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The differences between car detailers and service porters 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 $28,469 average annual salary of a service porter.
The top three skills for a car detailer include shampoo carpets, clean windows and customer satisfaction. The most important skills for a service porter are customer vehicles, cleanliness, and work ethic.
| Car Detailer | Service Porter | |
| Yearly salary | $29,125 | $28,469 |
| Hourly rate | $14.00 | $13.69 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 11,302 | 10,027 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 62% | High School Diploma, 48% |
| 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.
Typically working in car dealerships, a service porter is in charge of performing a variety of tasks to maintain smooth operations. They maintain vehicles in good condition by conducting regular maintenance checks and repairs, refilling gas tanks, inspecting tires and batteries, and cleaning the interior and exterior of cars. There are also instances where they perform clerical support tasks such as answering calls and correspondence, preparing and processing documents, and monitoring the inventory. Moreover, a service porter may also assist potential buyers and keep them company during test drives.
Car detailers and service porters have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Car Detailer | Service Porter | |
| Average salary | $29,125 | $28,469 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $36,000 | Between $22,000 And $35,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Kirkland, WA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | CarMax | Clean Harbors |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Real Estate |
There are a few differences between a car detailer and a service porter in terms of educational background:
| Car Detailer | Service Porter | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 62% | High School Diploma, 48% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between car detailers' and service porters' demographics:
| Car Detailer | Service Porter | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.4% Female, 13.6% | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% |
| 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, 12.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 21.0% Asian, 4.9% White, 56.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |