While he may not be a rich man, Mr Tan Leng Buck can claim to have been behind the wheel of many cars.

The 68-year-old is a low-wage worker who has spent nearly 45 years doing manual work as a spray-painter and car washer at various car workshops, earning less than $1,000 a month.

"There was no Central Provident Fund (CPF)," he said.

Mr Tan caught a break only at age 59, when he was hired as a driver by French carmaker Renault's local dealership Wearnes Automotive.

His colleagues at Wearnes call him "Uncle Heng".

"'Heng' is my nickname. It means luck in Hokkien," he said. "My parents called me that when I was young. I don't know why."

Has he been lucky in his life?

"I don't know how to answer your question," he replied. "I have worked hard all my life."

Mr Heng was born in July 1949 at a village in what is now Toa Payoh. His parents were vegetable sellers and he was the youngest of three children.

He dropped out of school at 14, after Primary 4.

"I was an overage pupil and I repeated Primary 4," he said. "I wasn't very good in studies so I had to start working."

His first job was an apprentice at a car workshop in Tiong Bahru.

"My salary was $20 a month," he said, at a time when a packet of mixed-vegetable rice cost 70 cents.

He started as a spray-painter because that was the easiest skill to pick up, he said, and kept at it for 39 years.

While others were tasked with painting the whole car, his job was to respray the parts that were damaged in accidents. With practice, he said, he became good at it.

"I would apply putty (a material used for car repairs) to cover the damaged part, let it dry overnight and spray the panel by hand."

He stopped mixing the paint by hand when machines took the job in the 1980s.

His salary was low and it depended on the number of cars he sprayed. On average, he earned "a few hundred dollars" a month.

He married a factory worker in 1980 and they rented a flat in Ang Mo Kio. In 1988, they bought a three-room flat in Hougang, where they continue to live today. The couple have no children.

"The flat is my biggest asset," he said.

In 2002, Mr Tan decided to stop working as a spray-painter.

"I was 53 and still healthy, but I did not want to keep smelling the paint because it is bad for health," he said. "I had to stop before I fell ill."

Mr Tan then struggled to land a stable job.

"I was in my 50s, I only have Primary 4 education, and the only experience I had was spray-painting cars for almost 40 years," he said in a wistful tone.

He found work as a car washer at a car dealership at Toa Payoh.

Mr Tan said: "I was paid by the number of cars I washed."

The workers were paid $2.50 in total for each car washed. "There were three workers, so I received about 80 cents," he said.

The three-man team worked about 10 hours each day washing about 80 cars.

"It was hard work. My hands and feet were wet the whole day. I earned about $60 to $70 a day, no CPF," he said.

But Mr Tan toughed it out, adding: "I had no choice because I needed the work."

In 2008, after washing cars for six years, Mr Tan caught a big break.

Wearnes was looking for a driver for its Renault dealership. Mr Tan heard about the opening from a friend who is the father of a Wearnes staff member.

He took a bus from his Hougang flat to the Renault showroom in Leng Kee Road and applied for the job. He was hired on the spot.

"I was really happy. I was 59 and the company hired me. I was told to start work the next day," he recounted.

His salary was "more than $1,000" and the company paid CPF. "It was my first stable job that paid regular CPF," he said.

Mr Tan works about 11 hours a day, from Monday to Friday, ferrying workers and customers.

He has a regular routine. He leaves his Hougang flat at 5.30am and takes the MRT and bus to the Renault showroom to pick up the company van.

He then drives the van to Jurong East MRT station to pick up workers and ferry them to the workshop in Jalan Pesawat, near Jurong Bird Park.

During the day, he drives the van between the workshop and Boon Lay MRT station, ferrying customers who send their cars for servicing at the workshop.

He leaves the workshop at 6pm and catches a lift in the same van to Boon Lay MRT station, where he makes his way home by public transport, reaching home at about 7.30pm.

"If you include travelling time, I spend about 13 to 14 hours out of my home," he said. "The workday is long, but the load and pace are manageable. The colleagues are respectful and nice to me."

Service consultant Mohd Rashid Othman, who has worked with Mr Tan for seven years, said: "Uncle Heng is quiet and hardworking. He doesn't complain. All of us like him."

Mr Tan has been re-hired on yearly contracts since 2011, when he turned 62. "I plan to keep working for as long as I am healthy," he said.

On his change of fortunes, he said with a smile: "Maybe this time I'm 'heng'."