2014 Dodge Touch Up Paint (53 OEM Colors)

The 2014 Dodge Vibe

Welcome to 2014, the year Dodge decided that "subtle" was a four-letter word. Whether you were hauling the kids in a Grand Caravan, trying to look responsible in a Dart, or scaring the neighbors with a Viper, Dodge was spraying some of the most iconic pigments in the business. We're talking about a massive 53-color palette that didn't just sit on the metal; it shouted from it. From the neck-snapping Header Orange and Plum Crazy Pearl to the liquid-fire look of Stryker Red Tricoat, 2014 was a high-water mark for factory swagger. It was a time when a Ram Series truck could look just as at home in Black Gold Metallic as it did covered in mud.

Paint Health Check

Now, here's the straight talk from the booth: you're firmly in the Thin Paint Era. By 2014, the factory robots had become masters of efficiency, meaning they learned how to stretch a basecoat until it was thinner than a diner napkin. It looks spectacular when it's fresh, but it doesn't leave much room for error. If you're looking at your Charger or Durango and seeing what looks like "smallpox" bubbles on the front edge of the hood, don't panic-but don't ignore it either. That's the infamous aluminum corrosion issue where the factory prep didn't quite seal the deal. Between the thin clear coat and the hood-edge bubbling, these finishes are beautiful but fragile. If you catch a stone chip and don't seal it, that thin clear will start to lift and delaminate faster than a Challenger doing a burnout.

Restoration Tip

Because these 2014 finishes are so lean, you cannot-I repeat, cannot-just glob on a big teardrop of touch-up paint and call it a day. It'll stand out like a sore thumb on that High Octane Red or Jazz Blue. The secret is to build your layers slowly. Apply a tiny amount of color, let it flash off, and repeat until the chip is nearly level. Since the factory clear is so thin, you want to focus on "feathering" the edges of your repair so it blends into the surrounding area rather than sitting on top of it. If you're dealing with those bubbles on an aluminum hood, you've got to sand them down to the bright metal and seal them immediately with a high-quality primer before the oxygen gets back to work. Don't rush it; the robots didn't, and neither should you.