Auto body detailer vs auto body technician

The differences between auto body detailers and auto body technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an auto body technician has an average salary of $39,232, which is higher than the $27,378 average annual salary of an auto body detailer.

The top three skills for an auto body detailer include customer vehicles, vacuums and loose dirt. The most important skills for an auto body technician are spray guns, customer service, and collision repair.

Auto body detailer vs auto body technician overview

	Auto Body Detailer	Auto Body Technician
Yearly salary	$27,378	$39,232
Hourly rate	$13.16	$18.86
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	13,170	17,467
Job satisfaction	-	2
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 62%	High School Diploma, 45%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	-	-

Auto body detailer vs auto body technician salary

Auto body detailers and auto body technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Auto Body Detailer	Auto Body Technician
Average salary	$27,378	$39,232
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $34,000	Between $27,000 And $55,000
Highest paying City	-	Sacramento, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	W&W
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between auto body detailer and auto body technician education

There are a few differences between an auto body detailer and an auto body technician in terms of educational background:

	Auto Body Detailer	Auto Body Technician
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 62%	High School Diploma, 45%
Most common major	Automotive Technology	Automotive Technology
Most common college	-	-

Auto body detailer vs auto body technician demographics

Here are the differences between auto body detailers' and auto body technicians' demographics:

	Auto Body Detailer	Auto Body Technician
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 94.7% Female, 5.3%	Male, 95.2% Female, 4.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.5% Asian, 1.7% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 7.1% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.6% Asian, 1.7% White, 66.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between auto body detailer and auto body technician duties and responsibilities

Auto body detailer example responsibilities.

Attain ICAR and ASE master technician status.
Include mixing and measuring of various chemicals, also sanding, and sandblasting, bondo work, and dent repair.
Straighten, repair, and replace automotive body parts and frames; including metal straightening, bondo work, and welding.
Provide professional automobile detailing services with a variety of cleaning techniques and products to ensure the desired level of superior cleanliness.
Utilize sophisticate diagnostic equipment to troubleshoot and correct vehicle computer, electrical, and mechanical, problems.

Auto body technician example responsibilities.

Attain ICAR and ASE master technician status.
Replace inner and outer body panels using MIG and spot welding machines.
Repair all makes and models (big jobs/small jobs) A/C work.
Disassemble cars fenders, chrome trim, badges.
Load aluminum body side onto jig for automate welding.
Steel, aluminum, and fiberglass repair and fabrication.

Auto body detailer vs auto body technician skills

Common auto body detailer skills

Customer Vehicles, 59%
Vacuums, 28%
Loose Dirt, 7%
Auto Body Repair, 6%

Common auto body technician skills

Spray Guns, 23%
Customer Service, 20%
Collision Repair, 8%
ASE, 6%
Repair Vehicles, 6%
Work Ethic, 6%

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Auto Body Detailer
Auto Body Detailer vs Auto Body Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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