2017 Scion Touch Up Paint (29 OEM Colors)

The 2017 Scion Vibe

2017 was the "Last Call" for the Scion brand. Before Toyota pulled the plug and absorbed the line, they went out with a bang, offering a massive spectrum of 29 colors to keep the "youth market" happy. Whether you were carving canyons in an FR-S, commuting in the iM, or daily-driving the last of the tC legends, Scion wasn't afraid to get loud. From the eye-searing Hot Lava Metallic and Spring Green to the deep Azurite Blue, these cars were designed to stand out in a parking lot full of boring crossovers. It was the peak of the "fun car" era, and the color list proved they weren't going down without a fight.

Paint Health Check

Welcome to the Thin Paint Era. By 2017, the robots in the factory had become so precise that they could paint a car with the exact thickness of a soap bubble to save on costs and weight. While the finishes like Blizzard Pearl and Barcelona Red look stunning under a streetlamp, they don't have much "meat" on the bone. This era is notorious for "Robot Efficiency"-meaning the clear coat is applied so thinly that a stray pebble from a semi-truck feels like a cannonball to your hood. If you're seeing a galaxy of tiny white chips on your front bumper or the clear coat starting to look a bit "cloudy" on the roof, you're witnessing the limit of modern factory applications.

Restoration Tip

When you're dealing with paint this thin, the "blob and pray" method will fail you every time. Because the factory layers are so shallow, a thick drop of touch-up paint will stick out like a sore thumb. The Fix: Build your layers slowly. Instead of trying to fill a chip in one shot, apply a thin "whisper" of color, let it dry and shrink, and then go back for seconds. Your goal is to level the crater, not create a mountain. And whatever you do, don't get aggressive with a heavy-grit polish-there isn't enough clear coat left to forgive a heavy hand. Treat it with patience, and your 2017 survivor will keep that showroom glow.