2012 Land-Rover Touch Up Paint (20 OEM Colors)

The 2012 Land-Rover Vibe

Welcome to 2012-the year the Range Rover Evoque landed like a neon spaceship in the middle of a muddy fox hunt. While the LR4 and the big Range Rover were still holding down the fort in classic shades like Aintree Green Metallic and Nara Bronze, Land-Rover decided to let its hair down with an urban rainbow. With 20 shades in our vault from this era, we've seen it all-from the "look-at-me" Colima Lime Metallic to the deep, sophisticated Barolo Black Pearl. It was a time when your SUV was just as likely to be found at a valet stand in Mayfair as it was forging a river in the Highlands.

Paint Health Check

Now, here's the rub: 2012 was the heart of the "Thin Paint Era." By this point, factory robots had become masters of efficiency, spraying just enough pigment and clear coat to look brilliant on the showroom floor, but not a micron more. This "Robot Efficiency" means your 2012 Land-Rover is prone to heavy stone chipping on those flat-fronted hoods and delamination on high-exposure areas like the roof, rear spoilers, and mirror caps. Because the factory finish is relatively soft, years of automatic car washes and UV rays have likely thinned that clear coat to the danger zone, making those chips look deeper than they actually are.

Restoration Tip

When you're touching up a 2012 Rover, remember the Golden Rule of the Thin Paint Era: Build layers slowly; don't blob it. Since the factory finish is so flat and lean, a single heavy "blob" of touch-up paint will sit on the surface like a sore thumb. Instead, use a fine-tip brush to apply several paper-thin layers of basecoat, letting them dry until they sit just below the level of the surrounding paint. Finish with a thin swipe of clear. If you're working with those high-metallic pearls like Mauritius Blue or Havana Pearl, this layering technique is the only way to get the metallic flakes to lay flat and catch the light like they did in the London showrooms back in '12.