Can't find Touch-Up paint

Body kits, spoilers, lights, and anything on the exterior of the vehicle
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bigdoug
Posts: 80
Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2016 5:36 pm
Location: Detroit Area, Michigan

Can't find Touch-Up paint

Post by bigdoug »

I've checked every terrestrial auto parts store in the area for the proper touch-up paint for my car. Mine's 13U/WA891K, the silver/light gray. Contacted every GM dealership in the area.

Turns out the official paint from the GM dealerships is no longer made. I have a feeling this is the case for most Vibe colors, unless it's a color still used. And nothing from the aftermarket stores, though I have one more to check that a friend suggested.

So, what does that leave me? Using something that's similar but not exactly the same? Or perhaps some of the ones I've seen online from third party sellers, non-name brand paints that may or may not match. That's about it.
Owim
Posts: 46
Joined: Mon Apr 28, 2014 3:57 pm

Re: Can't find Touch-Up paint

Post by Owim »

When I had body work done on the vibe from a bobcat backing into it, the guy at the body shop offered me a little bottle of touch up paint from what he had left over after painting the car. If you can't find the official color, which is unlikely to match perfectly to your paint due to the cars paint getting weathered, try a body shop or something else that will be close.
2009 2.4 AWD
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ColonelPanic
Posts: 8419
Joined: Sun Jan 05, 2003 8:48 am
Location: South Central Indiana

Re: Can't find Touch-Up paint

Post by ColonelPanic »

Doh. I was getting ready to try to pick up some more Neptune before winter.

I needed to repaint the inside edges of the fenders under the hood as the paint has been disappearing from them, so I grabbed a "close enough" GM dark blue metallic rattle can at AutoZone. Not exact, but it's a heck of a lot closer to Neptune than the grey primer was. :lol:

I may try an aftermarket solution... It may work out better for me. For some reason, even when the car was younger the correct GM paint never matched the original paint, it turned out much brighter for some reason. So it already looks like it's had 14 years of mismatched touch-ups. :lol:
03 Vibe base. Born 10/14/2002 06:07 AM
Auto, Moon & Tunes, power package. 143k
Neptune/dying clearcoat/primer grey. :lol:

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jolt
Posts: 945
Joined: Sun Mar 02, 2014 2:07 am
Location: Twin Cities, Minnesota

Re: Can't find Touch-Up paint

Post by jolt »

Here you go:
http://www.automotivetouchup.com/touch- ... 2003/vibe/
13, 13U, 891K, WA891K Silver Metallic
Caretaker

Re: Can't find Touch-Up paint

Post by Caretaker »

+1 Yep, these are the only guys you want to use for your paint needs. Great company. Got some OEM matched spray paint made for my orange Fit.
bigdoug
Posts: 80
Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2016 5:36 pm
Location: Detroit Area, Michigan

Re: Can't find Touch-Up paint

Post by bigdoug »

Owim wrote:When I had body work done on the vibe from a bobcat backing into it, the guy at the body shop offered me a little bottle of touch up paint from what he had left over after painting the car. If you can't find the official color, which is unlikely to match perfectly to your paint due to the cars paint getting weathered, try a body shop or something else that will be close.
Yea. I feared that even the touchup paint that matched my color code might not work due to faded paint. So, did the body shop mix up some paint for you?

If I had a lot of money I'd just have the car repainted with something that doesn't chip as much. And possibly paint it a different color, like dark gray or black with the unpainted trim pieces so I wouldn't have to worry about the trim chipping.
Owim
Posts: 46
Joined: Mon Apr 28, 2014 3:57 pm

Re: Can't find Touch-Up paint

Post by Owim »

They made paint to try and match well with the origional paint when they replaced the rear passenger door and rear quater panel. They had extra so they put it in a little bottle with a brush lid dealy for touch up paint. I imagine it wouldn't be "cheap" to have a little bottle specially made for your car for touch up paint but if you're looking for an exact match that would be a good way to get it done
2009 2.4 AWD
jolt
Posts: 945
Joined: Sun Mar 02, 2014 2:07 am
Location: Twin Cities, Minnesota

Re: Can't find Touch-Up paint

Post by jolt »

Touch up is never perfect and is not intended to be. No paint is going to "match perfectly". Temperature, humidity, how the paint is applied, the type of thinners that are used, even the air pressure and gun that are used will all effect how the paint looks so that it will not "match perfectly". The hue and tint of the paint can change with these variables and this is seen in different light conditions. The only way to get a perfect match for paint is to paint the whole car. You can get it close but not perfect. A good painter knows how to tweak these things to get a good match but they will also truthfully tell you it is not perfect. Metallic paint adds a whole other set of variables to the match problem because of how the metallic lays with in the paint and to get that to match. Most painters will tell you that silvers are one the hardest colors to match because of this.

I do not know of any one that will mix paint in a quantity less than one quart. As the batch gets small, it is to hard to get the proper amounts of tints in the base paint. As for color fade, Clear coat does not fade and that is what should be on the surface of your paint. If your paint is faded, you have a much bigger problem as your clear coat is gone.
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