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.

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Automotive Service Technician Responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real automotive service technician resumes representing typical tasks they are likely to perform in their roles.

  • Inspect cars, service and repairs specializing in BMW repairs, manage shop, price and order parts, customer service
  • Perform basic care and maintenance including oil changes, lube and tune ups.
  • Start immediately after college as a lube technician doing oil changes, tires, and light duty repairs.
  • Experience with ADP write up programming.
  • Inspect, repair, and maintain Toyota vehicles.
  • Perform general service and repairs on Chevrolet and Chrysler vehicles.
  • Train in Honda, Saturn, and Audi automotive service and diagnostics.
  • Perform automotive servicing on Toyota, Mazda, Hyundai, Chevrolet, Nissan and BMW vehicles.
  • Perform routine safety and preventative maintenance inspections, troubleshoot, repair and replace parts as needed.
  • Read and interpret work orders and detail repair instructions in order to properly test and troubleshoot discrepancies.
  • Perform full service maintenance and repairs on new and used Honda vehicles including factory, warranty, recalls and defects.
  • Preform routine preventive maintenance on equipment.
  • Maintain cleanliness and follow sanitation practices as required.
  • Obtain ASE certifications and become master certify in several repair categories.
  • Maintain all ASE certifications and education on new and upcoming vehicle diagnostic information.

Automotive Service Technician Job Description

Perhaps the hardest question to answer when deciding on a career as an automotive service technician is "should I become an automotive service technician?" You might find this info to be helpful. When compared to other jobs, automotive service technician careers are projected to have a growth rate described as "little or no change" at -1% from 2018 through 2028. This is in accordance with the Bureau of Labor Statistics. What's more, is that the projected number of opportunities that are predicted to become available for a automotive service technician by 2028 is -6,400.

An automotive service technician annual salary averages $43,077, which breaks down to $20.71 an hour. However, automotive service technicians can earn anywhere from upwards of $25,000 to $74,000 a year. This means that the top-earning automotive service technicians make $38,000 more than the lowest-earning ones.

Once you've become an automotive service technician, you may be curious about what other opportunities are out there. Careers aren't one size fits all. For that reason, we discovered some other jobs that you may find appealing. Some jobs you might find interesting include a mechanic helper, mechanic, light wheel mechanic, and shop mechanic.

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Automotive Service Technician Skills and Personality Traits

We calculated that 30% of Automotive Service Technicians are proficient in Customer Service, Hand Tools, and Dexterity. They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented, Dexterity, and Mechanical skills.

We break down the percentage of Automotive Service Technicians that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Customer Service, 30%

    Provided excellent customer service to incoming and outgoing customers to include complimentary shuttle service throughout a 50-square mile major metropolitan area.

  • Hand Tools, 12%

    Used computerized shop equipment and work with electronic components while maintaining skills with traditional hand tools.

  • Dexterity, 9%

    Use of carpentry tools-manual, power & air Mechanical aptitude, manual dexterity, creativity.

  • Customer Satisfaction, 5%

    Maintained constant dedication to quality, maximum level of accuracy and customer satisfaction.

  • ASE, 5%

    Performed duties as an ASE certified Automotive Technician specializing in computer/ electrical system diagnosis and HVAC troubleshooting and repair.

  • Automotive Repair, 4%

    Diagnose vehicle problems and perform required automotive repair and maintenance services in accordance with American Honda guidelines.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Automotive Service Technician Resume templates

Build a professional Automotive Service Technician resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Automotive Service Technician resume.

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Automotive Service Technician Resume
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Automotive Service Technician Resume

"customer service," "hand tools," and "dexterity" aren't the only skills we found automotive service technicians list on their resumes. In fact, there's a whole list of automotive service technician responsibilities that we found, including:

  • Arguably the most important personality trait for an automotive service technician to have happens to be detail oriented. An example from a resume said this about the skill, "service technicians must be aware of small details when inspecting or repairing vehicle systems, because mechanical and electronic malfunctions are often due to misalignments or other easy-to-miss causes." Additionally, other resumes have pointed out that automotive service technicians can use detail oriented to "detailed, washed, and done lube maintenance on vehicles. "
  • Another commonly found skill for being able to perform automotive service technician duties is the following: dexterity. According to a automotive service technician resume, "service technicians perform many tasks that require steady hands and good hand–eye coordination, such as assembling or attaching components and subassemblies." Check out this example of how automotive service technicians use dexterity: "installed lift kits, performed preventive maintenance, mechanical repairs and electrical/electronic diagnosis. "
  • Automotive service technicians are also known for mechanical skills, which can be critical when it comes to performing their duties. An example of why this skill is important is shown by this snippet that we found in a automotive service technician resume: "service technicians must be familiar with engine components and systems and know how they interact with each other" We also found this resume example that details how this skill is put to the test: "performed electrical and mechanical diagnosis. "
  • In order for certain automotive service technician responsibilities to be completed, the job requires the skill "physical strength." According to an automotive service technician resume, "service technicians must sometimes lift and maneuver heavy parts such as engines and body panels." As an example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies: "learned physical and technical knowledge of gasoline engine performance characteristics. "
  • Yet another important skill that an automotive service technician must demonstrate is "troubleshooting skills." Service technicians use diagnostic equipment on engine systems and components in order to identify and fix problems in increasingly complicated mechanical and electronic systems This is clearly demonstrated in this example from an automotive service technician who stated: "united states provides technical diagnosis, servicing, troubleshooting and repairs on over 100 vehicle fleet. "
  • Lastly, this career requires you to be skillful in "customer-service skills." According to automotive service technician resumes, "service technicians discuss automotive problems—along with options to fix them—with their customers." This resume example highlights how automotive service technician responsibilities rely on this skill: "utilized diagnostic equipment to test electrical and engine components to provide proper diagnosis and solutions to customers"
  • See the full list of automotive service technician skills.

    After discovering the most helpful skills, we moved onto what kind of education might be helpful in becoming an automotive service technician. We found that 14.8% of automotive service technicians have graduated with a bachelor's degree and 1.5% of people in this position have earned their master's degrees. While some automotive service technicians have a college degree, you may find it's also true that generally it's possible to be successful in this career with only a high school degree. In fact, our research shows that one out of every two automotive service technicians were not college graduates.

    The automotive service technicians who went onto college to earn a more in-depth education generally studied automotive technology and business, while a small population of automotive service technicians studied general studies and mechanical engineering technology.

    Once you're ready to become an automotive service technician, you should explore the companies that typically hire automotive service technicians. According to automotive service technician resumes that we searched through, automotive service technicians are hired the most by Tire Discounters, AutoNation, and Lia Honda Albany. Currently, Tire Discounters has 106 automotive service technician job openings, while there are 74 at AutoNation and 29 at Lia Honda Albany.

    Since salary is important to some automotive service technicians, it's good to note that they are figured to earn the highest salaries at Cypress, Goodwin, and Friendly Chevrolet. If you were to take a closer look at Cypress, you'd find that the average automotive service technician salary is $111,768. Then at Goodwin, automotive service technicians receive an average salary of $106,624, while the salary at Friendly Chevrolet is $106,097.

    View more details on automotive service technician salaries across the United States.

    We also looked into companies who hire automotive service technicians from the top 100 educational institutions in the U.S. The top three companies that hire the most from these institutions include Firestone Holdings LLC, Walmart, and Sears Holdings.

    The three companies that hire the most prestigious automotive service technicians are:

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    What Mechanic Helpers Do

    The job of a mechanic helper is to support lead mechanics and perform a variety of duties and responsibilities. You will be assisting in the maintenance of cars, such as changing tires and oils, replacing brakes, and diagnosing vehicle issues. In addition, you will be responsible for logging labor costs and inventory use and take vehicles for test drives. Other duties include replacing belts and hoses, assisting the lead mechanic in major projects, and repairing and maintaining cars.

    In this section, we take a look at the annual salaries of other professions. Take mechanic helper for example. On average, the mechanic helpers annual salary is $11,185 lower than what automotive service technicians make on average every year.

    Even though automotive service technicians and mechanic helpers have vast differences in their careers, a few of the skills required to do both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require hand tools, maintenance services, and lube in the day-to-day roles.

    As far as similarities go, this is where it ends because an automotive service technician responsibility requires skills such as "customer service," "dexterity," "manual dexterity," and "customer satisfaction." Whereas a mechanic helper is skilled in "strong work ethic," "preventive maintenance," "safety equipment," and "routine maintenance." So if you're looking for what truly separates the two careers, you've found it.

    Mechanic helpers receive the highest salaries in the professional industry coming in with an average yearly salary of $36,229. But automotive service technicians are paid more in the health care industry with an average salary of $38,929.

    On average, mechanic helpers reach similar levels of education than automotive service technicians. Mechanic helpers are 0.8% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

    What Are The Duties Of a Mechanic?

    Mechanics are professionals responsible for assembling, maintaining, and repairing vehicles and types of machinery. They are knowledgeable of various tools and equipment, machinery, electrical systems, and other components. They can usually be seen indoors, garages in particular. Due to the advancement of technology, they are also required to be familiar with computer and software programs that can be used in auto shops and vehicles. They always work in safety precautions.

    The next role we're going to look at is the mechanic profession. Typically, this position earns a higher pay. In fact, they earn a $4,072 higher salary than automotive service technicians per year.

    Not everything about these jobs is different. Take their skills, for example. Automotive service technicians and mechanics both include similar skills like "customer service," "hand tools," and "ase" on their resumes.

    But both careers also use different skills, according to real automotive service technician resumes. While automotive service technician responsibilities can utilize skills like "dexterity," "manual dexterity," "customer satisfaction," and "automotive repair," some mechanics use skills like "preventive maintenance," "electrical systems," "ladders," and "hydraulic systems."

    It's been discovered that mechanics earn higher salaries compared to automotive service technicians, but we wanted to find out where mechanics earned the most pay. The answer? The manufacturing industry. The average salary in the industry is $51,758. Additionally, automotive service technicians earn the highest paychecks in the health care with an average salary of $38,929.

    When it comes to the differences in education between the two professions, mechanics tend to reach similar levels of education than automotive service technicians. In fact, they're 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

    How a Light Wheel Mechanic Compares

    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.

    Let's now take a look at the light wheel mechanic profession. On average, these workers make lower salaries than automotive service technicians with a $1,129 difference per year.

    While looking through the resumes of several automotive service technicians and light wheel mechanics we discovered that both professions have similar skills. These similarities include skills such as "diagnostic equipment," "maintenance services," and "oil changes," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

    As mentioned, these two careers differ between other skills that are required for performing the work exceedingly well. For example, gathering from automotive service technicians resumes, they are more likely to have skills like "customer service," "hand tools," "dexterity," and "manual dexterity." But a light wheel mechanic might have skills like "electrical systems," "equipment systems," "mos," and "track vehicles."

    Light wheel mechanics are known to earn similar educational levels when compared to automotive service technicians. Additionally, they're 1.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

    Description Of a Shop Mechanic

    A shop mechanic is responsible for maintaining and repairing defective machinery and vehicles. Shop mechanics identify the disrupted components by inspecting and running diagnostic tests and informing the owner of the necessary procedures they need to take. They discuss the costs and expenses, the materials to be used, and the duration to fix the machine upon analyzing its complexity. A shop mechanic monitors the shop inventory, assemble parts, and upgrade engines and machinery for optimal performance.

    Now, we'll look at shop mechanics, who generally average a higher pay when compared to automotive service technicians annual salary. In fact, the difference is about $4,300 per year.

    While both automotive service technicians and shop mechanics complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like customer service, hand tools, and dexterity, the two careers also vary in other skills.

    Even though a few skill sets overlap, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an automotive service technician might have more use for skills like "manual dexterity," "customer satisfaction," "ase," and "automotive repair." Meanwhile, some shop mechanics might include skills like "preventative maintenance," "hydraulic systems," "cdl," and "electrical systems" on their resume.

    Now, let's take a closer look at the financials in each career. The government industry tends to pay more for shop mechanics with an average of $43,954. While the highest automotive service technician annual salary comes from the health care industry.

    Shop mechanics reach similar levels of education when compared to automotive service technicians. The difference is that they're 0.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree less, and 0.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.