2012 Lincoln Touch Up Paint (24 OEM Colors)

The 2012 Lincoln Vibe

2012 was the era of the "Split-Wing" grille and Lincoln trying to convince the world that luxury didn't have to look like your grandfather's Town Car. Whether you were piloting a Navigator the size of a studio apartment or a sleek MKZ, you were surrounded by a palette designed to shimmer under dealership spotlights. With 24 colors in our database-from the deep Bordeaux Reserve Pearl to the high-maintenance White Platinum Tricoat-Lincoln was leaning hard into multi-stage pearl finishes to justify that premium window sticker. It was a sophisticated look, provided you could keep the road debris from ruining the party.

Paint Health Check

Welcome to the Thin Paint Era. By 2012, factory "robot efficiency" had reached a peak, meaning the spray-bots at the plant were programmed to apply just enough paint to look pretty, but not a micron more. The result? These finishes are notoriously susceptible to stone chips. On models like the MKX and MKS, the paint is often so thin that a single highway pebble can punch straight through the clear and base coat. Worse yet, Lincoln's shift toward aluminum panels (like on those massive Navigator hoods) means that once a chip is exposed, you aren't looking at red rust-you're looking at aluminum oxidation that bubbles under the surface like a slow-moving virus.

Restoration Tip

When repairing these 2012 finishes, leave the "one-and-done" mentality at the door. Because the factory coats are so lean, a giant blob of touch-up paint will stick out like a sore thumb. Build your layers slowly. Apply a thin dab of color, let it shrink and dry, and repeat until the level is just below the surrounding clear coat. This is especially true for those Tricoats like Crystal Champagne or Red Candy; if you go too thick too fast, the metallic flakes won't lay down right and the color will look five shades too dark. Patience is the only way to beat the robots.