Joe,
My car was painted prior to my purchase in 1989 and I do not know who painted it. Best I can figure is they used a slightly texture rocker paint. Not sure on how they prepped the trim either, guessing scotchbrite scuff. It has held up pretty well.
When I had my wheel centers painted, I think we ended up using a VW rocker paint that matched texture and satin sheen quite well.
I need to replace the worn out drivers side mirror, my plan is to scotchbrite it and hopefully use the POR 15 Top Coat aerosol I have left over from painting my control arms.
I was very pleased with how the POR 15 sprayed out.
I know Mark used Cerakote on Hellfire's trim, he mentioned it chipped easily which surprised me as it appears to perform very well on firearms. Possibly the base metal deflects beyond the elasticity limits of the Cerakote. Charley may be able to provide more info.