Automotive refinish technician vs alignment technician

The differences between automotive refinish technicians and alignment technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an automotive refinish technician, becoming an alignment technician takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an automotive refinish technician has an average salary of $40,513, which is higher than the $38,020 average annual salary of an alignment technician.

The top three skills for an automotive refinish technician include R, PPG and dealership procedures. The most important skills for an alignment technician are customer service, hand tools, and power steering.

Automotive refinish technician vs alignment technician overview

	Automotive Refinish Technician	Alignment Technician
Yearly salary	$40,513	$38,020
Hourly rate	$19.48	$18.28
Growth rate	2%	1%
Number of jobs	66,119	143,585
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	High School Diploma, 40%
Average age	42	40
Years of experience	4	2

Automotive refinish technician vs alignment technician salary

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

	Automotive Refinish Technician	Alignment Technician
Average salary	$40,513	$38,020
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $58,000	Between $25,000 And $57,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between automotive refinish technician and alignment technician education

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

	Automotive Refinish Technician	Alignment Technician
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	High School Diploma, 40%
Most common major	Automotive Technology	Automotive Technology
Most common college	-	-

Automotive refinish technician vs alignment technician demographics

Here are the differences between automotive refinish technicians' and alignment technicians' demographics:

	Automotive Refinish Technician	Alignment Technician
Average age	42	40
Gender ratio	Male, 98.0% Female, 2.0%	Male, 95.9% Female, 4.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 22.5% Asian, 3.3% White, 58.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	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	4%	2%

Differences between automotive refinish technician and alignment technician duties and responsibilities

Automotive refinish technician example responsibilities.

Inspect cars, service and repairs specializing in BMW repairs, manage shop, price and order parts, customer service
Implement PLC programming and troubleshooting procedures while also initiating and executing process improvements and conducting parts research when necessary.
Disassemble components and repair or replace damage parts of engine, transmission, a/c and various other assemblies.

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.

Automotive refinish technician vs alignment technician skills

Common automotive refinish technician skills

R, 38%
PPG, 17%
Dealership Procedures, 15%
Painting Process, 15%
Coats, 15%

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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Automotive Refinish Technician
Automotive Refinish Technician vs Alignment Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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