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The differences between car detailers and car washers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a car detailer has an average salary of $29,125, which is higher than the $28,701 average annual salary of a car washer.
The top three skills for a car detailer include shampoo carpets, clean windows and customer satisfaction. The most important skills for a car washer are clean vehicle, customer satisfaction, and cleanliness.
| Car Detailer | Car Washer | |
| Yearly salary | $29,125 | $28,701 |
| Hourly rate | $14.00 | $13.80 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 11,302 | 41,702 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 62% | High School Diploma, 64% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A car detailer is responsible for providing auto cleaning services, following clients' specifications within internal guidelines. Car detailers organize the interior and exterior features of the vehicles, performing cleaning and disinfecting operations with utmost safety by adhering to the organization's procedures. They also inspect the engine's condition, recommending possible solutions to the clients to improve the vehicle's optimization and high performance. A car detailer must have excellent organizational and communication skills, especially on adhering to clients' special requests to ensure customer satisfaction.
A car washer is responsible for cleaning and polishing cars, ensuring efficiency and customer satisfaction. Their tasks typically include vacuuming the interior parts such as seats and floors, discarding the trash, cleaning the windows and windshield from the inside and outside, applying soap solution to the car's exterior, scraping off dirt, and applying wax. They may also answer customer inquiries, provide cost estimates, and assist them as needed. Moreover, a car washer typically works in a team setting, which requires an active communication line for a smooth and efficient workflow.
Car detailers and car washers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Car Detailer | Car Washer | |
| Average salary | $29,125 | $28,701 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $36,000 | Between $22,000 And $35,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Jose, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | CarMax | Westside |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Transportation |
There are a few differences between a car detailer and a car washer in terms of educational background:
| Car Detailer | Car Washer | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 62% | High School Diploma, 64% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between car detailers' and car washers' demographics:
| Car Detailer | Car Washer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.4% Female, 13.6% | Male, 86.5% Female, 13.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.9% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 4.3% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 13.8% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.8% Asian, 4.4% White, 55.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |