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The differences between automotive service 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 automotive service technician and a light wheel mechanic. Additionally, an automotive service technician has an average salary of $43,077, which is higher than the $41,948 average annual salary of a light wheel mechanic.
The top three skills for an automotive service technician include customer service, hand tools and dexterity. The most important skills for a light wheel mechanic are mechanical problems, electrical systems, and equipment systems.
| Automotive Service Technician | Light Wheel Mechanic | |
| Yearly salary | $43,077 | $41,948 |
| Hourly rate | $20.71 | $20.17 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 177,784 | 90,297 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 35% | High School Diploma, 41% |
| Average age | 40 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Automotive service technicians, often called service technicians, have a duty to inspect, maintain, and repair cars and even light trucks. It is their job as automotive service technicians to find problems, often by computerized diagnostic equipment. They do test parts and systems to guarantee that they work properly and follow checklists to ensure that every critical part is examined. Performing basic care and maintenance is also part of their main tasks, including changing oil, rotating tires, and checking fluid levels.
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.
Automotive service technicians and light wheel mechanics have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Automotive Service Technician | Light Wheel Mechanic | |
| Average salary | $43,077 | $41,948 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $74,000 | Between $25,000 And $67,000 |
| Highest paying City | Alexandria, VA | - |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | - |
| Best paying company | Cypress | - |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | - |
There are a few differences between an automotive service technician and a light wheel mechanic in terms of educational background:
| Automotive Service Technician | Light Wheel Mechanic | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 35% | High School Diploma, 41% |
| Most common major | Automotive Technology | Automotive Technology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between automotive service technicians' and light wheel mechanics' demographics:
| Automotive Service Technician | Light Wheel Mechanic | |
| Average age | 40 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 95.6% Female, 4.4% | Male, 87.4% Female, 12.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.5% Asian, 5.0% White, 60.9% 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% |