2016 Mazda Touch Up Paint (15 OEM Colors)

The 2016 Mazda Vibe

2016 was the year Mazda decided to stop being a "car company" and started pretending to be a boutique Italian design house. They were rolling out the "Kodo" look across the board-the CX-5 was becoming the suburban king, and the ND MX-5 Miata was making everyone remember why they liked driving in the first place. With 15 shades in the catalog, they were obsessed with how light played off the bodywork. If you weren't blinded by a Soul Red Tricoat in the sun, you were probably admiring the high-tech shimmer of Machine Gray Metallic or the clinical coolness of Ceramic Metallic. It was a good year for the eyes, but a tough year for the clear coat.

Paint Health Check

Here's the reality from behind the spray gun: 2016 was the peak of "Robot Efficiency." Those factory sprayers were tuned to be so precise that they applied the absolute bare minimum of material required to cover the metal. It looks deep and lustrous in the showroom, but that finish is thin-thinner than a politician's promise. Whether you're driving a Mazda3 Sport or a CX-9, you've likely noticed that the front end picks up stone chips if you so much as follow a gravel truck within a three-mile radius. There's no "lacquer thickness" here to buff out; you're working with a delicate, high-density shell that demands respect.

Restoration Tip

When you're tackling a repair on these thin-skinned beauties, your biggest enemy is the "blob." Because the factory paint is so thin, a heavy-handed application of touch-up paint will leave a raised bump that catches the light and ruins the "Takuminuri" Master Craftsman look Mazda worked so hard to create. Build your layers slowly. Use a fine-tipped applicator and apply the paint in thin, whisper-quiet coats. Let each layer dry completely before adding the next. You want to slowly grow the repair until it's perfectly level with the original finish. If you rush it and blob it, you'll be looking at that mistake every time you wash the car.