1997 Infiniti Touch Up Paint (16 OEM Colors)

The 1997 Infiniti Vibe

Welcome to 1997, where your pager is buzzing, the Bose system is blasting Jamiroquai, and you're gliding through traffic in a Q45 flagship or a freshly minted QX4. This was the peak of the "Total Ownership Experience," and nothing said "I've made it" like an Infiniti dipped in Black Obsidian. Back then, these cars didn't just have paint; they had a deep, ink-pool luster that made every Maxima owner in the parking lot feel a little bit inadequate. While the 90s loved its forest greens and champagnes, Black Obsidian was the undisputed king of the showroom floor-the kind of finish that looked like it was still wet even when it was parked in the desert.

Paint Health Check

Now, let's get real. We are firmly in The Peeling Era. By 1997, the industry had mastered the look of the basecoat/clearcoat system, but the longevity was a different story. If your Infiniti has spent its life under the sun, you're likely fighting "Delamination"-the technical term for when your clear coat decides it's done being attached to the car. It starts as a small, cloudy bubble on the roof or the hood, and before you know it, your luxury sedan looks like it's recovering from a bad sunburn. Once that clear coat lifts and starts flaking off in translucent sheets, the pigment underneath is defenseless. If you see white, crusty edges around a stone chip, that's the clear coat giving up the ghost.

Restoration Tip

In this era of paint, a stone chip isn't just an eyesore; it's a breach in the hull. The moment air and moisture get tucked under the edge of the clear coat, the delamination clock starts ticking. To save your Black Obsidian finish, you need to seal chips immediately. Don't just blob a giant drop of paint on there like you're icing a cupcake. Use a toothpick to precisely fill the crater and, most importantly, make sure you overlap the edges of the clear coat to lock it down. If you've already got a small spot where the clear is starting to lift, lighty scuff the very edge with a fine-grit abrasive before sealing it; you have to stop the "peel" before it travels across the entire panel.