Automotive parts advisor
Motor vehicle parts persons supply individuals, dealerships and garages with spare parts.
Also known as: Service adviser, motor vehicle parts person
- Starter salary£23,000 a year
- Experienced£35,000 a year
- Typical hours43 to 45 a week
What you'll do
As a motor vehicle parts person you'll:
- advise customers on which parts they might need for their vehicle
- take orders in person, over the phone or by email
- check stock availability
- get parts from the storeroom or order them from suppliers
- put together orders and send them by courier or deliver them yourself
- deal with payments, raise invoices and issue receipts
- maintain shop window and shelf displays
- order supplies, put stock away and update records
Working environment
You could work in a warehouse, in a stock room or at a car manufacturing plant.
Skills and knowledge you'll need
You'll need:
- the ability to work well with others
- customer service skills
- the ability to sell products and services
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- the ability to use your initiative
- excellent verbal communication skills
- the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
- active listening skills
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
How to become a automotive parts advisor
You can get into this job through:
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
- applying directly
College
You could take a college course to get some of the skills and knowledge needed for this job.
Courses include:
- vehicle systems maintenance
- vehicle fitting principles
- vehicle repair and technology
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for these courses vary.
Apprenticeship
You could apply to do an intermediate apprenticeship with a car spares supplier.
You could follow apprenticeship routes like:
- Customer Service Practitioner Level 2
- Trade Supplier Level 2
These take around a year to complete and are a mix of learning in the workplace and off-the-job study.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
Direct application
You may be able to apply for jobs directly if you've got experience in vehicle servicing, retail or stock control. You'll also need good technical knowledge of car parts, motoring accessories and how vehicles work.
Restrictions and requirements
You'll need a full UK driving licence if you have to make deliveries to customers.
Career path and progression
With experience, you could progress to a supervisor or service adviser job, or move into service and repair.
You may be able to become self-employed and run your own business as a parts supplier.
Guides for this industry
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- Job roleFast fit technician
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- Job roleWarehouse worker
- Job roleStock control assistant
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