COLOR CODE13/WA573Q - Merlot Jewel MetallicPontiac Touch-Up Paint

The Look

Your Pontiac G6 belongs to the final era of the brand, and this color represents the peak of its design sophistication. It is a deep, full-bodied red that feels more like a fine wine than a budget commuter shade. Because your car has likely spent over a decade facing the sun and the road, the original pigment on your hood or doors might look slightly different than it did in 2008. This color thrives in direct light, where the underlying red tones wake up, but it can look almost black in the shade.

Technical Details

This is a metallic finish, which means the paint is loaded with tiny reflective particles. These flakes are what give the car its depth, but they are also the biggest hurdle for a DIY repair. If the flakes are not distributed evenly, they can bunch together and create dark, blotchy patches known as mottling. This effect makes the repair look like a smudge rather than a clean fix. Because the base color is so dark, any unevenness in how those flakes lay down will be obvious once the light hits it.

Best Practices

Before you spray or dab Pontiac Merlot Jewel Metallic (check for code 13/WA573Q), you need to shake it for 60 seconds. You can find this code on the service parts identification sticker, which is usually tucked inside your glove box or near the spare tire well. Once you have mixed the paint thoroughly, test the color on the included card to see how it matches your car's current level of fade. When you begin the repair in your garage or the shade, keep the container moving to ensure the metallic particles stay suspended and land in a uniform pattern. Give each layer sufficient drying time before adding the next to avoid dragging the metallic flakes around and ruining the texture.