PETER SHERLOCK smiles as he shakes hands. He has a firm grip, safe in the knowledge that his fingers will leave no oily residue. As well as being spotlessly clean, his hand is smooth and soft. There is no roughness.

He sits down on a white plastic chair. Again he is deliberate and confident, secure in the knowledge his blue and grey overalls will not leave a dirty smudge.

Today's mechanic does not emerge into the light of day like a coal miner from a cavernous pit. The days of filth and grease in the modern garage are almost over, thanks to EC directives and the growing sophistication of car design. Mechanics must wear rubber gloves when they work with oil, petrol or other dirty and dangerous substances. They must wear overalls and safety boots with steel caps and on occasion goggles. They also use computers in their work. "Everything is run by computer," says Sherlock. "Everything is complicated.

A few years ago "their hands would be like rocks," he says of the mechanics who never wore gloves. "Their skin would be cracked from using petrol and benzine. Some would have severe dermititus where your hands bleed."

Sherlock, who grew up in Donaghmede on Dublin's northside, is one of four mechanics employed at Finglas Motors Ltd in Dublin. He says that the work is not for everyone, especially as there are quicker and easier ways of making more money. "A lot of people wouldn't be interested in getting into it... At the moment I'm happy enough. It would be a lot better if the wages were better.

He liked metalwork and woodwork at school. He went to Plunkett College, Whitehall on Swords Road. His older brother was a mechanic. "Friends of his were mechanics as well," says the younger Sherlock who soon followed his brother into the trade. After passing his Group Cert, he left school at 15 to begin his apprenticeship at FAS. He says, with a smile, that his brother eventually found the job too dirty and has since moved on to panel beating.

In his first year Sherlock attended the Finglas FAS Training Centre, spending some alternate weeks at DIT Bolton Street. Out of interest during his first year, he spent Friday afternoons at Finglas Motors. In second, third and fourth years, he worked there as an apprentice. He studied at the FAS Centre and spent a day a week at Bolton Street, sitting exams at the end of each year. He took exams in Motor Vehicle theory, in garage practice and in auto electricity as well as supplementary exams. He also sat City and Guilds exams during bank holiday weekends to get additional qualifications. "It all adds up in the end," he explains.

Regarding the expense of the exams, ranging in cost from £16 to £25 each, he says "It's a lot when you're only an apprentice."

After finishing his apprenticeship, he was employed by Finglas Motors and he has worked there for the past three years. He admits that there are times when his work is frustrating. "There's a lot of people tinkering around with their cars, they'll end up breaking your heart... They wouldn't have a clue."

But there is plenty of job satisfaction too. "When a car comes in on the back of a tow truck and it's going out and you're after fixing it, you feel great."

Being able to fix cars of every description as well as household gadgets and machines is another bonus. He is never inhibited by complicated diagrams or wiring systems. Being a mechanic "gives you a wider perspective. Fixing things in the home, fixing the lawn mower, understanding things that are electric, it's a big help.

His jobs each day in the garage can range widely from doing a basic service to overhauling the gear box, putting in alarms, fitting windows or a new set of (key) barrels or dealing with a wiring problem. A shock off the ignition system on a cold, damp morning is something that can happen also and keep him on his toes. "It could give you a good old kick," says Sherlock with a shrug.

The garage where he works is "only after turning over to Ford", he says. Courses on each new car are put on for the mechanics in order to introduce them to changes and improvement.

"If you don't know your stuff, you re lost," says Sherlock.