The black coating on my 2016 boxxers has begun to wear on the left stanchion.

How big an issue is this? It’s not visibly removed the coating and everything seems to be smooth, it’s just the black colour as begun to wear turning it a lighter colour.

Do I need a new stanchion or will new seals and oil etc be ok?

Send them back and you’ll likely get a new pair for free. Lack of oil from factory causes the issue, quite common.

My 2013 pikes are doing this – air side front.

There are also striations which run up the stanchion – I’m guessing from the oil gaps in the bushes.

If I could be arsed, there’s a company which press new stanchions in – £50 a side, I think, and then new bushes with re-sizing from TFT.

But I can’t, so I’ll save for some Yari (and mod the Pike charger damper), some Lyrik or some MRP stages.

its isnt that big a deal – the oil in the lowers is to lubricate the bushes, not do any damping. Just keep on top of the lower servicing and they’ll be fine.

send it back, if only for resale value. I wouldn’t buy a second hand pair of forks with stanchion wear