My 2016 Silverado 2500 is getting long in the tooth and got a bad rock chip on the driver's side rear door pillar causing the paint to bubble & peel.

I am contemplating repainting it as I am the original owner and have put all 188,000 miles on it and it has zero issues. It has a few quirks here and there but for the most part I have no issues with it. Everything works as it should and it's been EGR & DPF deleted, FASS lift pump, PPEI tuned, and CP3 conversion. I don't know how much longer the transmission has but it'd been serviced as needed in the past and shifts well except under heavy load (may have to do with the stage 3 tune). I am going to try and get a quote this week for the repaint.

The other option is to replace the truck either this year or next year with a newer model. I am a contractor but I do not know how the age/look of a vehicle impacts a homeowner's decision in selecting a contractor versus the actual cost of the work. I do not have any logos or wrap on the truck and nor will the new truck have any.

This is merely a question of a) is it worth repainting if I want to keep it, b) does a customer really care what a contractor drives/how their vehicle looks, c) would you just bite the bullet and replace it?

Just looking for opinions from everyone, my company has the means to replace it but I love the truck and can't imagine parting with it.

Thanks!

Honestly if you do good work at a fair price you could drive whatever you want.

If you do ****ty work at a stupid price point then you at least better look the ****ing part.

With all that work done I'd keep it and get a repaint. You've taken care of the issues with that generation, it should go another 188k miles easily. Personally, if a contractor shows up in a flashy new truck with all kinds of upgrades, it's a red flag for me. I've seen way too many pour money into toys and deliver a bad product by cutting corners. It seems like well maintained older trucks are driven by people with good attention to detail. My old trucks tend to be a conversation piece with my customers, and they don't feel like they're being screwed by a guy trying to support a champagne lifestyle.

The exception is painters. I like a painter rolling up in a beater filled with empty beer cans. Those guys sober up for a few hours and knock out great work, then head back out on another bender.

Paint that pony!

Way more cost effective than your other options, especially if she's given you no trouble for the most part. 2016 isn't that old either so with a new paint job it'll still look fresh.

Maybe a good body shop could paint/blend just the damaged area? Then have paint correction, clay bar, wax and detail done.

I think a clean, OBS 7.3 Powerstroke is the most trustworthy vehicle a contractor can drive.

I remember one time pulling up to an owner's meeting to request a change order and my boss and I parked side by side. I was in my almost brand new High Country Duramax and he was in his brand new Denali. Not a good look.

I have nothing constructive to add to the thread, beyond that.

I'm in the same camp as Centerhill above.

My main work truck used for sales, customers, gopher work is a 2002 F150 Super Crew with 400,000 miles. It's paint is not the best but it does polish to a 20/20 shine and has no serious dents or dings. My other one is a nearly mint 2005 F250 Crew Cab with 130,000 miles and no dents at all.

The trucks looked good when they were bought and they look good now. To me, I get a lot of conversation out of the old trucks. I've considered the appearance to customers but i also consider the flip side….if I'm tying to sell and work on someone's house, and I roll up in a 104,000 dollar truck….is that better?

I don't know, some may say "that dude makes too much money and it's not going to be off me" Or they might say "he clearly does well because he must be good at what he does."….I can't say. It depends on the person. I'm a roofer, so sometimes I'm already fighting a stigma set by others that may have come before I did.

I would repaint mine if it was mechanically sound because I don't want to spend my money on a new truck that gains me nothing in capability just because it's new. That's just me though. I figure it's more financially responsible for me to keep my old ones. If I cant look out for my costs, then how can I be expected to look out for a customers?

If my trucks were unreliable then that's a whole different situation.

Just my thoughts. You'll have to make that call.

When in doubt, dip it out

What's the saying about "the devil you know"?

You know your truck inside and out and have taken care of the major problem areas. Anything new could have the potential to be a major PITA - I've seen some horror stories from new vehicle owners. Yeah, there's a warranty, but that does nothing when you can barely get a loaner and the shop can't get parts for weeks.

As for appearances, my buddy is a builder of high end custom homes and does some major projects like commercial centers, wineries, etc. His previous vehicles have been a 2012 Focus (bought used and put 300k-400k miles on it), a 2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee with a few hundred thousand miles, a 2012 6.7 (bought in 2020), and most recently a 2018ish stripper F250. He was always of the opinion that you don't want to show up flashy or customers will think you're screwing them.

Don't know the size of your operation, but maybe leave it alone and use it when you have heavy loads, or pass it along to your employees and get yourself a half ton.

And, it matters to me what a contractor drives. I don't want the guy in an expensive flashy truck. New is fine, but I don't want to see a 120k truck because then I know he is charging me too much to pay for it. I also don't want someone in an awful beater. If it is old, it needs to look respectable. If new, needs to be reasonable. Once you have the job, drive all the beaters you want, but a super fancy new truck is still not ok. And, if you drive a beater, don't leak oil in my driveway. That's just rude.

TRIDENT said:

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Maybe a good body shop could paint/blend just the damaged area? Then have paint correction, clay bar, wax and detail done.

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. This, a paint correction and good clean/wax will do wonders for old paint

Either do what the last post said or go for a Marco paint job. Quality varies greatly from shop to shop I think. It's much better than not repainting although it may not be as good a quality as an independent shop it will be a lot more affordable.

I looked at having my 1996 dodge dually repainted four years ago. I was quoted anywhere from 3-5k from four different shops to paint the same color(white). They would dent repair on the small dings & dents. I opted to DIY with the help of a painter friend. In 2 years I've got the new replacement bed painted. Lol. Eventually I'll get the rest done.