Volvo Diesel Touch Up Paint (23 OEM Colors)

The Color Breakdown

Volvo has always built cars like mobile vaults, but they didn't stop at safety-they also gave us a surprisingly soulful palette of 23 colors for the Diesel. They really went for it with names that sound more like a high-end hiking trip than a paint catalog, featuring earthy gems like Appalachian Blue, Vernon (Dark) Green, and Dorango Brown. Whether your car is dressed in the stately Richelieu (Wine) Red or the deliciously named Nougat Brown Metallic, these colors were designed to look just as good parked at a trailhead as they do in a driveway.

What to Watch For

While Volvo paint is famously robust, it isn't invincible. If you have a solid color like Cascade White or Tomato Red, you might notice the finish looking a bit "chalky" or dull over time-that's just the paint aging gracefully. For the metallic fans sporting Mystic Silver or Redwood Metallic, keep a close eye on the roof and hood, where the clear finish can sometimes start to flake away like a bad sunburn. You should also check the rear corner near the tailpipe; years of diesel exhaust can leave a stubborn soot film that needs a deep cleaning before you even think about touching up a chip. To find your specific match, pop the hood and look for a silver plate on the driver or passenger side strut tower (or the radiator support on later models). You're looking for a three-digit number, like "141" or "130."

Driveway Repair Tip

When you're standing there with your 2oz bottle or touch-up pen, remember: your Volvo was built in layers, so your repair should be too. If you're working with a metallic shade like Nougat or Silver Gray, shake that bottle for at least 60 seconds-those tiny metallic flakes like to nap at the bottom of the jar and need a wake-up call to match your car's sparkle. Instead of trying to fill a chip with one giant "blob" of paint, apply two or three very thin layers, letting each one dry for about 20 minutes. It requires patience, but your patience will be rewarded with a repair that stays put and looks smooth enough to make a Swedish engineer proud.