2014 Mazda Touch Up Paint (22 OEM Colors)

The 2014 Mazda Vibe

2014 was the year Mazda decided to stop being "the other Japanese brand" and started acting like a boutique design house. This was the peak of the "Kodo" design era-think the CX-5 looking sharp at the grocery store and the Mazda3 Sport finally getting those curves that made the Miata jealous. With 25 colors in the stable, they weren't exactly playing it safe. While everyone else was buying Snowflake Pearl Tricoat or Meteor Gray Pearl, the brave souls were out there in Soul Red Tricoat or the surprisingly classy Titanium Flash Pearl. It was a good year to have eyes, but a busy year for us guys in the paint booth.

Paint Health Check

Welcome to the Thin Paint Era. By 2014, the robots at the factory had become masters of "efficiency," which is just a polite way of saying they sprayed those coats thinner than a diner pancake. While the finish on a Mazda6 or CX-9 looked like a million bucks on the showroom floor, it didn't take much to hurt it. We call this "Robot Efficiency" syndrome: the paint is gorgeous and laid down with surgical precision, but it has the impact resistance of a soap bubble. If you've spent any time on the highway, your hood likely looks like it's been through a light buckshot seasoning.

Restoration Tip

Because these factory finishes are so lean, you can't just go in swinging a heavy brush. When you're filling those inevitable stone chips in your Deep Crystal Blue or Jet Black Pearl, remember: build layers slowly; don't blob it. If you try to fill a chip in one thick shot, the solvent won't outgas properly, and you'll end up with a "soft spot" that'll eventually shrink and look like a crater. Dab a tiny bit in, let it flash off, and repeat until you're level with the clear coat. It takes patience, but your Mazda's sleek lines deserve better than a lumpy repair.