2003 Infiniti Background Info
The 2003 Infiniti Vibe
It's 2003, and Infiniti is tired of being the "sensible" Japanese luxury brand. This was the year they grew teeth and started hunting BMWs. Between the slab-sided muscle of the M45 and the sharp, tech-heavy lines of the G35 and Q45, the brand was leaning hard into a futuristic, "high-tech metal" aesthetic. We've got 10 of the heavy hitters from this year in our vault, and the palette tells the story of the era: a sea of sophisticated greys like Silverstone Metallic and Desert Platinum Metallic, punctuated by the aggressive Redline and the absolutely iconic Beryllium 16 Metallic. It was a time when your car was supposed to look like it was machined from a single block of titanium.
Paint Health Check
Welcome to The Peeling Era. By 2003, the factory was using high-solids clear coats that looked like a million bucks on the showroom floor, but they hadn't quite perfected the "forever" bond yet. If your QX4 or I35 has spent its life under the sun, you're likely seeing the dreaded "leprosy"-clear coat delamination. It starts as a small, cloudy bubble on the roof or the leading edge of the hood, and before you know it, the clear is flaking off in sheets, leaving the basecoat exposed and defenseless. The horizontal surfaces are the primary victims; if the clear lifts, the color underneath will turn chalky and die faster than a boy band's career.
Restoration Tip
In this era of paint tech, moisture is the catalyst for catastrophe. If you see a rock chip in your White Pearl Tri-Coat or Garnet Fire, do not wait. On these early-2000s Infinitis, a chip isn't just an eyesore; it's an entry point. Once water gets under the edge of the clear coat, it begins to tunnel, separating the clear from the base. Therefore, you need to seal those chips immediately with a proper solvent-based touch-up. Clean the area with a prep solvent, dab the color in to fill the crater, and ensure the edges are sealed tight. Catching a chip today prevents a full-panel delamination tomorrow.