Duplicolor Spray Paint

[vibe63]

Duplicolor doesn't make a touch up spray paint for the '05 Platinum Vibe. Has anyone found a close match from the numerous "silver metallic" paint colors (not necessarily GM, either) they do offer?

[Guy in PHX]

Just this morning I was looking for some touch up paint for my other car. I typed the paint code into a google search and came up with many many suppliers. Hope that works for you as well.

[vibe63]

I've also found suppliers of the paint, but I'm not interested in paying $25 w/shpg, for a 12 oz can, to touch up a very small area. And the bottles of touch up are useless. The problem with Duplicolor, Krylon, etc, when it comes to metallics, is the cap doesn't match what's in the can,.

[BenWA]

I've also found suppliers of the paint, but I'm not interested in paying $25 w/shpg, for a 12 oz can, to touch up a very small area. And the bottles of touch up are useless. The problem with Duplicolor, Krylon, etc, when it comes to metallics, is the cap doesn't match what's in the can,.

I bought Duplicicolor for an 2003 Ford Taurus wagon I bought in 2008 that had a lot of rock chips on the hood and one big spot, about dime sized or a bit smaller on a front fender where it was missing paint, clear down to the metal but no rust. I bought one of the touch up things of Duplicolor and it matched the OEM paint perfectly. I used the touch up clear coat as well and while it didn't look factory fresh since it was still marred some around the edges, it did cover the bare metal and the paint matched fine.

EDIT: Hm, Although I'm not sure what you mean by metallic paint. I was thinking sparkled/glittered. So maybe that's the difference.

[jolt]

I know years ago NAPA Auto Parts stores could load paint into spray cans for people. If you have a NAPA store near you, you may want to stop in and check if they can load up some spray cans for you. You have buy a quart of paint and then it cost you so much per spray can to load the paint into the can. It is not cheap but you do not have to pay shipping doing it this way.

A side note: silver is one of the worst paint colors to match. It sounds funny but is true. Temperature, humidity, spray pressure, thinners in the paint will all affect the way the paint looks. You can paint a car one day, come back 3 days later and use the same paint and equipment, and it will not match. The hue of the paint will change with direction and lighting. It is almost impossible to get it right with silver. This is why body shops paint whole panels, then blend in the areas around the panel, and then clear coat past that to at least get the shine to match. I can away pick out a car that has a panel paint repair that is silver. So getting an exact paint match may not be a big thing because chances are it will not match whats on the car anyways.

[vibe63]

I hear you loud and clear. Any metallic paint is a pain in the a**. Any variation in the metallic content will change the color. And, even tho my paint is in good shape, it's 10 years old and spent 5 of them in the sun. So, even an o.e. paint probably won't match - but it might get close. I repainted the front bumper cover recently, using Duplicolor. The cap looked like a perfect match......... NOT! But, unlike me (and you), most people wouldn't notice. Besides, that flexible plastic rarely takes paint the same as steel. It's why you see so many cars with mismatched bumper covers. I probably would have left it alone were it not for being hit by a giant bug, on the order of Mothra - it not only took the paint off, but it's guts bled right into the paint. I would have had less of a mess if I'd hit a pedestrian.

I checked into having a spray can made up - no cheaper that way. I'll probably use what I've got and try to blend it. I wish I could buy about a half pint. I have an air brush that would work perfectly for this touch up.

[jolt]

If you have an air brush and the area is not to big then this may work for you:

http://www.automotivetouchup.com/store/ ... index.aspx

2 oz bottle that you can spray on with your air brush. You need to top it with clear then wet sand and polish. Those items you can get from local parts store. Bumper covers have an special adhesion primer and a flex additive added to the paint so the paint does not get hard and flake off. The different primer and flex additive also throw the color off so the bumper cover does not quiet match the rest of the car.

I bought some touch up paint from automotivetouchup.com for the Vibe to repair the rock chips in the hood, one was almost the size of a dime, and it can out pretty good. With a hobby air brush, you have a better chance of getting the metallic to match then just brushing the paint on. I also see that they have paint in pints here: "AUTO PAINT (FOR SPRAY GUNS)"

http://www.automotivetouchup.com/auto_paint.asp

None of it is cheap. Paint prices have sure gone up over years as they make it environmentally friendly. Now if it could only be friendly on your wallet.

Something else came to mind here; did you try looking for a Toyota paint color that would be close or match?

[vibe63]

I picked up another can of Duplicolor spray. Based on the cap, it looks like a good match. I'll find out tomorrow and post the results.