Vehicle spray painter

You would apply the right colour and finish to cars and other vehicles to cover repairs or remove scratches and minor damage.

You’d make sure that the newly-painted areas match the rest of the car so people cannot see the difference.

You would:

• Set up the spray equipment

• Mix paint by eye or using computer technology to ensure the best colour match

• Clean and prepare the surfaces to be painted

• Mask areas that are not going to be painted

• Apply coats of primer

• Apply the main paint, followed by the finish

• Check finished jobs as part of quality control

• Clean and maintain spray equipment

• Treat vehicles with rust-proofing chemicals.

You’d use specialist equipment like a manual spray gun or automated equipment. You’d need to follow strict safety procedures for using hazardous materials, and be careful not to contaminate the work area.

The type of vehicles you'd work on could include light vehicles like cars, vans and motorcycles or heavy vehicles like lorries, trucks, buses and coaches.

You'd need to maintain the quality of your work under pressure.

• Institute of the Motor Industry – careers information for people working in the automotive industry