Tanabe spring - paint wear

[cleong]

Might be because the ends of the coil spring has been hitting the coil itself. Have you been hearing noises from your suspension when it hits the bigger bumps? That'll probably be it. You could try looking for spring protectors, I think that is what they call it. My workshop fitted some snug fitting rubber hoses on the first one or two coils of each of my springs to help prevent it from making too much noise.