--- title: "2023 Chevy Colorado frame is painted, not wax coated" url: "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2023/04/2023-chevy-colorado-frame-is-painted-not-wax-coated/" publisher: "Pickup Truck + SUV Talk" content_signal: "search=yes, ai-input=yes, ai-train=no" author: "Tim Esterdahl" published: "2023-04-17T13:19:33+00:00" modified: "2026-08-19T16:06:26+00:00" image: "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/340389745_603572935136022_713462935931341773_n.jpg" --- # 2023 Chevy Colorado frame is painted, not wax coated By Tim Esterdahl Published: 2023-04-17T13:19:33+00:00 Updated: 2026-08-19T16:06:26+00:00 ![Featured image]() New owners of the 2023 Chevy Colorado are noticing their frames are painted, not wax coated like the fullsize Silverado. This has created a debate on why GM would offer truck frames with two different corrosion coatings. The all-new [2023 Chevy Colorado]() has a new powertrain, off-road goodies and a completely new design inside and out. It also carries on the painted frame coating from the prior-generation. [Internet research]() points to GM changing to a painted frame when the Colorado replaced the S-10 while keeping the fullsize trucks and fullsize SUVs (Tahoe, Yukon, Suburban, etc…) with a [wax coating for rust corrosion](). ## **2023 Chevy Colorado frame** Brendon Young picked up his new Chevy Colorado and noticed the change in frame coating. He shared it on a [Facebook group]() and sent me pictures confirming the change. You can see painted frame in this pictures. ![2023 Chevy Colorado frame]() ![]() ![]() This is a big switch from the wax coating typically applied to GM trucks. Anisha Sredzinski, Chevrolet Trucks & FSSUVs, Communications Manager Communications, confirmed the frame is painted and not wax. ## **Wax vs e-coating (paint)** For years, GM has been the only full-size truck brand to put a wax coating on their trucks and not just using e-coating aka painting them like their competitors. Through various conversations with GM engineers, they have defended the wax coating as being superior to painted frames since the wax will “grow back” over any scratches on the frame unlike a painted frame. If you put a scratch on a painted frame, you could expose the frame to rust. With the wax frame, the scratch goes away over time as the wax fills it in. Truck owners have criticized the wax for falling off especially in areas that use salt on roads. They say the frame is now not protected at all and would prefer it just to be an e-coat or paint. For the e-coating, it is an immersion wet paint finishing process that uses electrical current to attract the paint product to a metal surface. Basically, they charge the paint and the frame with either a negative or positive charge and then they apply the paint. This electrical charge pulls in the paint, even into tiny spaces, reduces overspray and creates an even paint application. It is widely used in automotive like how [Bilstein paints their shocks](). I can confirm the Chevy Silverado 1500 still has a wax frame after I crawled underneath and checked our [long-term test model](). ![]() 2023 Chevy Silverado 1500 frame I’ve reached out to GMC on the [2023 Canyon]() and Patrick Sullivan, GMC Senior Manager, Product & Brand Communications, confirmed it was painted. When I asked him further on why GM does an e-coat as well as a wax, he had this to say. “The difference in coating between the Sierra and the Canyon is based on engineering decisions when the respective architectures were being developed,” Sullivan said. “Both solutions – waxed coating for Sierra and painted coating for the Canyon – meet our high standards for corrosion.” Since Chevrolet and GMC are similar trucks, the explanation applies to both.![]() ## **The bottom line** This is a curious piece of news and raises a lot of questions on why GM is offering two different coatings. Why didn’t they make the change universal on all their trucks and what is the future for GM truck frames – wax or paint? This decision creates confusion and doubt for many customers and is just plain odd. ## Related vehicle coverage - [2023 Chevrolet Colorado]() ## Structured page information ~~~json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Article", "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2023/04/2023-chevy-colorado-frame-is-painted-not-wax-coated/#article", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2023/04/2023-chevy-colorado-frame-is-painted-not-wax-coated/" }, "author": { "name": "Tim Esterdahl", "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/#/schema/person/82b06f99329f69a069a5ab6caed18593" }, "headline": "2023 Chevy Colorado frame is painted, not wax coated", "datePublished": "2023-04-17T13:19:33+00:00", "dateModified": "2026-08-19T16:06:26+00:00", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2023/04/2023-chevy-colorado-frame-is-painted-not-wax-coated/" }, "wordCount": 584, "commentCount": 5, "publisher": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/#organization" }, "image": { 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