1997 Mazda Touch Up Paint (40 OEM Colors)

The 1997 Mazda Vibe

Welcome to 1997-the year of the "bubble" design and the height of the Zoom-Zoom spirit. Whether you were carving corners in a Miata, hauling the crew in an MPV, or cruising in the surprisingly refined Millenia, Mazda was hitting its stride with sleek, rounded aesthetics. While the factory offered plenty of shades back then, we've focused our efforts on the absolute heavyweight survivor of the era: Black Onyx. It was the definitive choice for the 626 and the B Series trucks, giving those smooth 90s curves a deep, glass-like presence that still looks mean today-provided you've kept the sun from eating it alive.

Paint Health Check

If you're driving a Mazda from the late 90s, you're officially in the Peeling Era. By 1997, the industry had fully committed to the basecoat/clearcoat system. It looked brilliant on the showroom floor, but as we've seen over the decades, these clear coats have a nasty habit of "delaminating." Once a rock chip or a deep scratch breaks the seal, oxygen and moisture sneak underneath that protective layer. Before you know it, your hood looks like it's suffering from a bad case of skin cancer, with the clear coat lifting and flaking away in big, ugly sheets. On a dark shade like Black Onyx, that white, cloudy peeling is impossible to hide.

Restoration Tip

The secret to keeping a '97 Mazda looking factory-fresh is aggressive chip management. You can't afford to be lazy with this era of paint. The moment you spot a pinhole chip on your Protege or MX6, you need to seal it immediately. If you leave that tiny crater exposed, it becomes the "zero point" for the clear coat to start lifting. Clean the area, dab your Black Onyx match into the chip, and ensure you've leveled it with a fresh clear seal. You aren't just fixing a blemish; you're literally pinning down the clear coat to the car so the rest of the panel doesn't decide to check out early.