2009 Pontiac Touch Up Paint (85 OEM Colors)

The 2009 Pontiac Vibe

2009 was the sunset for the Arrowhead. While the bean counters were preping the funeral, the designers were still throwing some of the best punches in the brand's history. You had the Australian-bred G8 GXP eating tires, the Solstice Coupe looking like a baby exotic, and the ever-reliable Vibe holding down the fort. We've got 85 colors in our vault for this year alone-everything from the electric Voodoo Blue Metallic to the scorching Inferno Orange Metallic and the deep, stealthy Carbon Flash Metallic. Pontiac didn't go out with a whimper; they went out with a high-gloss, metallic bang.

Paint Health Check

Welcome to the Thin Paint Era. By 2009, factory robots had become surgically efficient at applying just enough paint to cover the metal and not a micron more. It's a "Robot Efficiency" finish-looks great on the showroom floor, but it's a stone chip magnet on the highway. Because those factory layers are so thin, a single pebble can punch straight through the clear and base coat, leaving the primer exposed to the elements. Once that seal is broken, you're on a countdown before the edges of the clear coat start to lift and delaminate. If your G6 or Torrent is starting to look "peppered" on the front bumper, that's the robot-applied thinness showing its age.

Restoration Tip

When you're fixing a 2009, patience is your best tool. Because the surrounding factory paint is so thin, you can't just "blob" the touch-up on and expect it to blend. If you do, you'll end up with a high spot that looks like a topographical map of the Andes. Build your layers slowly. Apply a thin coat, let it flash off, and repeat until you're just level with the surrounding clear. Don't rush the process; you're trying to mimic a factory finish that was applied by a machine designed for precision. Let the paint do the work, and whatever you do, keep the coats light.