1998 Daewoo Touch Up Paint (6 OEM Colors)

The 1998 Daewoo Vibe

Nineteen ninety-eight was the year Daewoo tried to buy its way onto every suburban driveway in America with the Lanos, Nubira, and the "Italian-styled" Leganza. It was a time of transition, where car colors were shaking off the neon madness of the early 90s for something a bit more... corporate. Our database shows 6 key survivors from this era, and they tell the whole story. You couldn't throw a rock without hitting a Deep Bluish Green Metallic or a Golden Beige Metallic (that classic "champagne" that every grandmother owned). It was an era of heavy metallics and the beginning of the great Silver takeover, seen here in Olive Silver and Poly Silver Metallic.

Paint Health Check

Welcome to The Peeling Era. By 1998, Daewoo was using the industry-standard basecoat/clearcoat system, but because these were "value" cars, the factory clear was often sprayed thinner than a budget coat of lacquer. The conflict here is Delamination. If your Granada Black Pearl or Spinel Red Pearl has spent more than a week in the Texas sun, you're likely seeing those dreaded white, flaky patches on the roof and hood. It starts as a small "sunburn" and eventually peels off in sheets, leaving the basecoat underneath exposed and defenseless. Once the clear lifts, the clock is ticking before the metal starts to pit.

Restoration Tip

The golden rule for 1998 paint is: Seal the perimeter. If you've got a stone chip in that Poly Silver Metallic, do not ignore it. In this era of paint, moisture loves to crawl under the edge of the clear coat and bridge the gap between the color and the protection. Once that bond is broken, the peeling becomes a runaway train. Use a touch-up pen to seal the edges of any chip immediately. If the clear has already started to lift, you'll need to carefully scuff the "feathered" edge of the failure before applying a fresh solvent-based clear to lock it down. Don't just paint over the flake-anchor it, or it'll take your new repair right off with it.