2011 Pontiac Touch Up Paint (63 OEM Colors)

The 2011 Pontiac Vibe

2011 was the long, bittersweet sunset for Pontiac. While the brand was officially checking out, cars like the Vibe and the last of the G6 and G8 legends were still rolling off the transporters. You'd think a brand on its way to the great scrapyard in the sky would have simplified things, but our database tells a different story: 63 different colors. We've got everything from the fleet-staple Olympic White and Cyber Gray Metallic to the absolute "look at me" shades like Voodoo Blue Metallic and Poison Ivy Metallic. It was a hell of a way to go out-dressed in a wardrobe that had more range than a GXP on an open highway.

Paint Health Check

Welcome to the Thin Paint Era. By 2011, the robots in the factory had become dangerously good at their jobs. They learned exactly how to stretch a gallon of clear coat across an entire fleet, leaving your Solstice or G5 with a finish that's about as thick as a single ply of gas station toilet paper. If your Pontiac has been living outside, you're likely seeing the results of "Robot Efficiency." Between the microscopic clear coat and the factory-standard base, these cars are notorious for "crow's feet" checking and rock chips that seem to happen if you so much as look at a gravel road. The clear coat doesn't just peel; it practically evaporates under the sun.

Restoration Tip

Since we're dealing with paint thinner than a summer blockbuster plot, you have to be tactical with your repairs. **Build your layers slowly.** Because the factory finish is so shallow, a giant blob of touch-up paint will stand out like a sore thumb (or a G3 at a muscle car rally). Instead of trying to fill a chip in one shot, apply a thin "foundation" layer of color, let it dry, and repeat until you're level with the surface. If you're working with one of those tricky 2011 metallics like Carbon Flash or Merlot Jewel, multiple thin passes are the only way to get those metallic flakes to lay down correctly without looking like a dark smudge.