COLOR CODELA5M - MercatoblauVolkswagen Touch-Up Paint

The Look

Your Polo likely carries this shade of blue with a certain early-2000s maturity. It is not a loud color, but it has enough character to separate your car from the sea of silver hatchbacks in the parking lot. Since your vehicle has spent two decades facing the sun and road salt, the original finish might not be as vibrant as it once was. This mid-tone blue does a respectable job of hiding light road dust, but it truly reveals its depth once you get it out of the garage and into the direct sunlight.

Technical Details

This is a metallic finish, which means the paint is packed with tiny silver flakes. These flakes are the reason the color looks different from every angle, but they also make your job a little more technical. If you apply the paint too heavily in one spot, those flakes will bunch up and create dark, muddy patches. Before you spray or dab Volkswagen Mercatoblau (check for code LA5M), you need to shake it for 60 seconds to ensure those heavy metallic particles are suspended evenly in the liquid. If they sit at the bottom of the container, your repair will look like a flat, dull blue that won't match the rest of the car.

Best Practices

To confirm you have the right match, head to the back of the car. Open the hatch and lift the carpet or the spare tire cover to find the white paper data sticker. Your code will be printed there. Before you start the repair, test the color on the included card to see how the metallic flakes lay down. Whether you use a nozzle or a pen, keep the container moving to avoid puddles. Work in the shade so the surface stays cool, and allow plenty of drying time between thin layers. Building the color slowly is the only way to keep those silver flakes from settling into a streaky mess.