2017 Silverado Crew Cab Three Year Review

cheyenne383 · July 13, 2020

Well... almost three years, 11/18/17 to 7/10/20....

As a long time Chevy truck owner I figured I would give my review of my now gone 2017 Silverado Crew Cab 4x4 I purchased new in November of 2017. Prior to this I have purchased two new trucks off the lot, a 2006 GMC Sierra RCSB two wheel drive and a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado ECSB 4x4. I have also owned a plethora of GM trucks and SUVs, mostly 97-06. My wife currently drives a 2016 Suburban with 111k miles on it and I am now driving my back up 2006 GMC Sierra with 284k miles… it’s been an excellent truck but it’s only 2 wheel drive which doesn't work 7 months of the year in Alaska.

I had the opportunity to sell/unload the truck for close to what I bought it for, the crunch on manufacturing and uptick in used values caught my attention. Combine that with some uncertainty on the job front and it was a good reason to free up cash from the truck. I am happy with the amount I got for it and the new owner will hopefully enjoy the effort I put in to keeping it looking decent despite EVERYTHING in Alaska trying to wear it out.

The Good: The truck was mechanically flawless, I didn’t have any of the common complaints from this and other forums from my truck. It was incredibly quiet, cranked up every time despite some mornings at 50 below zero, and it provided great piece of mind getting my family and me around in a pretty hazardous environment. I also enjoyed the styling of the truck, I got comments regularly about how nice it looked. I enjoyed Apple Carplay, the seats were comfortable on long trips, and I was satisfied with the fuel economy overall.

The Bad: Aside from my comments coming below on the ugly it was a great truck and very comfortable.

The Ugly: This is my biggest issue with the truck and really why I was so ready to part with it… the paint on the truck was TERRIBLE!!! It was incredibly soft, despite only doing 3 bucket hand washes and applying sealant the paint was full of swirls. Random hazing and scratches showed up regularly and drove me crazy. The worst part was every single panel had chips, I can understand of the leading edge of the hood and maybe part of the rockers but there are chips all over the truck!!! The B pillar, every door edge, in front of the rear wheel wells… if I would have known it was going to be this bad I would never have bought the truck in the first place. I would have to wrap the entire thing in Xpel to even think the paint would stay on and I don’t even know if that would do it… this paint is garbage!

I like the looks of the new generation Sierra and Silverado but if the paint is anywhere near as soft and delicate I can’t bring myself to get another new truck… I can’t handle paying $40k +/- for something that is going to look horrible in 5 years, I’ll just keep fixing up my 2006 and find something cheap four wheel drive to get me through the winters.

Here's how it looked when I sold it, photographed well but when I got close to it all I could see was chips and swirls...

Here's the cluster MPG for the life of the truck, not bad considering I put heavy load range KO2s on it and there's a lot of idle time in the winter here.

Edited July 14, 2020 by cheyenne383

ftwhite · July 20, 2020

great report. My 2018 just turned 38k. Agree on the paint. It looks great but wears bad and chips easy. I got the front wrapped, but not before a ding on the way home from the dealer. Crazy.

Other negatives from me:

- poor circulation of heat or AC in the back

- lousy factory shocks (I replaced as soon as I could)

- bed lights that turn on from the cab? come on. Bad design.

- 8 speed trans is...challenged.

- backup cam is too low res and don't deal with rain well.

But I agree, its a good truck. I am going to see if I can turn my first 200k truck.

NE18 · July 21, 2020

Thanks for the update. My 2018 also has chips but I try to fill them in. I had the “dealer installed” swirl option with holograms (real bad). I found a scuff at pickup and their 18 year old Employee took a polisher to it and it removed the scuff but months later when the polish came off BOOM, looked like crap. An insanely talented detailer fixed it and it still looks great a year later; no swirls or holograms.

CDNSS · July 22, 2020

Bot my 2017 new now about 45k miles on it now

AllTerrain CC 6.2 8 spd Ive had none of the problems that alot here have engine / trans has been great I did have the trans relearned and fluid changed to new stuff under warranty but never had major issue

6.2 highway mileage is excellent

better than my old 2010 5.3 Tows the enclosed car hauler with ease

BUT AS SAID PAINT is crap mine is black. I had the hood and complete front Xpeled factory texture on rockers they peeled dealer redid under warranty but said only once ) I then put Xpel over the textured rockers !! and ceramic coating on whole truck from new but still chips / marks easily but hear the Ford / Ram no better

Overall been a great truck pbly keep til 2021 comes out They gotta come up with better / thicker clear coat that resists chipping.

mookdoc6 · July 22, 2020

The paint and sheet metal was as good as it got on the 800's. They now are all just a joke and that includes the other makers too. Be glad when you sell it nobody cares but YOU! Your not going to loose any KBB to the chips so best thing to do is......forge....t about.....it!

I have almost 120k on mine little over 4+ years....thankfully, I was smart enough to get the chrome front bumper even that feels like 80 grit!

Edited July 22, 2020 by mookdoc6

cheyenne383 · July 22, 2020

12 hours ago, mookdoc6 said:

The paint and sheet metal was as good as it got on the 800's. They now are all just a joke and that includes the other makers too. Be glad when you sell it nobody cares but YOU! Your not going to loose any KBB to the chips so best thing to do is......forge....t about.....it!

I have almost 120k on mine little over 4+ years....thankfully, I was smart enough to get the chrome front bumper even that feels like 80 grit!

I was amazed it didn't come up when I sold it... it's all I could see anymore but apparently people just look right past it.

Nanotech Environmental · July 22, 2020

Mine is a '17 ext cab 4x4 w/5.3 and a 6sp. Has over 90k miles on it now & It's been the best vehicle I've ever had. Replaced one front hub last year & that's been about it for mechanical stuff(it wasn't wobbling yet, it was growling for a long time, which was annoying). Still has orig brakes.
Every vehicle I've ever owned has had small paint chips in all sorts of places & this one isn't any different. I keep a touch-up stick handy for that.
The bluetooth can be a bit wonky occasionally.
Other than the small issues noted, it's been a great truck.