Having a full team of experts at your dealership is essential to offering the best services to your customers. Hiring a skilled Automotive Paint Technician is one piece of that puzzle. In this article, we’ll outline the job description and required qualifications for this role to help you find the right person for the team. 

What is an Automotive Paint Technician?

An automotive paint technician is the professional at a car dealership who is in charge of applying all paint and coatings to vehicles, including resurfacing, priming, painting, and finishing—all responsibilities that have to do with the surface finish of a vehicle.¹

What Does an Automotive Paint Technician Do?

As the owner or manager of a dealership, if you’re hiring a paint technician, you can use the following list as a template for your job posting. Additionally, if you’re looking for a job as an automotive paint technician, you’ll be expected to have proficiency in the following areas:

• Prepare all surfaces for paint jobs to ensure a smooth finish.
• Match colors and mix paints to achieve accurate reproduction to blend with the vehicle’s existing finish. 
• Apply paint finishes using various preparation and application techniques, including using sprays, solvents, brushes, and rollers. 
• Repair all surface defects on customer vehicles and used vehicles. Successfully use knowledge of fixing scratches, chips, and dents. 
• Demonstrate exceptional attention to detail to ensure the highest quality finish on every vehicle. 
• Adhere to all safety rules and regulations to ensure the health of the team and work environment.
• Stay up to date with industry trends and techniques. 
• Collaborate effectively with other teams in the dealership. 
• Demonstrate commitment to customer service and satisfaction.¹ 
• Maintain a clean and organized work area. 
• Inspect existing finishes to find any flaws and double-check all painted areas to prevent any runs or sags. 
• Heat and spray wax onto products. 
• Adhere to all OSHA requirements.² 
• Complete minor repairs that include sanding and grinding.³ 

How Can Someone Become an Automotive Paint Technician?

To become an automotive paint technician, you’ll need a high school diploma or GED. The field is becoming increasingly competitive, so having additional qualifications is often necessary. These can be completed in a post-secondary program at technical colleges, automotive institutes, community colleges, and other institutions. These programs will teach the fundamentals of painting, welding, metal work, body finishing, glass replacement, detailing, and other coursework that will give you a substantial automotive knowledge base. 

Additionally, the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence established a certification for automotive paint technicians which can help you gain respect in the field, build your expertise, and become eligible to earn higher salaries.⁴

In addition to the formal qualifications, prospective automotive paint technicians should be sure to have the following transferable skills: 

• Language comprehension and the ability to understand instructions and communications. 
• Ability to understand and interpret financial, mathematical, and scientific information related to the materials, instructions, and preparation methods of the job. 
• Basic arithmetic skills, an understanding of ratios, weights, percentages, and unit conversions.² 

What to Look for When Hiring an Automotive Paint Technician

Beyond the core skills and qualifications listed above, there are other transferable skills and qualities that you should look for in automotive paint technician candidates, primarily: 

• Attention to detail: This is one of the most important qualities, as the whole job revolves around fine-tuned, detail-oriented tasks to ensure a high-quality outcome. 
• Passion for cars: It’s important that your paint technician is motivated to do a great job every day, and having a general passion for and interest in vehicles is an important piece of that puzzle.
• Paint knowledge: An understanding of the materials and processes is key for this role.
• Craftsmanship: Technical proficiency and an ability to successfully complete manual tasks will lay the foundation for a high level of execution. 
• Time management: In order to meet customer needs and fit in with the workflow of the dealership, strong time management skills are essential.¹

Partner With ACV Auctions

We know that dealerships that are building a strong team are also looking to offer the best inventory. At ACV Auctions, we can help you with that second piece. Our full-service platform supports dealers like you, as we make it easy to feel confident that you’re bidding on quality vehicles. Each one comes with a report completed by our expert team and includes all the details you need to know. Reach out to us today to get started.

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Sources 

1. Body Shop Jobs. “Auto Body Paint Technician.” Body Shop Jobs. Retrieved June 17, 2024. https://bodyshopjobs.com/Auto-Body-Paint-Technician 
2. AutoJobs.com. “Auto Body Paint Technician Job Description.” Autojobs.com. Retrieved June 17, 2024. https://www.autojobs.com/jobs/auto-body-paint-technician-job-description/ 
3. Carmax. “Automotive Painter.” Carmax. Retrieved June 17, 2024. https://careers.carmax.com/us/en/job/JR-131506/Automotive-Painter 
4. Auto Mechanic School Edu. “Auto Paint Technician Job Description.” Auto Mechanic School Edu. Retrieved June 17, 2024.  https://www.automechanicschooledu.org/auto-paint-technician/