Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between auto mechanics and lube 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 a lube technician. Additionally, an auto mechanic has an average salary of $41,683, which is higher than the $29,959 average annual salary of a lube technician.
The top three skills for an auto mechanic include customer vehicles, customer service and diagnosis. The most important skills for a lube technician are work ethic, customer service, and hand tools.
| Auto Mechanic | Lube Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $41,683 | $29,959 |
| Hourly rate | $20.04 | $14.40 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 95,553 | 131,008 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.5 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 47% | High School Diploma, 53% |
| 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.
A Lube Technician specializes in automotive repairs and maintenance, focusing on lubricating particular engine parts. However, Lube Technicians can also conduct necessary inspection and maintenance of vehicles, change oil or filter, replace parts such as engines and batteries, and perform tire changes or inflation. A Lube Technician usually works as a member of a team or company, so it is essential to have efficient communication, coordination, attention to detail, and build rapport with clients to establish a client-base.
Auto mechanics and lube technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Auto Mechanic | Lube Technician | |
| Average salary | $41,683 | $29,959 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $59,000 | Between $23,000 And $37,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Denver, CO |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | City of Detroit | Martin Marietta |
| Best paying industry | Government | Retail |
There are a few differences between an auto mechanic and a lube technician in terms of educational background:
| Auto Mechanic | Lube Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 47% | High School Diploma, 53% |
| Most common major | Automotive Technology | Automotive Technology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between auto mechanics' and lube technicians' demographics:
| Auto Mechanic | Lube Technician | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 96.4% Female, 3.6% | Male, 93.7% Female, 6.3% |
| 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, 9.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 20.4% Asian, 5.4% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 2% |