With regard to powder coating, there has been some criticism because it can get water underneath, and on front suspension components stone chips will show on it, but when I had that problem on an old Caterham, which always come with powder coated parts, I found that rubbing down the damaged area to bare metal, and spraying with a Satin finish black paint, maybe Hammerite smooth or similar, worked so well that it was almost impossible to see the repair. Worth bearing in mind for future repairs.
