Rear lower control arm paint?

[ML320guy]

My rear lower control arm's, which are quite visible from the rear of the vehicle, are losing their paint. The "paint" seems to be a plastic coating that is coming off in big pieces. I was thinking about trying to remove all of it and then cleaning the control arms since they are aluminum. Anybody else deal with this issue?

[ML320guy]

Did anybody else have to deal with this "paint" issue on the rear suspension? (see my post, above)
Thanks.

[Spykster]

I've had the same issue on my '99 320ML. I sanded and cleaned up the surfaces with mineral spirits, then spray painted them with black flexible bumper paint. This has held up well over the past 6 months or so. We'll see how it survives a winter of salty Michigan roads.