Dave, I had read somewhere on the forums that the older Qs were not powder coated, so I'm not sure if mine was or not, but it looked so bad I was willing to chance trying to paint it. Here's what I did. I first cleaned the surface (all the grease/grime) by spraying with WD40 and scrubbing with SOS pads. Be careful because this will discolor the original paint. After drying it off I then used dishwashing soap and water to wash the top, then dried it again. Following all the VHT recommendations I used the VHT high heat primer, then painted with VHT high heat paint, then finishing it off with VHT high heat clear coat to make it look glossy, because the paint is 'flat.' This was not a cheap endeavour, but was something I wanted to do. I adhered to the curing instructions the best I could. While probably not the most efficient way to cure the paint I placed the painted Q120 lid inside my Q320 (I wasn't going to cure it in the kitchen oven). Since then I've grilled with the Q120, which can get up to about 500 degrees, and I've not had any issues with the paint. Good luck.