finish on some bolts? Not saying that I don't care about the rust bolt if it is mine. IMO all the finish on any caliper will go bad. Use it a year on the track and who cares about finish? Don't judge a BBK by its look please.

[STIHLBOLTS]

^ I went all the way back to the original post and zoomed in the pictures. Those sockets have a coating on them. Not seeing them personally I can't say if its paint, zinc coating or some kind of powder coating. I stand by what I said, that it's not the bolts fault. If the coating that was applied is not specificly set up to handle the heat, cool down of those brakes then it would not take that much of a harsh chemical to get a weakened coating loose and off the bolt.

The bolt package is cheap PR, compared to this thread.

@z - http://www.metal-coatings.com/feature-product.php

Web site says protects against corrosion.



Regards.

[sensi09]

Originally Posted by DZeckhausen

If the goal is to get these brakes looking great again, check out the work of Mike Golding at http://thepowdercoater.com. He does some amazing powdercoating and is an expert at caliper rebuilding. He's famous on the Corvette forums.

How does the powdercoated finish hold up to track use compared to paint?

[Vic311]

Originally Posted by Zzhou

Lots of people are saying brembo FTW. For real? Only because of the finish on some bolts? Not saying that I don't care about the rust bolt if it is mine. IMO all the finish on any caliper will go bad. Use it a year on the track and who cares about finish? Don't judge a BBK by its look please.

I think it has more to do with the crappy customer service the OP experienced with Stoptech

[Porschefile]

Originally Posted by Zzhou

Lots of people are saying brembo FTW. For real? Only because of the finish on some bolts? Not saying that I don't care about the rust bolt if it is mine. IMO all the finish on any caliper will go bad. Use it a year on the track and who cares about finish? Don't judge a BBK by its look please.

+1. Spend a couple hundred bucks to get them repainted, it isn't the kind of thing to dedicate countless hours bitching about. I would feel the opposite if it was a mechanical issue, but faded paint?

They still look better than those awful OEM ones

[Vic311]

Originally Posted by Porschefile

+1. Spend a couple hundred bucks to get them repainted, it isn't the kind of thing to dedicate countless hours bitching about. I would feel the opposite if it was a mechanical issue, but faded paint?

They still look better than those awful OEM ones

Well if you're going to go this route than powdercoating is clearly the better option..but you also need to disassemble and rebuild the calipers with new seals/hardware

I dont see why someone who spends $9K on BBK shouldnt expect a resilient finish and great customer service

[Zzhou]

I got a better solution. Brush and wash the bolt clean. Touch up paint it . HAHA.

[maaicher]

Originally Posted by Vic311

I think it has more to do with the crappy customer service the OP experienced with Stoptech

Yes, that is the reason I say to go with brembo. Bad customer service is a reflection of the product itself. After speaking with a few people at brembo ,seeing first hand how they operate both on the product side and customer service side, I would never spend my money elsewhere.

[aus]

Originally Posted by Zzhou

Lots of people are saying brembo FTW. For real? Only because of the finish on some bolts? Not saying that I don't care about the rust bolt if it is mine. IMO all the finish on any caliper will go bad. Use it a year on the track and who cares about finish? Don't judge a BBK by its look please.

This is M3Post, where all that matter's is how the car looks.

Originally Posted by Vic311

I think it has more to do with the crappy customer service the OP experienced with Stoptech

I think it's because OP took a while to get back to them. Someone above was offered the same thing and they honored that offer.
I was sent new rotor when I got a shimmy with my kit and they arranged for AutoTalent to install them. It was probably just brake pad transfer but it occurred after I did the bedding per their instructions.

[DZeckhausen]

Originally Posted by sensi09

How does the powdercoated finish hold up to track use compared to paint?

The Trophy calipers are not painted or powdercoated. They have a MIL-spec, hard-anodized finish that will not fade or discolor even at professional level racing temperatures. But they're not impervious to an acidic environment. Paint is better at acid resistance.

StopTech red or black calipers use a 2-part, high temperature epoxy that does well at the track. Their silver, yellow, and blue paints aren't as robust at high temperatures. Similarly, the ability of powdercoat finishes to stand up to track use without color shifting or fading will depend on the color.

Silver paint (regardless of manufacturer) is not a good color for heavy track use. That's why the silver Trophy calipers are unique. Check out what happens when you track a Volvo V70R with factory silver calipers and light gray "R" logo:



Needless to say, this guy's wife (it was her car!) was not pleased.