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The differences between automotive technicians and auto technicians 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 technician and an auto technician. Additionally, an auto technician has an average salary of $41,435, which is higher than the $40,910 average annual salary of an automotive technician.
The top three skills for an automotive technician include work ethic, computer system and customer service. The most important skills for an auto technician are taking care, preventive maintenance, and customer vehicles.
| Automotive Technician | Auto Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $40,910 | $41,435 |
| Hourly rate | $19.67 | $19.92 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 142,840 | 131,515 |
| Job satisfaction | 3.5 | 2 |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 34% | High School Diploma, 38% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An automotive technician is responsible for maintaining the condition of automotive equipment. The duties of an automotive technician include repairing defective automotive components and inspecting and ensuring the auto's performance, stability, and safety. A tech is also responsible for upgrading the electrical systems to boost efficiency, conducting oil changes and tire checks, and installing batteries. An automotive technician also runs quality checks and improves system designs based on clients' specifications. An automotive technician must have excellent knowledge of the mechanical industry and automotive systems to assist clients with their inquiries and concerns.
An auto technician specializes in performing inspections, repairs, and maintenance on different automotive vehicles ranging from small cars to light trucks. Their responsibilities revolve around identifying issues using various diagnostic tools to determine which course of action to take, discussing the extent of repairs to clients, and ordering car parts from suppliers. There are also instances when an auto technician may have the task of maintaining the cleanliness of the workplace, or participate in record-keeping and monitoring the inventory.
Automotive technicians and auto technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Automotive Technician | Auto Technician | |
| Average salary | $40,910 | $41,435 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $57,000 | Between $28,000 And $59,000 |
| Highest paying City | Los Angeles, CA | Sterling, VA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Orange County Sheriff's Office | Deloitte |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Retail |
There are a few differences between an automotive technician and an auto technician in terms of educational background:
| Automotive Technician | Auto Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 34% | High School Diploma, 38% |
| Most common major | Automotive Technology | Automotive Technology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between automotive technicians' and auto technicians' demographics:
| Automotive Technician | Auto Technician | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 95.8% Female, 4.2% | Male, 95.1% Female, 4.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.5% Asian, 5.0% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.5% Asian, 5.0% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 2% |