2017 Smart Touch Up Paint (10 OEM Colors)

The 2017 Smart Vibe

Welcome to 2017, the year everyone decided they wanted to park sideways in a city center. The Smart Fortwo was the ultimate urban gnat-small, agile, and surprisingly colorful for a decade that usually loved "Boring Gray." We've got 10 colors in the vault for this year, and it's a proper spread. You had the "Look at Me" crowd rocking Lava Orange Metallic and Indian Yellow Tricoat, while the minimalist architects went for the Dark Gray Metallic (matt). Whether yours is a solid Deep Black or a high-end Moon White Metallic, you're dealing with a car that was essentially a two-tone fashion statement between the plastic body panels and that metal Tridion safety cell.

Paint Health Check

Since this car was born well after 2005, you are firmly in the Thin Paint Era. Back in my day, we sprayed enough paint to stop a bullet; in 2017, the factory robots were programmed for "maximum efficiency." This means your clear coat is likely as thin as a politician's promise. On a Smart, you've got two different problems: the plastic panels and the metal Tridion cell. On the plastic, the clear coat is prone to "spidering" or chipping because the substrate flexes more than the paint likes. If you've got a Rally Red or Crystal White model, you might notice the bumpers and doors aging at different rates than the metal frame. The clear coat on these is strictly "Robot Efficiency" grade-it's thin, it's brittle, and it'll chip if you even think about a gravel road.

Restoration Tip

When you're touching up a 2017 Smart, remember: Build layers slowly; don't blob it. Because the factory finish is so thin, a giant "glob" of touch-up paint will stick out like a sore thumb. For those metallic and pearl shades like Midnight Blue or Terra Brown, the flake orientation is key-apply several paper-thin coats rather than one thick one to keep the metallic look consistent. If you're working on the Dark Gray Metallic (matt), God help you; don't you dare buff it. Use a steady hand and stay within the chip, or you'll end up with a shiny spot on a matte car. For the rest, seal any chips on that metal Tridion cell immediately-once the thin clear lifts, moisture gets under the galvanized layer and the party's over.