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What is an Automotive Technician?
Automotive technicians work with everything that runs on wheels, except for bicycles, baby carriages, and wheelbarrows.
They work in repair shops, gas stations, garages, or service areas of automobile dealerships and repair cars, fix engines, and tune trucks. They figure out what is smoking under the hood, where the squeaking noise is coming from, or what is making the tires wobbly. They replace broken tail lights, tighten loose wheel bolts, adjust brakes, or hammer out dents. They do a number of other things as well, with components most of us are not even aware exist.
Automotive technicians are not afraid of getting their hands dirty or sliding in under partially elevated cars, and they typically do not learn their profession from books. They tend to love their job and make $40,150 per year on average.
They work in repair shops, gas stations, garages, or service areas of automobile dealerships and repair cars, fix engines, and tune trucks. They figure out what is smoking under the hood, where the squeaking noise is coming from, or what is making the tires wobbly. They replace broken tail lights, tighten loose wheel bolts, adjust brakes, or hammer out dents. They do a number of other things as well, with components most of us are not even aware exist.
Automotive technicians are not afraid of getting their hands dirty or sliding in under partially elevated cars, and they typically do not learn their profession from books. They tend to love their job and make $40,150 per year on average.
What Does an Automotive Technician Do
Automotive service technicians and mechanics, often called service technicians or service techs, inspect, maintain, and repair cars and light trucks.
How To Become an Automotive Technician
Employers prefer that automotive service technicians and mechanics complete a formal training program at a postsecondary institution. Industry certification is usually required once the person is employed.
Automotive Technician Job Description
Automotive technicians are skilled professionals whose primary responsibility is to ensure that automobiles, such as cars and motorcycles, are well-maintained and running properly. They do so by performing diagnostics, inspecting brake fluids and oil health, repairing parts that are worn out, and guiding customers through basic car care and maintenance activities.
Learn more about Automotive Technician Job DescriptionCareer Path For an Automotive Technician
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, an automotive technician can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as technician, progress to a title such as team leader and then eventually end up with the title service manager.
Automotive Technician
Average Salary for an Automotive Technician
Automotive Technicians in America make an average salary of $40,910 per year or $20 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $57,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $29,000 per year.
Average Automotive Technician Salary
$40,910 Yearly$19.67 hourly
What Am I Worth?
Roles and Types of Automotive Technician
The role of an automotive technician includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general automotive technician responsibilities:
- Test drive vehicles, and test components
- Performs work outlined on repair orders with efficiency/accuracy, in accordance with dealership
- The service technician troubleshoots and repairs customer vehicles. Performs work specified on repair orders with efficiency
There are several types of automotive technician, including:
Technician
Role:
To be a technician, you have to know your stuff. Some may refer to you as an expert in your field or maybe people will know you as skilled in an art or craft. Then again, you may just be needed to look after technical equipment.
Your workload as a technician will vary, depending on what you're trained in. You may be needed to set up a new computer system or maybe you'll need to fix an electricity problem. Either way, you'll probably only need to work 40 hours a week.
The degree of education required for this job depends on what you're specific skillset is. Some technicians only need a high school diploma, others may want to complete an associate's program or earn a certificate to help their employment opportunities. There's definitely something for everyone in the field of technicians.
Your workload as a technician will vary, depending on what you're trained in. You may be needed to set up a new computer system or maybe you'll need to fix an electricity problem. Either way, you'll probably only need to work 40 hours a week.
The degree of education required for this job depends on what you're specific skillset is. Some technicians only need a high school diploma, others may want to complete an associate's program or earn a certificate to help their employment opportunities. There's definitely something for everyone in the field of technicians.
- Average Salary: $38,045
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree
Service Technician
Role:
As a service technician, you'll be coming home with a lot of grease on your hands. Unless, of course, you wash your hands before leaving work. Guess where all that grease comes from. Vehicles! That's right, you'll be inspecting and repairing cars, left and right.
Generally, you'll be working in a well-ventilated, well-lit garage of some sort. You'll need to be familiar with automotive issues in a car's computer system, such as figuring out why the check engine light is on. And you'll probably need to know how to change a tire or change the oil. But we're not telling you how to do your job.
Instead of getting your training from us, you should complete a program from a postsecondary institution. Again, not telling you what to do but rather what employers like to see. Once you have the job, you may need to go a step further by becoming certified.
Generally, you'll be working in a well-ventilated, well-lit garage of some sort. You'll need to be familiar with automotive issues in a car's computer system, such as figuring out why the check engine light is on. And you'll probably need to know how to change a tire or change the oil. But we're not telling you how to do your job.
Instead of getting your training from us, you should complete a program from a postsecondary institution. Again, not telling you what to do but rather what employers like to see. Once you have the job, you may need to go a step further by becoming certified.
- Average Salary: $40,379
- Degree: Associate Degree
Lube Technician
Role:
A lube technician is employed by the automotive industry and is in charge of making routine maintenance and making sure the vehicle works properly. You will perform oil checks and change the oils of vehicles when needed for the clients. You will use different methods to locate, and repair malfunctioned parts of the vehicles. Likewise, you will grease, examine, overhaul, and repair the brake system. You will tune vehicle engines for efficient repairs and functioning and maintain various working parts such as air conditioners, carburetors, and condensers.
The lube technician should be an intelligent learner who can understand and use new information frequently while working in the company and paying full attention to detail. You should be able to manage time efficiently and have a valid driver's license. A certificate of Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) is a plus. The salary expected for the post is $25,489 yearly and $12.25 hourly on average.
The lube technician should be an intelligent learner who can understand and use new information frequently while working in the company and paying full attention to detail. You should be able to manage time efficiently and have a valid driver's license. A certificate of Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) is a plus. The salary expected for the post is $25,489 yearly and $12.25 hourly on average.
- Average Salary: $29,959
- Degree: High School Diploma
States With The Most Automotive Technician Jobs
Mouse over a state to see the number of active automotive technician jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where automotive technicians earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Average Salary: Job Openings:
Number Of Automotive Technician Jobs By State
Top Skills For an Automotive Technician
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 11.0% of automotive technicians listed work ethic on their resume, but soft skills such as customer-service skills and detail oriented are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Automotive Technician Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Automotive Technician templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Automotive Technician resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Automotive Technician diversity
Automotive Technician Gender Distribution
Male
96%
Female
4%
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among automotive technicians, 4.2% of them are women, while 95.8% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among automotive technicians is White, which makes up 60.8% of all automotive technicians.
- The most common foreign language among automotive technicians is Spanish at 72.5%.
Online Courses For Automotive Technician That You May Like
Advertising Disclosure
1. Introduction to Systems Engineering
"Introduction to Systems Engineering" uses a structured yet flexible approach to provide a holistic, solid foundation to the successful development of complicated systems. The course takes you step by step through the system life cycle, from design to development, production and management. You will learn how the different components of a system interrelate, and how each contributes to a project’s goals and success. The discipline’s terminology, which can so often confuse the newcomer, is...
2. Do it Yourself - Automotive Electrical Diagnosis - Beginner
Learn to Eliminate the Possible Causes of Basic Automotive Electrical Faults oftentimes without even Touching the Car...
3. Do it Yourself-Automotive Electrical Diagnosis-Intermediate
Introduction to Modules and Information Circuits...
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Best States For an Automotive Technician
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as an automotive technician. The best states for people in this position are California, Maryland, Washington, and Virginia. Automotive technicians make the most in California with an average salary of $48,512. Whereas in Maryland and Washington, they would average $48,007 and $47,927, respectively. While automotive technicians would only make an average of $44,881 in Virginia, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Oregon
Total Automotive Technician Jobs: 916
Highest 10% Earn:
$59,000
Location Quotient:
1.08
$43,559
Avg. Salary
2. Utah
Total Automotive Technician Jobs: 653
Highest 10% Earn:
$58,000
Location Quotient:
0.99
$42,994
Avg. Salary
3. Maryland
Total Automotive Technician Jobs: 1,257
Highest 10% Earn:
$69,000
Location Quotient:
0.96
$48,007
Avg. Salary
How Do Automotive Technicians Rate Their Jobs?
Automotive Technician Reviews
Cons
Pay is minimal for your knowledge. Hours are better for white collar professionals. Have to buy your own tools with witch you could have bought your home with and no one cares. Treated as a second rate individual because you said "I'm an automotive mechanic." Expected to be perfect from customers who wonder why you didn't get it fixed on the first try when MD's almost never get it right. Expected to be an expert on over 60k types of automobiles that change every friggan year.....want more? If I had the choice to do it all over again I'd go into politics so I could rip off ppl every day and get rich and no one would ever complain.
Pros
Lubrication exchanging of car spare parts like brake pads gear box chloch pods and other spare parts of the car.
Cons
I don't like while am working somebody speaking to me.
Top Automotive Technician Employers
Most Common Employers For Automotive Technician
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mercedes-Benz USA | $40,657 | $19.55 | 107 |
| 2 | CarMax | $40,154 | $19.30 | 185 |
| 3 | Saturn Consortium | $39,993 | $19.23 | 69 |
| 4 | Byrider | $39,942 | $19.20 | 266 |
| 5 | Nissan | $39,202 | $18.85 | 68 |
| 6 | Tires Plus | $38,266 | $18.40 | 90 |
| 7 | Goodyear | $38,214 | $18.37 | 405 |
| 8 | Jiffy Lube | $38,083 | $18.31 | 259 |
| 9 | United States Marine Corps | $38,042 | $18.29 | 84 |
| 10 | Pep Boys | $37,772 | $18.16 | 300 |
Automotive Technician Videos
A Career as an Automotive Technician (JTJS52010)
How to Become a Professional Automotive Technician
Becoming an Automotive Technician FAQs
Do Automotive Technicians Make Good Money?
Yes, automotive technicians make good money, with a median salary of around $45,000 a year. This salary depends on several factors, including experience, employer, demand and location.
Automotive technicians are responsible for diagnosing, maintaining, repairing and inspecting cars, trucks and other types of vehicles. They play an important role in keeping the vehicles that help fuel our economy on the road.
How Long Does It Take To Become An Auto Body Technician?
It takes two to four years of practical training to become an auto body technician. While most employers will require at least a high school diploma, additional education is not necessary as most of the work of the auto body technician is learned through practical training.
Is Auto Technician A Good Career?
Yes, being an auto technician is a good career. For people with the right skills and aptitude, this career is very promising. There is a high demand for good auto technicians, and career earnings are higher than average, especially in specialized fields.
Is Being An Automotive Technician Worth It?
Yes, being an automotive technician is worth it. For people with the right skills and aptitude, the career has a lot to offer, from good salaries to high growth, to interesting work.
One of the most worthwhile parts of being an auto technician is the importance of the work. We are increasingly reliant on their cars to get us where we need to go and get what we need. Both individuals and the economy, on the whole, rely on good auto technicians to keep us moving.
What Does An Automotive Technician Do?
Automotive technicians repair, inspect, and maintain vehicles. In addition to performing maintenance and repair services, they meet with customers to explain the mechanical issues with their cars and keep them in the loop throughout the repair process.
Automotive Technician Vs. Mechanic
An automotive technician uses computers and technology to perform a diagnosis on a vehicle and extract data to identify issues, while a mechanic takes a more hands-on approach and usually takes things apart and looks for signs of a problem.
Have more questions? See all answers to common installation, maintenance and repair questions.