1987 Audi Touch Up Paint (18 OEM Colors)

The 1987 Audi Vibe

1987 was the year Audi decided their cars should outlive the people driving them. This was the era of the legendary 5000 CS Turbo and the Quattro-cars that looked like they were carved out of a single block of German granite. With 18 colors in the catalog, they weren't exactly playing it safe, either. You had high-society hues like Pearl White Metallic Tri-Coat and Almond Beige Metallic for the executive types, while the rally-bred crowd was busy getting Maraschino Red Metallic or Amazon Blue Metallic dirty on a backroad. It was a sophisticated, "Techno-Teutonic" palette that made every other car in the parking lot look like a toy.

Paint Health Check

Here's the deal: In '87, Audi started fully galvanizing their bodies, which means the steel is basically bulletproof. You won't find much rust, BUT we are firmly in The Peeling Era. While the metal stays pristine, the early clear coat technology of the late '80s hasn't aged quite as gracefully. If your Audi has been sitting in the sun, you're likely dealing with "Delamination." That's painter-speak for when the clear coat decides it's done being friends with the base color. It starts as a small, chalky white bubble around a rock chip and, if left alone, it'll peel off in sheets like a bad sunburn, especially on those beautiful metallic shades like Zermatt Silver or Stone Gray.

Restoration Tip

On a galvanized German tank like this, your biggest enemy isn't a hole in the floor-it's a lift in the clear. Seal your chips immediately. Because this era of paint relies on the bond between the color and the clear, a single deep rock chip on the hood is a gateway for moisture to get underneath and start the peeling process. If you see a chip, don't wait for the weekend. Clean it, dab it with a color match, and get a fresh layer of clear over it to lock those edges down. If you catch it while the "halo" of the chip is still small, you can stop a full-blown hood respray before it starts.