I've done both as well. I used to brush them once a year because of the HORRIBLE winters with the salt and stuff in Michigan, they would crack and chip off, so I'd have to redo them every spring....I got tired of the red and painted the drums and calipers black for a clean look. This time I used the spray and left them on the car. it came out really good and didn't chip as much this winter. it's not that much of a hassle to mask off the parts so I would recommend doing that.