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The differences between alignment technicians and auto technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an alignment technician and an auto technician. Additionally, an auto technician has an average salary of $41,435, which is higher than the $38,020 average annual salary of an alignment technician.
The top three skills for an alignment technician include customer service, hand tools and power steering. The most important skills for an auto technician are taking care, preventive maintenance, and customer vehicles.
| Alignment Technician | Auto Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $38,020 | $41,435 |
| Hourly rate | $18.28 | $19.92 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 143,585 | 131,515 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 2 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 40% | High School Diploma, 38% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Alignment Technicians are responsible for the alignment process of wheels and tires of a vehicle. Their duties include completing work repair orders, driving vehicles to the wheel alignment rack, and administering regular tests of the bent axle, bent steering rods, worn ball joints, and faulty wheel alignment. They are also involved in straightening axles, adjusting shims, straightening steering rods, and joining pins to undertake new parts installation or wheel alignment. They also perform counterweights hammering, shock absorber installations, and frame straightening. Other duties may include ensuring work complies with factory standards, attending product training by the manufacturer, and safely operating equipment and tools.
An auto technician specializes in performing inspections, repairs, and maintenance on different automotive vehicles ranging from small cars to light trucks. Their responsibilities revolve around identifying issues using various diagnostic tools to determine which course of action to take, discussing the extent of repairs to clients, and ordering car parts from suppliers. There are also instances when an auto technician may have the task of maintaining the cleanliness of the workplace, or participate in record-keeping and monitoring the inventory.
Alignment technicians and auto technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Alignment Technician | Auto Technician | |
| Average salary | $38,020 | $41,435 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $57,000 | Between $28,000 And $59,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Sterling, VA |
| Highest paying state | - | Washington |
| Best paying company | - | Deloitte |
| Best paying industry | - | Retail |
There are a few differences between an alignment technician and an auto technician in terms of educational background:
| Alignment Technician | Auto Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 40% | High School Diploma, 38% |
| Most common major | Automotive Technology | Automotive Technology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between alignment technicians' and auto technicians' demographics:
| Alignment Technician | Auto Technician | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 95.9% Female, 4.1% | Male, 95.1% Female, 4.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.9% Asian, 5.8% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.5% Asian, 5.0% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 2% |