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The differences between auto technicians and light wheel mechanics 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 technician and a light wheel mechanic. Additionally, a light wheel mechanic has an average salary of $41,948, which is higher than the $41,435 average annual salary of an auto technician.
The top three skills for an auto technician include taking care, preventive maintenance and customer vehicles. The most important skills for a light wheel mechanic are mechanical problems, electrical systems, and equipment systems.
| Auto Technician | Light Wheel Mechanic | |
| Yearly salary | $41,435 | $41,948 |
| Hourly rate | $19.92 | $20.17 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 131,515 | 90,297 |
| Job satisfaction | 2 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 38% | High School Diploma, 41% |
| Average age | 40 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
A light wheel mechanic is responsible for maintaining the optimal performance and efficiency of light-wheeled vehicles used for industrial operations, especially in a military setting. Light wheel mechanics inspect the condition of the vehicle's engine, perform preventive maintenance, replace defective components, assemble upgrade systems based on schematics and blueprints, and create resolution reports for reference. They must have excellent knowledge of the auto-mechanic industry to determine faults and identify repairs, avoiding delays, complications, and hazards during operations.
Auto technicians and light wheel mechanics have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Auto Technician | Light Wheel Mechanic | |
| Average salary | $41,435 | $41,948 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $59,000 | Between $25,000 And $67,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sterling, VA | - |
| Highest paying state | Washington | - |
| Best paying company | Deloitte | - |
| Best paying industry | Retail | - |
There are a few differences between an auto technician and a light wheel mechanic in terms of educational background:
| Auto Technician | Light Wheel Mechanic | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 38% | High School Diploma, 41% |
| Most common major | Automotive Technology | Automotive Technology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between auto technicians' and light wheel mechanics' demographics:
| Auto Technician | Light Wheel Mechanic | |
| Average age | 40 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 95.1% Female, 4.9% | Male, 87.4% Female, 12.6% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 2.5% White, 65.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 2% |