Car wash attendant vs detail technician

The differences between car wash attendants and detail technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a car wash attendant has an average salary of $30,843, which is higher than the $28,201 average annual salary of a detail technician.

The top three skills for a car wash attendant include visual inspections, menu options and competent demeanor. The most important skills for a detail technician are customer vehicles, customer service, and dexterity.

Car wash attendant vs detail technician overview

	Car Wash Attendant	Detail Technician
Yearly salary	$30,843	$28,201
Hourly rate	$14.83	$13.56
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	49,512	10,951
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 57%	High School Diploma, 50%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	-	-

Car wash attendant vs detail technician salary

Car wash attendants and detail technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Car Wash Attendant	Detail Technician
Average salary	$30,843	$28,201
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $39,000	Between $22,000 And $35,000
Highest paying City	Brentwood, CA	Bellevue, WA
Highest paying state	Washington	Washington
Best paying company	Charles River Center	Ryder System
Best paying industry	Technology	Manufacturing

Differences between car wash attendant and detail technician education

There are a few differences between a car wash attendant and a detail technician in terms of educational background:

	Car Wash Attendant	Detail Technician
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 57%	High School Diploma, 50%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Car wash attendant vs detail technician demographics

Here are the differences between car wash attendants' and detail technicians' demographics:

	Car Wash Attendant	Detail Technician
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 84.4% Female, 15.6%	Male, 89.3% Female, 10.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 4.1% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 12.6% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 4.0% White, 62.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between car wash attendant and detail technician duties and responsibilities

Car wash attendant example responsibilities.

Manage stock of the vehicles; document vehicle locations and individual VIN numbers.
Manage to sweep and mop floor; clean bathroom and empty trash and dryer lint traps.
Clean and service cars for Daimler Chrysler.
Make change for customer purchases, pre-soak customer cars, clean and scrub all machines and walls.
Inspect and maintain operation of all equipment including arches, guns, dryers, lights, chain, and vacuums.
Maintain facility cleanliness to standards.

Detail technician example responsibilities.

Detail interior and exterior of travel trailers and RV's.
Dust cleaned wash waxed vacuum shampoo entire campers RV units.
Provide professional automobile detailing services with a variety of cleaning techniques and products to ensure the desired level of superior cleanliness.
Serve as liaison between DriveTime and external repair and supply vendors.
Investigate transmission errors for DriveTime lot vehicles.

Car wash attendant vs detail technician skills

Common car wash attendant skills

Visual Inspections, 46%
Menu Options, 24%
Competent Demeanor, 7%
Customer Service, 5%
Cleanliness, 4%
Work Ethic, 3%

Common detail technician skills

Customer Vehicles, 40%
Customer Service, 11%
Dexterity, 8%
Exterior Surfaces, 7%
Engine Compartment, 5%
Rinse, 5%

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Car Wash Attendant vs Detail Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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