1996 Infiniti Touch Up Paint (13 OEM Colors)

The 1996 Infiniti Vibe

In 1996, Infiniti was the thinking man's luxury choice-the brand for people who found Lexus a bit too "stuffy" and BMW a bit too "loud." Whether you were gliding in the oval-shaped J30, the executive Q45, or the punchy G20, you were riding the peak of Japanese "Bubble Era" engineering. While the roads were a sea of champagne beige and deep hunter greens, we've focused on the ultimate survivor of that decade: Black Obsidian. It wasn't just a color; it was a statement that you had a detailer on speed dial and a garage deep enough to hide from the sun.

Paint Health Check

Welcome to The Peeling Era. By 1996, the industry had fully committed to the basecoat/clearcoat system, which gave these cars a deep, "wet-look" shine right off the lot. The catch? The clear coat technology of the mid-90s hadn't quite figured out how to survive twenty-five years of UV rays without a fight. On many survivors, the base color (the "meat") is still perfectly intact, but the clear coat (the "skin") is likely starting to delaminate. If you see white, flaky edges around your hood or roof, that's the clear coat giving up the ghost. Once oxygen and moisture get under that top layer, the paint starts to lift like a bad sunburn.

Restoration Tip

If you're lucky enough to still have your factory gloss, your motto is: Seal it or lose it. Every rock chip on a '96 Infiniti is a ticking time bomb for delamination. Because the clear coat is a separate layer, a single chip creates an entry point where water can wedge itself between the color and the clear. Use your touch-up paint to seal those chips immediately. If the clear coat has already started to "lift" at the edges, do not-I repeat, do not-hit it with a high-pressure washer or you'll watch your paint fly off in sheets. Dab the edges with a sealer or touch-up to bridge the gap and slow down the spread.