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The differences between auto mechanics 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 auto mechanic and an auto technician. Additionally, an auto mechanic has an average salary of $41,683, which is higher than the $41,435 average annual salary of an auto technician.
The top three skills for an auto mechanic include customer vehicles, customer service and diagnosis. The most important skills for an auto technician are taking care, preventive maintenance, and customer vehicles.
| Auto Mechanic | Auto Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $41,683 | $41,435 |
| Hourly rate | $20.04 | $19.92 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 95,553 | 131,515 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 2 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 47% | High School Diploma, 38% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An auto mechanic's role is to repair and maintain automotive vehicles, ensuring that they function efficiently and safely. They are primarily responsible for discussing issues with clients, inspecting vehicles to identify the root of problems, performing test drives, and conducting corrective measures. Sometimes this is done in collaboration with other mechanics to ensure accuracy and speed. They can also replace oil, brakes, and even other fluids. Moreover, an auto mechanic must inform the extent of repairs to clients, letting them know which parts need replacement or fixes.
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.
Auto mechanics and auto technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Auto Mechanic | Auto Technician | |
| Average salary | $41,683 | $41,435 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $59,000 | Between $28,000 And $59,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Sterling, VA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | City of Detroit | Deloitte |
| Best paying industry | Government | Retail |
There are a few differences between an auto mechanic and an auto technician in terms of educational background:
| Auto Mechanic | Auto Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 47% | High School Diploma, 38% |
| Most common major | Automotive Technology | Automotive Technology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between auto mechanics' and auto technicians' demographics:
| Auto Mechanic | Auto Technician | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 96.4% Female, 3.6% | Male, 95.1% Female, 4.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.6% Asian, 5.0% White, 60.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | 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% |