Pay 'n' Spray

Updated 29 October 2026 · Fan site. Not affiliated with Rockstar Games or Take-Two Interactive.

Pay 'n' Spray is the respray garage chain of Grand Theft Auto. Drive in with the police on your tail and your car comes out repaired, repainted and free of its wanted level. It first appeared under that name in GTA III (2001) at $1,000 a visit, later dropped to $100, and was replaced by Los Santos Customs in GTA V.

What does Pay 'n' Spray do in GTA?

A Pay 'n' Spray does three jobs at once. It fixes the bodywork and engine of the car you drive in, gives it a new coat of paint, and makes the police lose interest in you. That last part is why it matters. With a wanted level climbing, finding the nearest garage is often the quickest way out of trouble.

According to GTA Wiki, the new colour usually comes from the list of colours that car model can have in normal traffic, so cars with a single fixed colour keep it. Most emergency vehicles are turned away at the door, and San Andreas also refuses bicycles.

There are limits to what the paint shop can fix. GTA Wiki notes that beaten-up cars which are designed to look damaged keep their dents after a respray. In GTA IV and its episodes, driving a wrecked car in brings up a special message instead of a repair. The same source records a few bugs in that game, including one where repeated visits lock some cars into dark colours.

When did Pay 'n' Spray first appear?

The Pay 'n' Spray name begins with Grand Theft Auto III in 2001. The idea is older. GTA Wiki describes the respray shops of the original Grand Theft Auto (1997) as the first version, where the cost depended on the car and its damage. Grand Theft Auto 2 (1999) had Max Paynt, which charged $5,000. After GTA III, the chain turned up in every main game until GTA V.

How does Pay 'n' Spray clear your wanted level?

In GTA III, the stars vanish as soon as the respray is done. In the later 3D games, GTA Wiki says the stars flash for a short time afterwards. That works like probation: commit a crime during it and the police come straight back.

The HD games add a different rule. In GTA IV, its episodes and Chinatown Wars, the wanted level is cleared at once, but the garage will only take you if the police cannot see you. A visit also moves the clock forward: three in-game hours in GTA IV and two in Chinatown Wars, according to GTA Wiki. In GTA IV that can mean a missed date or a failed mission.

How much does Pay 'n' Spray cost?

The price has changed a lot over the years. The figures below come from GTA Wiki.

Some visits cost nothing. From Vice City to GTA IV, a respray is free if the car is undamaged. Visits during the early tutorial missions are free too. In San Andreas, dating Michelle Cannes unlocks Michelle's Auto Repair, which offers the same services for free. In Vice City Stories, finishing a certain side mission makes every Pay 'n' Spray free.

Is there a Pay 'n' Spray in GTA V?

No. Grand Theft Auto V and GTA Online hand the job to Los Santos Customs, a full tuning shop. GTA Wiki says driving in can still clear any wanted level, but the door stays shut if the police spot you on the way. It also lists four branches: three in Los Santos and one on Route 68 in Harmony, Blaine County. Franklin Clinton can buy the Harmony branch for $349,000.

Los Santos Customs goes far beyond a respray. It sells engine, brake and suspension upgrades, armour, wheels, window tints and many paint finishes. In GTA Online it also buys some cars from players and can fit remote and ignition bombs.

GTA Wiki gives some figures for the online side. Once per in-game day, a player can sell an undamaged car there for about a tenth of its retail value, while personal vehicles bought in the game sell back for 60% of their cost plus half of what was spent on upgrades. In story mode, Franklin's Harmony branch pays him $1,600 a week and lets him modify his own cars there for free.

What other garages are in GTA?

Bombs have their own garages in the 3D era. GTA Wiki says 8-Ball, the explosives expert from GTA III, runs 8-Ball Autos, a set of explosives garages with branches in Liberty City, Vice City and San Andreas. San Andreas also adds mod garages where cars can be customised, and GTA Wiki notes that a Pay 'n' Spray keeps that custom paint rather than replacing it.