2012 Daewoo Touch Up Paint (2 OEM Colors)

The 2012 Daewoo Vibe

2012 was a transitional year where Daewoo was essentially the secret sauce in GM's global small-car recipe. Whether you were dodging traffic in a Matiz or cruising in a Gentra, the vibe was "sensible economy with a side of city-slicker attitude." We've focused on the survivors of this era, keeping the torch lit for the bold ones in Aqua Green Metallic-a color that looked like a tropical vacation on a budget-and the steady, utilitarian Natural. It was a time when subcompacts were trying to prove they had personality, even if they were built to spend their lives in a parking garage.

Paint Health Check

Welcome to the "Thin Paint Era." By 2012, the factory robots had become masters of efficiency, which is a polite way of saying they started spraying paint thinner than a cheap suit. These coats were applied with surgical precision to save material, leaving your Daewoo with very little protection against the cruel world. If you look at your hood today, you're probably seeing "road rash"-dozens of tiny stone chips that go straight to the primer. Because the clear coat was applied so sparingly, these cars are also prone to "sunburn" (delamination) if they've spent too many years baked in the driveway without a good coat of wax to act as a shield.

Restoration Tip

When you're dealing with paint this thin, the biggest mistake you can make is "the blob." If you try to fill a chip in one heavy pass, the repair will sit high and proud like a localized mountain range on your fender. Instead, you need to build your layers slowly to match that robot-applied depth. Apply one thin coat, let it set, and repeat until the level is just right. This prevents the paint from shrinking back or looking like a lumpy scar. Also, seal those chips the second you see them; once moisture gets under that thin factory clear, it'll start peeling back like an old sticker, and at that point, you're looking at a much bigger project.