2017 Mazda Touch Up Paint (17 OEM Colors)

The 2017 Mazda Vibe

By 2017, Mazda wasn't just making cars; they were making "Kodo" art projects. Whether you were carving corners in an MX-5 or hauling the family in a CX-9, your ride likely looked like it belonged in a gallery. With 17 colors in our database for this year, Mazda was clearly feeling generous. We saw the rise of the now-legendary Soul Red Tricoat-a color so deep it looked like you could reach your hand into the door panel-and Machine Gray Metallic, which made the CX-5 look like it was milled from a solid block of steel. It was a time of high-gloss glamour and "Zoom-Zoom" sophistication, where even the "boring" silver (looking at you, Sonic Silver) had more flake than a winter morning in Detroit.

Paint Health Check

Welcome to the Thin Paint Era. Back in the day, we sprayed paint thick enough to stop a low-caliber bullet, but by 2017, the robots at the factory got a little too efficient. They perfected the "Takuminuri" technique, which is Japanese for "we're going to use as little paint as humanly possible while still making it look incredible." The result? A finish that's gorgeous but has the structural integrity of a soap bubble. If you own a 2017 Mazda3 or Mazda6, your hood probably looks like it's been peppered by a shotgun. These thin coats-sometimes measuring only a few microns thick-mean that every pebble on the interstate is a mortal enemy to your clear coat.

Restoration Tip

When you're touching up a 2017 Mazda, especially those fancy tri-coats like Snowflake Pearl or Soul Red, you have to fight the urge to be a "one-coat hero." Because the factory finish is so thin and the pigments are so translucent, a giant blob of touch-up paint will stick out like a sore thumb. The Pro Move: Build your layers slowly. Apply a paper-thin layer of color, let it dry, and repeat until the chip is nearly level. If you're working with a metallic or pearl, don't stir the paint with a stick like you're mixing a martini; give it a good shake to get those flakes suspended. Thin coats prevent the "raised bump" look and keep that high-tech 2017 shimmer looking factory-fresh.