2012 Citroen Touch Up Paint (1 OEM Colors)

The 2012 Citroen Vibe

2012 was a year of "funk and flash" for the French giant. While the world was busy obsessing over the new DS3 and its customizable floating roofs, the rest of the fleet-from the C3 to the C4-was hitting the streets in what I call the "Age of Sophisticated Grays." We've kept our focus on the survivors of this era, specifically the legendary Gris Aluminum Metallic. It was the color that defined the early 2010s; it didn't just look sleek under city lights, it was one of the few shades that actually held its own against the elements while the flashier, two-tone experiments started to show their age.

Paint Health Check

By 2012, we had firmly entered the "Thin Paint Era." Back in the day, you could practically sand a car with a brick and still have enough lacquer to polish, but the 2012 Citroen was a product of robot efficiency. The bean counters at the factory made sure those sprayers were calibrated to the micron. The finish is beautiful, BUT it is notoriously brittle. Because the layers are so lean, a single pebble on the motorway doesn't just leave a mark-it punches straight through to the primer like a hot needle through butter. If you're seeing "micro-pitting" on the hood or the clear coat starting to look a bit thirsty on the roof, you're looking at factory-thin finishes finally reaching their limit.

Restoration Tip

When you're touching up a 2012 finish, the biggest mistake you can make is "the blob." Because this era of paint is so shallow, a heavy-handed drop of touch-up paint will sit on the surface like a localized mountain. Build your layers slowly. Use a fine-tip applicator to dab a tiny amount into the chip, let it settle and shrink, then repeat. You want to mimic that tight, factory-sprayed depth rather than trying to fill the hole in one shot. It takes patience, but it's the only way to make that Gris Aluminum Metallic look like it just rolled off the line in Aulnay.