2016 Fiat Touch Up Paint (54 OEM Colors)

The 2016 Fiat Vibe

By 2016, Fiat was trying to convince everyone that a subcompact car wasn't just a commute-it was a lifestyle choice. Whether you were squeezing a 500 into a tight spot, trying to figure out the proportions of the 500L, or going "rugged" with the 500X, you had choices. In fact, you had 54 choices in our database alone. It was the peak of Italian color-palette indecision. We're talking about a year where you could get your car in Latte Menta (which sounds like a coffee order), Arancio Spritz (which sounds like a happy hour order), or Verde Toscana. Fiat didn't just sell cars; they sold a box of crayons, and most of them were metallic, pearlescent, or high-maintenance tricoats like Rosso Amore.

Paint Health Check

Welcome to the Thin Paint Era. Back in the day, we sprayed paint thick enough to stop a bullet; by 2016, the factory robots were programmed for "maximum efficiency." That means the clear coat on your Fiat is likely thin as a crepe. If you've spent the last few years tailgating on the highway, your "snub-nosed" 500 probably looks like it's been through a gravel storm. We call it "Robot Efficiency Syndrome"-the paint is beautiful and lays flat, but it's brittle. By now, the clear coat on those horizontal surfaces (hood and roof) is starting to feel the UV sting, and if you haven't been religious with the wax, you're likely seeing some premature "sunburn" or micro-cracking in the Bianco Gelato.

Restoration Tip

When you're touching up a 2016 model, the golden rule is Layer, Don't Blob. Because this era's paint is applied so thin at the factory, a giant glob of touch-up paint will stick out like a sore thumb. For those deep stone chips on the hood, build the color up in two or three thin passes rather than one heavy drop. If you're working with one of those fancy 2016 tricoats-like Giallo Tristrato or Artic Pearl-remember that the "depth" comes from the mid-layer, so take your time. Once you've got the color level, seal it immediately; in this era, a chip is just an open invitation for the surrounding clear coat to start lifting.