1991 Daihatsu Touch Up Paint (1 OEM Colors)

The 1991 Daihatsu Vibe

1991 was the year of the "Small but Mighty." Whether you were zipping through city traffic in a Charade or bouncing over curbs in the boxy Rocky, Daihatsu was the undisputed king of the compact footprint. While other manufacturers were busy drowning their cars in the decade's obsession with teal and magenta, we've focused on the undisputed survivor of the era: Silver Metallic. It was the sophisticated choice for a brand that didn't need to scream to be noticed. In '91, a silver Daihatsu looked like a high-tech Japanese gadget on wheels-functional, sleek, and surprisingly tough.

Paint Health Check

Welcome to the peak of "The Peeling Era." By 1991, the industry had fully committed to the basecoat/clearcoat system, but they hadn't quite mastered the chemistry of keeping them glued together. Silver Metallic is a beautiful finish, but those tiny metallic flakes act like little mirrors, bouncing UV rays back up through the clear coat and cooking the bond from the inside out. If your Daihatsu has spent its life under the sun, you're likely seeing "Delamination"-that ugly stage where the clear coat starts to flake off like a bad sunburn, leaving the dull, unprotected basecoat exposed to the elements. Once that clear starts to lift, the clock is ticking.

Restoration Tip

In this era, your best defense is a proactive offense: Seal those chips immediately. On a 1991 finish, a stone chip isn't just a cosmetic blemish; it's an entry point for moisture and air to get under the clear coat. Once the edge of that clear layer is "broken," the wind from a car wash or a highway drive will start to peel it back like an orange. Use your touch-up pen to seal the edges of every tiny nick you find. If you catch them early, you keep the clear coat anchored to the car where it belongs. Ignore them, and you'll be watching your Silver Metallic finish flake away in the rearview mirror.