>>>They do look powdercoated, but the parts guy said painted????? Dunno. <<<
They could both be right....powder coating just uses a near 100 % solids approach that does not need thinners and solvents to carry it through the air to the object being coated. Other than that it basically is paint. Fewer color choices though. The stuff gets sprayed onto a part to which it adheres due to electostatic attraction as the part gets an electrical connector put on it to help with that. The powder itself looks like talcum powder and doesn't look at all like the final finish. It looks like dust from dry sanding something painted. When the powder reaches about 400 F it melts and flows a bit and then solidifies. After about 15 minutes the part gets to slowly cool down and then it is done. No primer is needed in many cases, and only one coat is required. Due to the adhesion and high solids content and lack of porosity for solvent to evaporate, it tends to be far tougher than most conventional paints, harder too.