Automobile technician vs alignment technician

The differences between automobile technicians and alignment 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 automobile technician and an alignment technician. Additionally, an automobile technician has an average salary of $39,815, which is higher than the $38,020 average annual salary of an alignment technician.

The top three skills for an automobile technician include oil changes, preventive maintenance and engine tune-ups. The most important skills for an alignment technician are customer service, hand tools, and power steering.

Automobile technician vs alignment technician overview

	Automobile Technician	Alignment Technician
Yearly salary	$39,815	$38,020
Hourly rate	$19.14	$18.28
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	75,140	143,585
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 33%	High School Diploma, 40%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	2	2

Automobile technician vs alignment technician salary

Automobile technicians and alignment technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Automobile Technician	Alignment Technician
Average salary	$39,815	$38,020
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $59,000	Between $25,000 And $57,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between automobile technician and alignment technician education

There are a few differences between an automobile technician and an alignment technician in terms of educational background:

	Automobile Technician	Alignment Technician
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 33%	High School Diploma, 40%
Most common major	Automotive Technology	Automotive Technology
Most common college	-	-

Automobile technician vs alignment technician demographics

Here are the differences between automobile technicians' and alignment technicians' demographics:

	Automobile Technician	Alignment Technician
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 97.8% Female, 2.2%	Male, 95.9% Female, 4.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.8% Asian, 5.0% White, 59.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	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%
LGBT Percentage	2%	2%

Differences between automobile technician and alignment technician duties and responsibilities

Automobile technician example responsibilities.

Inspect cars, service and repairs specializing in BMW repairs, manage shop, price and order parts, customer service
Position: ASE certify automobile technician.
Service Toyota, domestic imports to rental trucks, preventative maintenance
Earn certifications through manufacturer and ASE classes/testing.
Perform extensive diagnosis and repair of automotive electrical systems.
Specialize in electronic and mechanical fuel injection systems and automatic transmission diagnosis and repair (foreign and domestic).

Alignment technician example responsibilities.

Repair wheels using grinders, sanders and paint equipment.
Straighten bend or damage alloy wheels.
Assist with MIG welding and exhaust work.
Perform all general lube and oil filter changes.
Used a grinder and DA sanders to remove damage from rims.
Clean and resize bearing fillet and dust guard seat using various grinders.

Automobile technician vs alignment technician skills

Common automobile technician skills

Oil Changes, 15%
Preventive Maintenance, 9%
Engine Tune-Ups, 8%
Diagnosis, 6%
Shop Equipment, 5%
Automotive Repair, 5%

Common alignment technician skills

Customer Service, 39%
Hand Tools, 34%
Power Steering, 10%
Customer Vehicles, 6%
Customer Satisfaction, 4%
Diagnosis, 1%

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Automobile Technician vs Alignment Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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