I did the media blast on mine and then primed/painted using Dupont Centari ( three-component, 5.0 VOC, acrylic enamel topcoat ) But then I live in Texas, no rock salt/chloride or sand on the roads.. The blueish tint is from the blue tarp covering the car. It is very durable (obviously not as hard as the armor coating!) Whatever you do don't do the rubberized coating that everyone uses in the inner fenders. It will come off when using a power washer and a lot of them spray on with a brownish color. . It will peal and hold moisture in the crevices.