2021 Alfa-Romeo Touch Up Paint (16 OEM Colors)

The 2021 Alfa-Romeo Vibe

Welcome to 2021-the year of the "Great Graying." While the rest of the automotive world was busy painting every SUV on the road the color of wet concrete, Alfa-Romeo was still over there fighting the good fight. Whether you were piloting a Giulia or a Stelvio, you had options. We're talking a massive spread of 16 colors in our database, from the classic scream of Rosso Alfa to the "I'm definitely speeding" vibrance of Verde Montreal Tricoat. The Italians apparently decided that if the world was going to end, it was going to look spectacular in Misano Blue and Maroone Basalto. It was a high-fashion year for a high-maintenance brand.

Paint Health Check

We are deep in the Thin Paint Era, my friend. By 2021, the robots at the factory had "efficiency" down to a science, which is just a fancy way of saying they applied the paint with a perfume atomizer. While the Oxydizen Iron Pearl or Magnet Black Pearl looks like a million bucks under showroom LEDs, that factory enamel is notoriously brittle. The common "Agony of the Alfa" involves stone chips on the nose that go straight through to the primer-often described by owners as looking like little golden craters against that deep blue or red. If you let those chips sit, the clear coat can start to lose its grip around the edges, turning a tiny speck into a peeling headache.

Restoration Tip

When you're touching up these modern Alfas-especially those deep Tricoats like White Tricoat-remember the Golden Rule of the Thin Paint Era: Build layers slowly; don't blob it. These modern finishes aren't like the old thick goop from the '70s. If you try to fill a chip in one heavy-handed pass, it'll look like a zit on a prom queen. Apply your base thin, let it flash off, and build it up until it's just shy of level before you even think about the clear. You're aimin' for "surgical precision," not "house painter's thumb."