Pay 'n' Spray is a spray shop/garage in which vehicles can be mended, repainted, and have the engine replaced. It serves three main functions - to repair a vehicle, to change the paint color,
A vehicle parked in front of the Pay N Spray in San Fierro.
and subsequently allow the player to lose wanted levels. The Pay 'n' Spray has been featured in all Grand Theft Auto games except GTA 2 (However, in GTA 2 there are Max Paynt garages and the two garage types' functions are almost the same).
Vehicle Repair[]
Driving a damaged vehicle into a Pay 'n' Spray will repair any body damage the vehicle has incurred, and will result in a re-spray of a different color, with a few exceptions. However, emergency vehicles cannot be driven into a Pay 'n' Spray, as the player receives some variation of the message, "WHOA! I don't touch anything THAT hot!" or "No way man! I don't touch those!” The only exceptions are the VCPD Cheetah in GTA Vice City and GTA Vice City Stories, and the FBI Car in GTA III, which is re-sprayed from black (pursuit version) to gray (road block version). In addition, bicycles weren’t allowed in Pay 'n' Spray, prompting the message, "I don't do toys!"
Wanted Level Reduction[]
Pay 'n' Spray allows the player to rapidly lose any wanted level, from 1 star to 6. Visiting a Pay 'n' Spray after incurring a wanted level results in a gradual reduction in police attention. During this probationary time period (where wanted stars flash), if any crimes are committed in view of a police officer, the full wanted level will be immediately reinstated. In GTA IV, the player can only enter a Pay n' Spray when they are out of sight of the police.