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The differences between automotive service technicians and service technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an automotive service technician, becoming a service technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, an automotive service technician has an average salary of $43,077, which is higher than the $40,379 average annual salary of a service technician.
The top three skills for an automotive service technician include customer service, hand tools and dexterity. The most important skills for a service technician are plumbing, customer service, and preventative maintenance.
| Automotive Service Technician | Service Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $43,077 | $40,379 |
| Hourly rate | $20.71 | $19.41 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 177,784 | 254,533 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 35% | Associate Degree, 29% |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
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.
Service technicians are assigned in the field to address the concerns of their clients. Service technicians are responsible for the installation, maintenance, or repair of different units or items related to their company's products or services. They should be familiar with their company's products so that they can properly install, maintain, or repair them. They conduct diagnostics and analysis to assess the condition of the unit they are servicing and properly address problems. They also do routine maintenance check-ups. Service technicians are expected to be trustworthy, have good analytical skills, and have good decision-making skills.
Automotive service technicians and service technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Automotive Service Technician | Service Technician | |
| Average salary | $43,077 | $40,379 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $74,000 | Between $28,000 And $57,000 |
| Highest paying City | Alexandria, VA | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Cypress | IBM |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Technology |
There are a few differences between an automotive service technician and a service technician in terms of educational background:
| Automotive Service Technician | Service Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 35% | Associate Degree, 29% |
| Most common major | Automotive Technology | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between automotive service technicians' and service technicians' demographics:
| Automotive Service Technician | Service Technician | |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 95.6% Female, 4.4% | Male, 89.2% Female, 10.8% |
| 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, 5.1% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 1.7% White, 72.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 1% |