2013 Chevrolet Touch Up Paint (125 OEM Colors)

The 2013 Chevrolet Vibe

2013 was a wild year for the Bowtie. You had the Avalanche taking its final bow in the "Black Diamond" edition, while the Spark and Sonic were buzzing around in colors that looked like they were chosen by a hyperactive barista-I'm looking at you, Lucious Kiss Pink and Honey Mellow Yellow. With a massive database of 125 colors, Chevrolet was clearly throwing the whole spice rack at the wall. Whether you were rocking a Silverado in Bluebell Blue or a Corvette in Night Race Blue Metallic, the vibe was "bold and bright." It was a high-water mark for variety before everything turned into the fifty shades of grey we see on the roads today.

Paint Health Check

Welcome to The Thin Paint Era. By 2013, the robots in the factory had become masters of "Efficiency." They figured out exactly how many microns of paint they could spray without the car looking naked, and let's just say they weren't being generous. Because these coats are thinner than a diner's coffee, they are incredibly prone to rock chips-especially on the snub-nosed Cruze or Traverse. Once a chip starts, the clear coat on these modern GMs can sometimes act like a bad sunburn; if you don't seal it, it'll start delaminating in sheets, particularly on the roof and hood where the sun does its worst work.

Restoration Tip

When you're touching up a 2013, remember: Build layers slowly; don't blob it. Since the factory finish is so thin, a big, thick drop of touch-up paint will stick out like a sore thumb. Instead of trying to fill the crater in one shot, apply several "whisper-thin" layers, letting them dry in between. You want to bring the level of the repair up to the surrounding surface gradually. It takes a little more patience, but it's the only way to make that Switchblade Silver or Crystal Claret look like the robot actually did its job.