2016 Cadillac Touch Up Paint (59 OEM Colors)

The 2016 Cadillac Vibe

2016 was the year Cadillac decided to stop being your grandfather's car and start being the car he uses to intimidate the neighborhood. From the sharp-edged ATS and CTS to the "moving-office-building" that is the Escalade, Cadillac was leaning hard into high-tech luxury. With a database count of 59 colors, they clearly weren't afraid to get weird with the marketing. You've got names like "Black Meet Kettle Pearl," "Caught Red Handed Tricoat," and "You Drive Me Grazy Pearl." It was a time of high-gloss pearls and deep metallics, aiming to look like they were dipped in liquid glass.

Paint Health Check

Welcome to the Thin Paint Era. Back in the day, we sprayed enough paint to survive a sandstorm; in 2016, the robots in the factory were tuned for "maximum efficiency." This means your 2016 Caddy is wearing a finish that's thinner than a gym membership agreement. While the clarity of colors like Abalone White Tricoat or Limited Addiction Pearl is stunning, the actual barrier between the road and the metal is razor-thin. If you've got an Escalade or a CT6, you've likely noticed the hood and roof taking the brunt of the sun, leading to early clear coat fatigue. Worse yet, those vertical panels on the SRX or XTS are stone-chip magnets because the factory finish lacks the "meat" to absorb impacts.

Restoration Tip

When you're touching up these modern finishes, you have to fight the urge to be a hero. Because the factory paint is so thin, a giant blob of touch-up paint will look like a mole on a supermodel. Build your layers slowly. Apply a thin coat, let it flash off, and repeat until you've built the level up to the surrounding clear coat. Don't try to fill a stone chip in one heavy-handed go-these modern pearls and metallics need to "lay down" properly to catch the light. Treat it like a fine lacquer job: several thin passes will always beat one thick mess.